Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of six players. A net separates the teams. Each team tries to score points by grounding the ball on the other team's court, following organized rules. The sport has been part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since Tokyo 1964.

Beach volleyball is played on sand. It was added to the Olympic program at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics. The adapted version of volleyball at the Summer Paralympic Games is sitting volleyball.

Volleyball was invented in 1895 by the American educator William G. Morgan. He was a YMCA physical education director in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Morgan wanted the game, which he first called "mintonette," to be easier on the body than basketball. The game spread quickly through YMCA groups in the United States and in other countries.

An international governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was formed in 1947. The sport then became popular all over the world. Many different groups have played volleyball over the years, including Christian members of the YMCA, nudists, and, more recently, people who have discussed how transgender athletes should take part fairly.

Basic play

The complete set of rules is long, but the game works in a simple way. A player starts a "rally" by serving the ball from behind the back line of the court. The server tosses the ball up and hits it with a hand or arm, sending it over the net to the other team. The receiving team must not let the ball touch the ground inside their court. A team may touch the ball up to three times before sending it back over the net, but one player cannot touch it twice in a row. Usually the first two touches set up an attack, which is a try to send the ball over the net so the other team cannot keep the rally going. The team that wins a rally gets a point and serves the next one. Some common mistakes, called faults, include letting the ball touch the ground outside the other team's court, catching and throwing the ball, hitting the ball twice in a row, touching the ball four times in a row as a team, a player touching the net during play, and a foot crossing a line when serving or under the net.

The ball is usually played with the hands or arms, but players can briefly hit or push it with any part of the body. Volleyball has several techniques, including spiking and blocking. Because these plays are made above the top of the net, the vertical jump is an important skill in the sport. Other key skills include passing, setting, and special player positions. Teams also use attacking and defending plans as key parts of play.

History

Further information: YMCA

William G. Morgan invented the sport in 1895. He was the YMCA physical education director in Holyoke, Massachusetts. At first, he based the game on badminton, so he called it mintonette. Morgan had once been a student of basketball inventor James Naismith. He made the game for his YMCA members, who were mostly middle-aged businessmen. Basketball was too hard on their bodies. In 1896, Alfred Halstead saw how the players kept the ball in the air during the first exhibition match, at what is now Springfield College. After that, the game quickly became known as volleyball. The rules were changed a little, and the game spread to YMCAs around the country. In the early 1900s, Spalding published books that explained the rules.

The rules changed over time. In 1917, the number of points needed to win was lowered from 21 to 15. In 1919, the American Expeditionary Forces gave about 16,000 volleyballs to their soldiers and allies. This helped volleyball grow in new countries. Volleyball spread quickly because it was simple and was promoted by the YMCA and YWCA. Canada was the first country outside the United States to adopt it, in 1900. During and after World War I, YMCA instructors with American forces helped it spread across Europe. Clubs were started in France and several Soviet nations. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) was founded in 1947. The first World Championships were held in 1949 for men and in 1952 for women. Volleyball is now popular in Brazil. In Europe, Italy, the Netherlands, and Eastern Europe have been strong teams since the late 1980s. It is also popular in Russia, in Asia including China, and in the United States. Beach volleyball is played on sand, with two players per team. It became an FIVB-approved version in 1987 and was added to the Olympics at the 1996 Summer Olympics. It likely began in 1915 on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. Volleyball is also a sport at the Paralympics, which is managed by World ParaVolley. In recent years, people have discussed whether transgender players should be allowed to play. This discussion grew after transgender athletes, such as Tiffany Abreu, joined professional teams.

Volleyball has been part of the Summer Olympics for both men and women since the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Rules of the game

A volleyball court is 9 m by 18 m and is split into two equal halves by a net. Each team has six players. A team is chosen to serve by a coin toss. The receiving team may touch the ball up to three times to send it back over the net. Usually, they first pass the ball to a setter, who sets it up for an attacker to hit down into the other team's court. The defending team tries to block the ball at the net or dig it up from the court. The rally continues until the ball lands inside the court or someone makes a mistake. Matches are usually best-of-five sets. A team wins a set by being the first to score 25 points and by leading by at least two points.

