VOLLEYBAL

L
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module,
students should be able to:
1. Define what is Volleyball
2. Discuss the brief history of
Volleyball
3. Define the terminologies
used in Volleyball
4. Identify the facilities and
equipment used in
Volleyball
5. Identify the players and
positions in Volleyball
game
6. Enumerate Introduction
and identify
This next module
contains the details about the
volleyball game which will add
to the students’ knowledge
and understanding towards
playing the game.

They will encounter

the its origin, the needed
facilities and equipment in
playing, the rules and
regulations and other
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net.
important details that will
Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on thesummarizes
other team's the
courttotality
under of the
organized rules.

ORIGIN OF VOLLEYBALL
  On February 9, 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts (USA), William
G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director, created a new
game called Mintonette as a pastime to be played (preferably)
indoors and by any number of players.
 Volleyball was invented four years after James Naismith invented
the Basketball game in 1891. Mintonette was designed to be an
indoor sport, less rough than basketball, for older members of
the YMCA, while still requiring a bit of athletic effort.
Figure 1William G.
 William G. Morgan came up with the idea so that people who Morgan
found basketball’s ‘bumping’ or ‘jolting’ too strenuous could
have an alternative physical activity to fall back on.
 Volleyball took some of its inspiration form different sports. The ball came from
basketball, the net from tennis and the use of hands from handball. While this
made up a game of volleyball, it was lent some competitive tone with the
introduction of innings - later to be called sets - that was borrowed from baseball.
 The first rules, written down by William G Morgan, called for a net 6 ft. 6 in (1.98 m)
high, a 25 ft. × 50 ft. (7.6 m × 15.2 m) court, and any number of players. A match
was composed of nine innings with three serves for each team in each inning, and
no limit to the number of ball contacts for each team before sending the ball to
the opponents' court. Hitting the ball into the net was considered a foul (with loss of
the point or a side-out)—except in the case of the first-try serve.
After an observer, Alfred Halstead, noticed the volleying nature of the game
at its first exhibition match in 1896, played at the International YMCA Training School
(now called Springfield College), the game quickly became known as volleyball (it
was originally spelled as two words: "volley ball"). Volleyball rules were slightly
modified by the International YMCA Training School and the game spread around
the country to various YMCAs.
 One volleyball rule that the Philippines contributed to inventing was the “three-hit
limit.”
 Filipinos also invented the “spike and set” volleyball strategy. While the sport was
still new to the country, Americans noticed that Filipinos would jump really high
during a volleyball match and hit the ball downwards over the net into the opposing
team’s court, making it hard to recover the ball. This led the Americans at the time to
name this strategy “the spike” or “the Filipino bomb.”

BASIC VOLLEYBALL FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

COURT
A volleyball court is 18 m (59 ft.) long and 9 m (29.5 ft.) wide, divided into
9 m × 9 m halves by a one-meter (40-inch) wide net. The top of the net is 2.43 m
(8 ft. 0 in) above the center of the court for men's competition, and 2.24 m (7 ft. 4 in)
for women's competition, varied for veterans and junior competitions.
The minimum height clearance for indoor volleyball courts is 7 m (23 ft.), although a
clearance of 8 m (26 ft.) is recommended.
A line 3 m (9.84 ft.) from and parallel to the net is considered the "attack line". This "3
meter" (or "10-foot") line divides the court into "back row" and "front row" areas (also

18m. (59ft.)

back court and front court).

Center Line. A center line is marked at the center of the court dividing it equally into
30 feet squares, above which the net is placed.
Attack Line. An attack line is marked 10 feet of each side of the center line.
Service Line. A service line, the area from which the server may serve the
volleyball, is marked 10 feet inside the right sideline on each
back line.
A line 3 m (9.84 ft.) from and parallel to the net is
considered the "attack line". This "3 meter" (or "10-foot") line
divides the court into "back row" and "front row" areas (also
back court and front court). These are in turn divided into 3
areas each: these are numbered as follows, starting from area
"1", which is the position of the serving player:

After a team gains the serve (also known as siding

out), its members must rotate in a clockwise direction, each
player only rotates one time after the team gains possession
of the serve; the next time each player rotates will be after the
other team wins’ possession of the ball and loses the point.
VOLLEY BALL

FIVB regulations state that the ball must be spherical,

made of leather or synthetic leather, have a circumference of
65–67 cm, a weight of 260–280 g and an inside pressure of
0.30–0.325 kg/cm2. Other governing bodies have similar
regulations.

