Volleyball

HIstory:
In 1885, William G. Morgan, an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association
(YMCA) in Holyoke, Mass., decided to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and
handball to create a game for his classes of businessmen which would demand less physical
contact than basketball. He created the game of Volleyball (at that time called mintonette).
Morgan borrowed the net from tennis, and raised it 6 feet 6 inches above the floor, just above the
average man's head.
During a demonstration game, someone remarked to Morgan that the players seemed
to be volleying the ball back and forth over the net, and perhaps "volleyball" would be a
more descriptive name for the sport. On July 7, 1896 at Springfield College the first
game of "volleyball" was played.

Timeline:
1900 - a special ball was designed for the sport.
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.
1920 - three hits per side and back row attack rules were instituted.
1930 - the first two-man beach game was played.
1934 - the approval and recognition of national volleyball referees.
1964 - Volleyball was introduced to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
1996 - 2-person beach volleyball was added to the Olympics.

Basic Volleyball Rules

• 6 players on the floor at any one time - 3 in the front row and 3 in the back row
• Maximum of 3 hits per side
• Points are made on every serve for wining team of rally (rally-point scoring).
• Player may not hit the ball twice in succession. (A block is not considered a hit.)
• Ball may be played off the net during a volley and on a serve.
• A ball hitting a boundary line is in.
• A ball is out if it hits an antennae, the floor completely outside the court, any of the
net or cables outside the antennae, the referee stand or pole, the ceiling above a
non-playable area.
• It is legal to contact the ball with any part of a player’s body.
• It is illegal to catch, hold or throw the ball.
• A player cannot block or attack a serve from on or inside the 10-foot line.
• After the serve, front-line players may switch positions at the net.
• Matches are made up of sets; the number depends on level of play. 3-set matches
are 2 sets to 25 points and a third set to 15. Each set must be won by two points.
The winner is the first team to win 2 sets. 5-set matches are 4 sets to 25 points
and fifth set to 15. The team must win by 2 unless tournament rules dictate
otherwise. The winner is the first team to win three sets
Basic Volleyball Rule Violations
Rule violations that result in a point for the opponent
• When serving, the player steps on or across the service line as while making
contact with the ball.
• Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully.
• Ball-handling errors. Contacting the ball illegally (double touching, lifting, carrying,
throwing, etc.)
• Touching the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play.
• When blocking a ball coming from the opponent’s court, it’s illegal to contact the
ball when reaching over the net if both your opponent has not used 3 contacts
AND they have a player there to make a play on the ball.
• When attacking a ball coming from the opponent’s court, contacting the ball when
reaching over the net is a violation if the ball has not yet broken the vertical plane
of the net.
• Crossing the court centerline with any part of your body is a violation. Exception: if
it is the hand or foot. In this case, the entire hand or entire foot must cross for it to
be a violation.
• Serving out of rotation/order.
• Back-row player blocking (deflecting a ball coming from the opponent) when, at
the moment of contact, the back-row player is near the net and has part of his/her
body above the top of the net. This is an illegal block.
• Back-row player attacking a ball inside the front zone (the area inside the 3M/10-
foot line) when, at the moment of contact, the ball is completely above the net.
This is an illegal attack.

Scoring:
- Rally scoring will be used.
- There will be a point scored on every score of the ball.
- The Offense will score on a defense miss or out of bounds hit.
- The Defense will score on an offensive miss, an out of bounds hit, or serve into the
net. - A game is played to 25 points. Teams must win by 2 points.

Fouls: The most common infractions are:

- reaching over the net to play a ball
- touching the net during play
- a player out of position on the court
- two consecutive hits by the same player
- crossing the centre line when the ball is in play - catching, scooping, or carrying the
ball
- touching or stepping over the serving line
- spiking the ball from behind the attack line

Terminology:
Ace - When the ball is served to the other team, and no one touches it.
Dig - When a player makes a save from a very difficult spike.
Kill - When a team spikes the ball and it either ends in a point or a sideout.
Power - The player(s) at the net that are your strongest attackers (spikers).
Side out - When the team that served the ball makes a mistake, causing the ball to go to
the other team.
A “side out” will also occur when a foul has been committed.
Stuff - When a player jumps about the height of the net, blocks the ball, and the ball
goes back at the