The official rules are set by FIVB. A libero is a player who specializes in defense and wears a different colored jersey from their teammates. The rules have changed over time. In 1999, the FIVB changed to the current scoring system. This made matches more predictable and more fun to watch on television. The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship also changed its rules over the years, including how many points are needed to win a set.

Skills

Teams that play at a high level use six basic skills: serve, pass, set, attack, block and dig. Each skill has several special techniques. These techniques were developed over many years and are now common in high-level volleyball.

Serve

A player stands behind the back line and hits the ball over the net into the other team's court. The ball should land inside the court and be hard for the other team to play. A serve is called an "ace" when the ball lands directly on the court or the other team cannot hit it up for a teammate.

Many types of serves are used today, including:

• Underhand: the ball is hit below the waist. These serves are easy to receive and are rarely used in high-level games.
• Sky ball serve: a high underhand serve sometimes used in beach volleyball. It was mostly used by the Brazilian team in the early 1980s and is now seen as old-fashioned. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Italian beach volleyball player Adrian Carambula used it often. In Brazil, it is called Jornada nas Estrelas (Star Trek).
• Topspin: the ball is tossed high and hit with a quick wrist movement. This makes the ball spin and drop faster.
• Float: the ball is hit with no spin, so its path is hard to predict. It is like a knuckleball in baseball.
• Jump serve: the player jumps and hits the ball with a lot of power and topspin. It is the most popular serve in college and professional teams.
• Jump float: the player jumps and hits the ball with little spin. It is becoming more popular because its path is hard to predict.

Pass

Passing, also called reception, is how a team handles the other team's serve or attack. The goal is to keep the ball off the court and send it quickly and accurately to the setter.

There are two main ways to pass. The underarm pass, or bump, is when the ball hits the forearms at waist height. The overhand pass is when the ball is handled with the fingertips above the head. Both are allowed in professional and beach volleyball, but the rules for the overhand pass are stricter in beach volleyball.

Set

The set is usually the second touch a team makes on the ball. It sends the ball up into the air so an attacker can hit it into the other team's court. The setter guides the team's attack and decides which player will hit the ball.

Setters use an overhand set or a bump set. The overhand set gives more control, so the bump is used only when the ball is too low. Setters can also send the ball forward or backward, or jump when the ball is close to the net. Sometimes a setter hits the ball over the net directly instead of setting it for a teammate. This is called a "dump," and it is only allowed from the front row.

Attack

See also: Volleyball offensive systems

The attack, also called the spike, is usually the third touch a team makes on the ball. The goal is to hit the ball so it lands on the other team's court where it cannot be defended. The hitter takes a few steps, jumps and swings at the ball, ideally at the highest point of the jump.

There are many attacking techniques. Some players hit from the back row, hit the ball at a sharp angle, or lightly touch the ball so it drops where defenders are not. Others make quick hits set just above the net. A "kill" is an attack that the other team cannot return, which wins the point.

Block

Blocking is what players at the net do to stop or change the other team's attack. An offensive block stops the ball and keeps it on the other team's side. Players do this by jumping and reaching over the net. A defensive block, also called a "soft" block, slows the ball down so it is easier to defend. Players can block alone, or with two or three players together.

Dig

Digging means keeping the ball from touching the court after a hard attack, especially when the ball is very close to the ground. Digging is like passing, but it depends more on quick reflexes. Players often stay on their toes so they can move in any direction. A player may dive forward to save the ball or slide a hand under it. This is called a "pancake." It is common in indoor volleyball but rare in beach volleyball, where the sand makes it harder to touch the ball cleanly.

Team play

Volleyball is mostly about moving from one skill to the next. Teams follow planned movements between plays. How a team moves depends on the systems it picks: a serve-receive system, an offensive system, a coverage system, and a defensive system. The serve-receive system is the setup a team uses to pass the ball to its setter. At higher levels, the most popular version uses three receivers. This lets middle and right-side players focus on hitting and blocking. Offensive systems are setups used to land the ball on the other side of the court. They often give players specific jobs (see Player specialization, below). Popular ones include the 4–2, 6–2, and 5-1 systems (see Formations, below).