NET

The net part of an

official volleyball net is 32 feet
long by 39 inches tall. For
men’s volleyball, the net
should be 8 feet off the
ground. For women’s
volleyball, the net should be 7
feet, 4 inches off the ground.
The main purpose of volleyball nets is to separate each
side of the court and signify how high a volleyball hit
needs to stay to be in play.

There are also official net heights based on

players belonging to different age groups. The net height
is lower for players age 11 to 15 and it’s lower for ages
45, 55 and 75.

Penalty Card

Yellow cards are considered a warning to players if they

are behaving poorly, and there is no penalty. If a player
continues to disrupt play, they will receive a red card and
this means there will be a penalty.

TERMINOLOGIES

 ACE - A serve that is not passable and results immediately in a point.

 ASSIST - Passing or setting the ball to a teammate who attacks the ball for a kill.
This stat is normally only logged for high school, college, and National/Olympic
team play.
 ATTACK - The offensive action of hitting the ball. The attempt by one team to
terminate the play by hitting the ball to the floor on the opponent's side.
 ATTACK BLOCK - Receiving players' aggressive attempt to block a spiked ball
before it crosses the net.
 ATTACKER - Also "hitter" or "spiker." A player who attempts to hit a ball
offensively with the purpose of terminating play in his or her team's favor.
 ATTACK LINE - A line 3m from the net that separates the front row players from
the back row players. Commonly referred to as the "10-foot line."
 BACKCOURT - The area from the end line to the attack line.
 BACK SET - A set delivered behind the setter’s back, which is subsequently hit
by an attacker.
 BLOCK - A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball
back to the hitter’s court. It may be a combination of one, two or three players
jumping in front of the opposing spiker and contacting the spiked ball with the
hands.
 BALL HANDLING ERROR - Any time the official calls a double hit, a thrown ball
or a lift (except on a serve reception or attack). For our purposes, this category
also includes any blocking errors (when an official calls a blocker for a violation
such as going into the net, centerline violation, reaching over the net, etc.).
 CENTER LINE - The boundary that runs directly under the net and divides the
court into two equal halves.
 CROSS COURT SHOT - An individual attack directed at an angle from one end
of the offensive team's side of the net to the opposite sideline of the defensive
team's court.
 DIG - Passing a spiked or rapidly hit ball. Slang for the art of passing an attacked
ball close to the floor.
 DOUBLE BLOCK - Two players working in unison to deflect an attacked ball at
the net back to the hitter’s side.
 DOUBLE HIT - Successive hits or contacts by the same player. (Illegal)
 DOUBLES - A game with two players on each side, most commonly played on a
sand court.
 FOREARM PASS - Join your arms from the elbows to the wrists and strike the
ball with the fleshy part of your forearms in an underhand motion.
 FOUL - A violation of the rules.
 FREE BALL - A ball that will be returned by a pass rather than a spike. This is
usually called aloud by the defense instructing players to move into serve receive
positions.
 HELD BALL - A ball that comes to rest during contact resulting in a foul.
 HIT - To jump and strike the ball with an overhand, forceful shot.
 KILL - An attack that results in an immediate point or side out.
 LINE - The marks that serve as boundaries of a court.
 LINE SHOT - A ball spiked down an opponent's sideline, closest to the hitter and
outside the block.
 LET SERVE - A serve that contacts the net. If the ball dribbles over, it's playable
just like any other ball that contacts the net on the way over. If the ball fails to
clear the net, it will become dead when it either hits the serving team's court, or is
contacted by a player on the serving team.
 OVERHAND PASS - A pass executed with both hands open, controlled by the
fingers and thumbs, played just above the forehead.
 OVERHAND SERVE - Serving the ball and striking it with the hand above the
shoulder.
 OVERLAP – refers to the positions of the players in the rotation prior to the
contact of the ball when serving.
 PANCAKE - A one-handed defensive technique where the hand is extended and
the palm is slid along the floor as the player dives or extension rolls, and timed so
that the ball bounces off the back of the hand.
 READY POSITION - The flexed, yet comfortable, posture a player assumes
before moving to contact the ball.
 ROTATION - The clockwise movement of players around the court and through
the serving position following a side out.
 SERVER - The player who puts the ball into play.
 SERVICE ERROR - An unsuccessful serve in which one or more of the following
occurs: 1) the ball hits the net or fails to clear the net, 2) the ball lands out of
bounds, or 3) the server commits a foot fault.
 SERVICE WINNER - A point the serving team scores when this player has
served the ball. The point can be an immediate (in the case of an ace) or delayed
(a kill or opponent attack error after a long rally). Therefore, the sum of the team's
service winners equals their score.
 SET - The tactical skill in which a ball is directed to a point where a player can
spike it into the opponent's court.
 SETTER – the player who has the 2nd of 3 contacts of the ball who "sets" the ball
with an "Overhand Pass" for a teammate to hit. The setter normally runs the
offense.

FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

1. Serving: is one of the most crucial skills in volleyball, as it is how the ball is
brought into play. The act of batting a ball over the net in order to out the ball
into play. The right back always serves.

Kinds of Serve
1. Underhand Serve - a type of serve in which the player holds the ball in
one hand, swings the other in an arc motion below the waist and strikes
the ball from the bottom with a fist to put it in play.

2. Overhand Serve - a serve in which the player tosses the ball with one
hand and strikes it in the air above their head with the other hand.

3. Sidearm Serve - another method of introducing the ball. into play by hitting
it over the net to the opponents from a sideways position with a short toss.

4. Sky ball serve - The skyball serve is a beach volleyball serve. This is when
you contact the ball underhand and send the ball really high into the sky.

5. Topspin - Topspin serving is serving the ball in such a way that makes the
ball spin downward into the court. The topspin serve is a controlled serve that
helps the server place the ball into the court with more accuracy.
 6. Jump float - a serving technique that involves jumping to hit the ball in the
air. The goal is to hit the ball with no spin, creating a floating effect.

2. Passing: After serving, passing also called reception, the act of volleying or
deflecting a ball to a teammate using one’s fingers, forearms, or any part of
the body from the wrist up.

3. Setting: is usually the second contact after a bump or dig that sets up a
teammate for a spike. Setting is crucial in volleyball, as a good set can enable
your opponent to win the point with a well- place spike.

4. Hitting (Attacking): once the first and second players on a volleyball team
have contacted the ball by passing or setting, it is up to the rest of the players
to set up an attack in order to send the ball back over the net.

5. Spiking: involves a volleyball player making their team’s third contact with the
ball by taking a few steps forward, jumping into the air as the second players
sets the into position, and then driving it over the net with a hard.

6. Blocking: the key defensive tactic in volleyball, blocking involves players on

the receiving side of the net attempting to prevent the ball from coming down
on their side.

7. Digging: is a crucial defensive technique that involves a player bumping a

ball below their waist, closer to the floor than a regular bump.

PLAYERS AND POSITIONS

Player specialization

There are 5 positions filled on every volleyball team at the elite level. Setter,
Outside Hitter/Left Side Hitter, Middle Hitter, Opposite Hitter/Right Side Hitter and
Libero/Defensive Specialist. Each of these positions plays a specific, key role in
winning a volleyball match.

Setter
The setter is the main contributor to the offense of the volleyball team. One of the
requirements of the setter is having a delicate touch to set the ball perfectly for one
of the attacking players. Communication is extremely important for the setter
because they need to get the rest of the players on the same page. Without the
setter, there wouldn’t be hard spikes or technical ball movement.

Outside Hitter
The outside hitter is also known as the left-side hitter and is the lead attacker in the
offensive strategy. To be a successful outsider hitter, you must be able to jump high,
be quick on your feet, and be ready to adapt to different situations. The volleyball
won’t always be placed where the outsider hitter would like, so they need to be
prepared for hits from a variety of places.

Opposite Hitter
Also known as the right-side hitter, these players need to be a perfect balance of
both offense and defense. They will also get many opportunities to hit the volleyball,
so similar to the outside hitter, jumping ability is vital. The main difference that sets
the opposite hitter apart is their defensive responsibility. Being able to receive the
serve from the opposing team is just one of the many requirements of this
specialized position.

Middle Blocker
The middle blocker, sometimes known as the middle hitter, is the tallest player on
the volleyball team. Their main role for the team is being the first line of defense
against the opposing team’s hits. The middle blocker needs to read the other team’s
attackers to quickly raise his or her arms above the net in a blocking attempt.
However, this is not a defense-only position. The middle blocker will have chances
for quick points throughout the set.

Libero

The libero can become confusing for non-volleyball players. They can only play on
the back row of the court, and because of this, are the ideal person to receive a hit
from the opposite team. There are set rules the libero needs to follow, such as not
attacking the ball at the net, playing a set for an attacker from the front, and more.
You can always tell a libero apart from the rest of the team because they wear a
different colored jersey.

Defensive Specialist

The thing that sets the defensive specialist apart from other volleyball positions is
their ability to substitute out any player on the court. This will count against the
team’s total of 12 substitutions. The defensive specialist traditionally focuses on ball
control and passing and works well with the libero.
Note: a libero can substitute in and out of the game without limit, while a defensive specialist
specializes in defensive skills without the same privileges.