VOLLEYBALL

HISTORY

The game of volleyball, originally called “mintonette,” was invented in

1895 by William G. Morgan after the invention of basketball only four
years before. Morgan, a graduate of the Springfield College of the
YMCA, designed the game to be a combination of basketball, baseball,
tennis, and handball. Indoor Volleyball Scholarships Beach Volleyball
Scholarships The first volleyball net, borrowed from tennis, was only 6’
6″ high (though you need to remember that the average American was
shorter in the nineteenth century). The offensive style of setting and
spiking was first demonstrated in the Philippines in 1916. Over the years
that followed, it became clear that standard rules were needed for
tournament play, and thus the USVBA (United States Volleyball
Association) was formed in 1928. Latest Volleyball News from the NCAA
and NAIA. Two years later, the first two-man beach volleyball game was
played, though the professional side of the sport did not emerge until
much later. Not surprisingly, the first beach volleyball association
appeared in California (1965), and the professional players united under
the auspices of the AVP (American Volleyball Professionals) in 1983.
During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, American men and women took
gold and silver medals in indoor volleyball competitions. Four years later
at the Olympics in Korea, the men once again scored gold. Starting in
1996, two-man beach volleyball was officially introduced to the
Olympics. Today, there are more than 800 million volleyball players
worldwide, 46 million of them in the U.S. Timeline of Significant
Volleyball Events In 1900, a special ball was designed for the sport. In
1916, in the Philippines, an offensive style of passing the ball in a high
trajectory to be struck by another player (the set and spike) were
introduced. In 1917, the game was changed from 21 to 15 points. In
1920, three hits per side and back row attack rules were instituted. In
1922, the first YMCA national championships were held in Brooklyn, NY.
 Twenty-seven teams from 11 states were represented. In 1928, it
became clear that tournaments and rules were needed, so the United
States Volleyball Association (USVBA, now USA Volleyball) was formed.
The first U.S. Open was staged, as the field was open to non-YMCA
squads. In 1930, the first two-man beach game was played. In 1934,
national volleyball referees were approved and recognized. In 1937, at
the AAU convention in Boston, action was taken to recognize the U.S.
Volleyball Association as the official national governing body in the U.S.
In 1947, the Federation Internationale De Volley-Ball (FIVB) was founded.
In 1948, the first two-man beach tournament was held. In 1949, the
initial World Championships were held in Prague, Czechoslovakia. In
1964, volleyball was introduced to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In 1965,
the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) was formed. In 1974,
the World Championships in Mexico were telecast in Japan. In 1975, the
U.S. National Women’s team began a year-round training regime in
Pasadena, Texas (moved to Colorado Springs in 1979, Coto de Caza and
Fountain Valley, CA, in 1980, and San Diego, CA, in 1985). In 1977, the
U.S. National Men’s Team began a year-round training regime in Dayton,
Ohio (moved to San Diego, CA, in 1981). In 1983, the Association of
Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was formed. In 1984, the U.S. won their
first medals at the Olympics in Los Angeles. The men won the gold, and
the women the silver. In 1986, the Women’s Professional Volleyball
Association (WPVA) was formed. In 1988, the U.S. men repeated the
gold in the Olympics in Korea. In 1990, the World League was created. In
1995, the sport of volleyball was 100 years old! In 1996, two-person
beach volleyball became an Olympic sport.

Scoring

There are two scoring methods used for volleyball. The first is known as
sideout scoring, which basically means the only team that can score is the
team that is serving. If the non-serving team hits the ball in the opponents'
court or their opponents make an error, they earn the right to serve only.
With rally scoring, either team can score regardless of who the serving team
is. Games typically must be won by a minimum of two points with both
scoring systems.

Rally Scoring

With rally scoring, teams score a point when the other team fails to return the
ball over the net, hits the ball out of bounds, commits an infraction or makes
a service error.

Sideout Scoring

In sideout scoring, the serving team scores a point when the opponents fail
to return the ball over the net, hit the ball out of bounds or commit an
infraction. The non-serving team will earn the right to serve when the
opponents fail to return the ball over the net, hit the ball out of bounds,
commit an infraction or make a service error.

Rally Game Parameters

In rally scoring, games are played until a team scores 25 points, provided
there is at least a two-point margin of victory. Matches are typically decided
by the best three-out-of-five games format. If a fifth game is played, the team
that scores 15 points first is the winner, provided there is a two-point margin
of victory.

Sideout Game Parameters

With sideout scoring, all games are played to 15, provided there is at least a
two-point margin of victory. Some organizations will put a cap on sideout
scoring, so that the first team to reach 17 points is the winner of a game, even
if the two-point margin is not present.

Rules and Regulations

THE SERVE
1. Server must serve from behind the restraining line ( end line ) until
after contact.
2. Ball may be served underhand or overhand.
3. Ball must be clearly visible to opponents before serve.
4. Served ball may graze the net and drop to the other side.
5. First game serve is determined by a coin toss. Game 2 will be served by
the receiving team in game 1. If match goes to a 3rd game, new coin toss will
determine serving team.
6. If best of 5 game match: Game 2, 3, an 4 will trade off between teams.
If teams go to game 5, serve will go to winner of a new coin toss.
7. Serve must be returned by a pass or set only. Serve can not be blocked
or attacked.