Coverage systems prepare a team for a blocked attack. Defensive systems decide which players guard which parts of the court. Teams can also stand their other players in a screen to block the receiving team's view during the serve. This is only against the rules if the server uses the screen. The referee decides based on how it affects the receiving team. The most common screen is a W formation, which spreads players out as far side to side as possible.

Strategy

Every elite volleyball team has five key positions. The setter places the ball in the air for the attackers. The libero is a defensive player who receives attacks and serves. Libero means "free" in Italian, because a libero can replace any other player on the court, usually a middle blocker. Liberos cannot block or attack, and they wear a different colored jersey. Middle blockers are usually the tallest players and are good at blocking. Outside hitters, also called left-side hitters, are often the team's most consistent attackers. Opposite hitters, or right-side hitters, block against the outside hitters and can serve as a backup setter. Taller setters such as Fabio Vullo and Peter Blangé began to be used in the 1990s to improve blocking. Before that, several opposite hitters, such as Andrea Zorzi and Andrea Giani, could also play as middle hitters.

Teams use three standard formations, called "4–2", "6–2" and "5–1". The numbers refer to the number of hitters and setters. The 4–2 is a basic formation used only in beginners' play. The 6–2 uses two setters. The back-row setter moves forward to set, so three front-row players can attack. At the international level, only the Cuban National Women's Team uses this formation. It is also used by NCAA teams in Division III men's and women's play. The 5–1 formation has one setter and is by far the most common formation in high-level play.

Media

Volleyball appears in many movies. In Side Out (1990), a law student goes to California and ends up playing professional volleyball. Air Bud: Spikes Back (2003) is a sequel in the Air Bud series, where the main dog, a golden retriever, plays volleyball. All You've Got (2006) is a TV movie starring hip hop artist Ciara. In The Miracle Season (2018), a team works together to try to win the state championship.

Volleyball also shows up on television, often in Japanese anime. Attack No. 1 (1969) is one example. In Attacker You! (1984), a junior high schoolgirl starts playing volleyball after moving to Tokyo from the countryside. Haikyu!! (2014) follows a high school boys volleyball team that wants to be the best in Japan. Harukana Receive (2018) is about teen girls who play beach volleyball and have a match against other girls. 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team (2021) follows a high school boys volleyball team on their journey to victory.

Variations and related games

There are many versions of volleyball with different rules. The most popular is beach volleyball, which is played on sand with two people per team. It is almost as popular as the main sport. Other related games include Crossnet, a four-way game that mixes volleyball and foursquare, and 9-man, which Chinese immigrants to the United States made up in the 1930s. 9-man is still played in Asian countries and North America, and it is important for its history and culture. A documentary about the sport came out in 2014, and another one was made for YouTube in 2017. Beachball volleyball is played indoors with a beach ball instead of a volleyball. Biribol is a water version played in shallow swimming pools. It gets its name from Birigui, a city in Brazil where it was invented, and it is similar to water volleyball. Ecua-volley began in Ecuador and has some differences, such as the number of players and a heavier ball. Footvolley is a sport from Brazil where players do not use their hands or arms. Otherwise, it is a lot like beach volleyball.

Hooverball became popular thanks to President Herbert Hoover. It is played with a volleyball net and a medicine ball. It is scored like tennis, but the ball is caught and then thrown back. The ball's weight makes the game tiring to play. Yearly championship tournaments are held in West Branch, Iowa. In Newcomb ball (sometimes spelled "Nuke 'Em"), players catch and throw the ball instead of hitting it. It was as popular as volleyball until the 1920s. Prisoner ball is a version of Newcomb ball that young children usually play. Players are "taken prisoner" or set free from "prison" instead of scoring points. Sepak Takraw is played in Southeast Asia with a rattan ball. Only the feet, knees, chest, and head may touch the ball. Snow volleyball is a version of beach volleyball played on snow. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball has said it plans to make it part of the future Winter Olympic Games. Throwball became popular with women at the YMCA College of Physical Education in Chennai, India, in the 1940s. Towel volleyball is a popular outdoor game. Pairs hold towels and try to throw the ball into the other team's field. Wallyball is played in a racquetball court with a rubber ball.