Volleyball History & Rules

In 1895, William G. Morgan, an instructor at the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke,
Massachusetts, decided to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. He created the game of
Volleyball (at the time called Mintonette). On July 7, 1896 at Springfield College the first game of volleyball was
played.
The number of times a team could touch the ball before it went over the net was eventually established at three. The
first rules allowed an unlimited number of hits. The earliest games in Morgans gym were played with the rubber
bladder from inside a basketball. Spalding made the first official volleyball in 1896. By 1900, the standard shape and
weight of the ball were almost identical to those used today.
The height of the net was raised to make play more challenging. Today, the net is just under eight feet for mens
competition (2.43 meters) and just over seven feet (2.24 meters) for womens. Under the original rules of volleyball, a
team had to score 21 points to win a game. In 1917, that number was reduced to 15.
Giving the Game Away
YMCA workers took the game from Holyoke to US missionary schools in Asia. The game became very popular in the
East as was played in the Oriental Games as early as 1913. Volleyball also caught on in Russia. When regular
international competition began in the 1950s, Russia was the dominant team. During the World War I, United States
troops introduced volleyball in Europe.
You know a sport has really arrived when official governing bodies are established. For volleyball, this happened in
1928 when the United States Volleyball Association was formed. The organization later became USA Volleyball. The
Fdration Internationale de Volley-ball (FIVB) was founded in 1947. In 1949, the first mens world championship
tournament took place in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Not Just for Middle-Aged Men
It quickly became apparent that volleyball had appeal far beyond the middle-aged men it was originally introduced to.
Colleges and high schools began to adopt the sport for both men and women. Volleyball became the competitive fall
sport for girls. The first US national volleyball championships for women were played in 1949, 54 years after women
began competing in the game. The first international championships for women were played in 1952 in Moscow.
From the Gym to the Sand
In the 1940s, another style of volleyball was developing up and down the California coast. Teams of two or four
players would square off on sand volleyball courts. Young and old players would form impromptu competitions on the
beach. Spectators would often gather to watch the volleyball matches. Before long, the best teams were traveling up
and down the coast to play in beach volleyball tournaments. The first two-man volleyball tournament was held at
State Beach, California in 1943.
In 1965, The California Beach Volleyball Association was founded. It was responsible for standardizing the rules of
the beach and for organizing official tournaments. By 1976, the very best players on the beach were competing for
prize money as professionals. Male players formed the AVP, the Association of Volleyball Professionals, in 1983.
Women beach volleyball players formed their own association in 1986.
When former college and Olympic indoor volleyball stars began playing on the beach the sport became even more
popular. Beach volleyball spread from California to Florida and then to other stateseven to some that dont have
beaches. In some areas, beach volleyball is played indoors in arenas filled with sand. By 1993, beach volleyball had
become so popular in the United States, that tournaments were broadcast on national television.
In 1987, two-men beach volleyball teams competed in the first world championships. The first two-womens world
championships were played in 1993. Four-player beach teams became popular in the 1990s.

Volleyball Goes for the Gold

Today, mens and womens competition in both indoor and beach volleyball, are part of the Olympic Games. Indoor
volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1964. Beach Volleyball became on Olympic sport at the 1996 Atlanta games.
The sport that originated in the United States, is now just achieving the type of popularity in the U.S. that it has
received on a global basis, where it ranks behind only soccer among participation sports. Today there are more than
46 million Americans who play volleyball. There are 800 million players worldwide who play Volleyball at least once
a week.
P.E. Rules & Terms:
1. Basic Skills
a. Bump receiving the serve underhand with hands together (thumbs together, elbows locked, hit off
the forearm.)
b. Set the second play on the ball, with the fingertips the ball is placed high and close to the net so a
third player may spike it.
c. Spike a one arm overhand action, which creates a hard driven ball with downward flight.
2. Fouls
a. Catching, holding or throwing the ball when the ball momentarily comes to rest in the hands of a
player.
b. Net foul touching the net while the ball is in play.
c. Reaching over the net reaching over the net to spike the ball or following through over the net after
spiking the ball.
d. Double hit playing the ball off the arms or hands that are not held together securely.
e. Out of bounds ball is out of bounds when it touches any surface or object outside of the court,
except a player in the act of playing the ball.
**Note: a ball touching a boundary line is good. Do not catch the ball and call it out it must land.**
3. General
a. Games 15 points must win by 2 points.
b. Serving order All six players (if more than 6 rotate in the game) must be included in the serving
order, rotate clockwise.
c. Point system we will use the Rally System. There will be a point scored on every score on the ball.
4. Beginning the Game
a. The team facing the sun will start service game.
b. Server always gives score before serving (Own score is stated first).
c. The team that loses the first set will begin the next service game.
d. All players, except the server (back right) must be in their positions on the court until the serve is
contacted.
e. The ball on serve must be struck with hand, open or closed, or forearm.
f. An illegal serve is called if the serve is attempted and server is not behind the baseline, ball goes into
the net and stays on service courtside, fails to reach the other side, or goes out of bounds. (Remember a
let ball is allowed when ball is served hits net and still goes over.)
5. Playing the Ball
a. The strategy behind the game is to bump, pass/set, and spike.
b. Except for the serve, the ball may be contacted with any part of the body above the waist.
c. The ball may be contacted only three times before being sent over the net. (A block is not considered a
hit).
d. A ball may be played off the net during a volley and on a serve.
e. If two or more players contact the ball simultaneously, it is considered one play and the players
involved may not participate in the next play.