SCORING

1. Rally scoring- which means there will be a point awarded on every won
rally.
2. Offense will score on a defensive miss, out of bounds hit, or blocker
touches the top of the net.
3. Defense will score on an offensive miss, out of bounds hit, serve into
the net or hitter touches top of the net.
4. Game will be played to 25 pts. Game 3 is played to 15.
5. Must win by 2 points, unless a point cap has been placed.

ROTATION

1. Team will rotate after each sideout. A sideout is when the team on
serve receive wins the point to earn the right to serve.
2. Players shall rotate in a clockwise manner.
3. There shall be 6 players on each side.
 PLAYING THE GAME (VOLLEY)

1. Maximum of three hits per side.

2. Player may not hit the ball twice in succession ( A block is not
considered a hit ).
3. Ball may be played off the net during a volley and on serve.
4. A ball touching any part of the boundary line is considered in.
5. A legal hit is contact with the ball by any part of the players body
which does not allow the ball to visibly come to a rest.
6. A player must not block or attack a serve.

BASIC VIOLATIONS

1. Stepping on or over the line on a serve.

2. Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully.
3. Hitting the ball illegally ( Carrying, Palming, Throwing, etc. ).
4. Touches of the top of the net only with any part of the body while the
ball is in play. Players may contact the net below the top of the net (the tape)
at any time. If the ball is driven into the net with such force that it causes the
net to contact an opposing player, no foul will be called, and the ball shall
continue to be in play.
5. Reaching over the net, except under these conditions:
 1 - When executing a follow-through.
 2 - When blocking a ball which is in the opponents court but is being
returned ( the blocker must not contact the ball until after the opponent who
is attempting to return the ball makes contact). Except to block the third
play.
1. Reaches under the net ( if it interferes with the ball or opposing
player ).
2. Failure to serve in the correct order.
3. Blocks or spikes from a position which is clearly not behind the 10-foot
line while in a back row position.
4. A players foot may not completely cross the midline at any time.
However, if the rest of the body crosses it is legal unless interferes with a
player on the other side of the net.

SUBSTITUTIONS

1. Coaches only have 12 substitutions per game in club.

2. Once a player subs in for a rotational position, they can only sub in for
that rotational position.

Court Dimensions

The game is played on a volleyball court 18 meters (59 feet) long and
9 meters (29.5 feet) wide, divided into two 9 m × 9 m halves by a
one-meter (40-inch) wide net placed so that the top of the net is 2.43
meters (7 feet 11 5/8 inches) above the center of the court for men's
competition, and 2.24 meters (7 feet 4 1/8 inches) for women's
competition (these heights are varied for veterans and junior
competitions).

An Indoor Volleyball Court Measures:

The playing area on a volleyball court measures 18m x 9m (5” x 29’6)
The center line divides the court into two teams courts measuring 9m x 9m
(29’6” x 29’6”)
The lines on the court measure 5 cm (2”) wide
The attack line is 3 meters away from the net
A Beach Volleyball Court Dimensions:
2 court dimensions the dimensions are 29’6” feet by 59’ feet
The 2 on 2 court dimensions are 26’3” x 52’6”

Basic Skills and Strokes

SKILLS

Serve-Used to put the ball in play. The action is done with arm swing
that sends the ball over the net into the opponent's court.

Forearm Pass-Used to receive the ball from your opponents, as in

service, or as a technique to accurately control the ball in a way that
eliminates lifting or carrying the ball. the fundamental action of passing
is to rebound the ball off of the forearms (which are held together
tightly with the palms and thumbs positioned together) from a slightly
squatted and balanced position.

Setting- Used to receive a teammate's pass in order that the play may
continue by passing the ball overhead to an attacker. the fundamental
action of setting is to contact the ball with the finger pads momentarily
at the forehead and following through with arms fully extended to the
hitting target.

Kill or Attack-Used to put the ball into the opponent's court in order to
earn a point or side out. the fundamental action of attacking
incorporates a quick approach followed by a strong, full arm swing, and
follow-thru.

Block-Used to stop the ball from crossing the net as a result of an

opponent's attack. A block is effective if it immediately places the ball
back into the opponent's court or if it temporarily slows down the ball in
order for a defender to make a dig. The fundamental action of blocking
is to stand facing the net with feet shoulder width apart, arms nearly
extended above the head, ready to jump above the net to deflect the
ball back into the opponent's court.
 Floor Defense-used to receive the opponent's attack. The key skills are
digging and sprawling. The dig resembles a forearm pass from a low
ready position and is used more for balls that are hit near the defender.
The sprawl is a result of an attempted dig for a ball that is hit further
away from the defender and resembles a dive.

STROKES

BUMP PASS 1. This is a method of passing or setting the ball up to a

teammate by joining the forearms together, extending your arms in front of
you and bumping the ball off of them in an underhand manner. Examples Of
How Bump Pass Is Used In Commentary.
SET PASS 2. A volley pass that must be played near to and above the net for
the smasher to strike.
SET 3. The "set" is an overhead pass used to change the direction of the dig
and put the ball in a good position for the spiker. It is usually the team's
second contact. Setting is the tactical centre of Volleyball.
SERVE 4. The volleyball serve is one of the six basic volleyball techniques. A
serve is used to put the ball into play to start the volley. The serve is the only
skill controlled solely by one player
HIT 5. Hit/attack/spike – Typically the third contact when a player uses one
open hand and swings at the ball to send it over the net is called a
“hit/attack/spike”. The player who hits the ball is called the
“hitter/attacker/spiker”.
BACKSET 6. A backset occurs when you set up an attacker on your team who
is behind you. The other team may expect you to simply set up an attacker
who is in front of you. If you can backset effectively, you might be able to
catch them off guard.

VOLLEYBALL TERMS

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.

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 opponents side.

Attack Error: An unsuccessful attack which does one of the following: 1. the
ball lands out of bounds, 2. the ball goes into the net and terminates the play
or goes into the net on the third hit, 3. the ball is blocked by the opposition
for a point or side out, 4. the attacker is called for a center line violation, or
5. the attacker is called for illegal contact(lift, double hit..) on the attack.

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 ball with
the hands.

Block Error: An unsuccessful block which does one of the following: 1. the
ball is deflected off the blockers and goes out of bounds, 2. the ball goes into
the net and terminates the play, 3. the blocker reaches over the net
interfering with the opponents ability to play the ball-providing they have
one contact left, 4. the blocker commits a net violation or center line
violation.

Ball Handling Error: Any time the official calls a double hit, a thrown ball or
a lift.

Campfire: A ball that falls to the floor in an area that's surrounded by two,
three, four or more players. At the instant after the ball hits the floor, it
appears as if the players are encircling and starting a campfire.

Centerline: The boundary that runs directly under the net and divides the
court into two equal halves.
Dig: Passing a spiked or rapidly hit ball. Slang for the art of passing an
attacked ball close to the floor.

Dink: A legal push of the ball around or over blockers.

Double Hit: Successive hits or contacts by the same player. (Illegal)

Down Ball: A ball that is hit overhand and driven over the net with topspin
while the player remains standing.

Floater: A serve which does not spin or rotate and therefore moves in an
erratic path. This is similar to a knuckle ball pitch in baseball.

Free Ball: A ball that will be returned by a pass rather than a spike.

Held Ball: A ball that comes to rest during contact resulting in a foul.

Jump Serve: A serve that is started by the server tossing the ball into the air
and jumping into and hitting the ball in its downward motion.

Joust: When 2 opposing players are simultaneously attempting to play a ball

above the net.

Kill: An attack that results in an immediate point or side out.

Off-Speed Hit: Any ball spiked with less than maximum force but with spin.

Overlap: Refers to the position 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
is timed so that the ball bounces off the back of the hand.

Power Tip: A ball that is pushed or directed with force by an attacking team.

Quick: A player approaching the setter for a quick inside hit.

Quick Set: A set usually 2' above the net in which the hitter is approaching
the setter and may even be in the air, before the setter delivers the ball. This
type of set requires precise timing between the hitter and setter.
Reception Error: A serve that a player should have been able to return, but
results in an ace.

Roof: A ball that when spiked is blocked by a defensive player such that the
balls deflects straight to the floor on the attackers side.

Rotation: The clockwise movement of player around the court and through
the serving position following a side out.

Serve: Used to put the ball into play.

Service Error: An unsuccessful serve in which one or more of the following

occurs: 1. the ball fails to clear the net, 2. the ball lands out of bounds, or 3.
the server commits a foot fault.

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 is like the
quarterback in football - they run the offense.

Side Out: Occurs when the receiving team successfully puts the ball away
against the serving team, or when the serving team commits an unforced
error, and thus the receiving team gains the right to serve.

Six Pack: Occurs when a blocker gets hit in the head or face by a spiked ball.

Spike: Also hit or attack. A ball contacted with force by a player on the
offensive team who intends to terminate the ball on the opponent's floor or
off the opponent's blocker.

Stuff: A ball that is deflected back to the attacking team's floor by the
opponents blockers. A slang term for block.

Wipe: When a hitter pushes the ball off the opposing block so it lands out of
bounds.

Etiquette and Safety

1. Players must be aware of hazards in the playing area. Volleyball
standards/poles, teammates, walls, and balls all pose the possibility of serious
injury.

2. Players should roll the ball under the net, rather than throw it over the net
to the other team.

3. Players should attempt to alert other players when a ball has rolled onto
another court so that a player does not accidentally land or step on the ball.

4. Players should avoid net violations or crossing the centerline as this can
cause injury.

5. Players should announce his/her team’s score and then the opponent’s
score clearly and loudly before each serve. In the absence of an official,
players should call the ball “in” or “out,” and call net violations in the
interest of fair play.

6. Place volleyballs back in the bin/holder at the end of the game.