Volleyball

Volleyball is a popular sport that is played professionally, as well as in recreational leagues, on school
teams, in backyards, sandlots, or beaches. A typical volleyball game uses six players on each side. The
aim is to deliver the ball over the net and “ground” it on the opposing side while preventing the ball from
touching the ground on their side.

BRIEF HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL

ACCORDING TO Tulio (2008), on February 9,1895, Mintonette, the old name of volleyball, was developed
by William G. Morgan, a physical fitness instructor at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The name of
the game was originally spelled as two word: “Volley Ball”. FIVB, the International Volleyball Federation,
is the worldwide governing body for volleyball and beach volleyball. USA Volleyball is the United Sates
governing body for volleyball participation in the Olympics.

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENTS OF VOLLEYBALL

COURT

 COURT-9 meters wide and 18 meters long and divided into two halves of 9 meters X 9 meters
each.
 NET- 1meter wide and placed in the center. The top of the net is 2.43 meters high (men) and
2.24 meters high (women)
 LINE- a parallel is drawn to the center in each half, at a distance of 3 meters that is called the
“attack line”. The court of each team is divided into the “front row” and “back row” areas.

The court areas are also surrounded by an area called the “free zone” which is at least 3 meters wide on
all sides of the court.
BALL
The ball is made out of natural or synthetic leather that has the regulation laid down by the FIVB, the ball
must:
 Have a circumference between 65 to 67 centimeters;
 Weigh between 260 to 280 grams
 Have an inside pressure between 0.30 to 0.325 kilograms per centimeter square.

COURT POSITIONS

1. Right Back (RB)- also known as the Zone1 (Z1) position. It is a defensive zone, and while rotation,
a player stepping in this position has to serve.
2. Right Front- Zone2 (Z2) position. A player positioned in this spot is at the front-right side of the
court, near the net.
3. Middle/Center Front (CF)- it is the Zone3 (Z3) and the player is in a rotational position.
4. Left Front (LF)- Zone4 (Z4) is also known to be an attacking position. Player in this spot is
positioned at front-left of the court near the net.
5. Left Back (LB)- it is a defensive and Zone5 (Z5) position.
6. Middle/Center Back (CB)- this is a Zone6 (Z6) position, and usually a middle hitter begins to play
on this spot at the start of game.
PLAYERS POSITION

 Setters- plays a very crucial role in the team. Its main role is to set the ball for the team’s
attackers so that they can score a point.
 Middle Hitters/Blockers- these players hit and smash the ball that a setter sets up at the net. Also
known as middle blocker or blocker.
 Outside/Power Hitters- an outside hitter usually banks on a powerful swing to score a point and
is known to be the primary attacker of the team.
 Opposite/Weakside Hitters- a front-right player plays in this position, and such players can also
be termed as weakside blockers.
 Liberos- is a player specializing in the defensive skills of volleyball and has the right to replace
any player during the game.. In Italian, Libero means “free”. This player does not have to follow
the rules of rotation like other players.

RULES IN PLAYING VOLLEYBALL

BASIC RULES

FIVB rules in playing volleyball:

 Serving- a player should serve the ball by standing behind the end line of his side of the court,
and while serving the ball, he should be visible to the opposing team. The server should serve
the ball in such a way that it reaches on the other side of the court without touching the net.
There are number of ways to serve the ball, which include top spin, jump float, hybrid service,
sky ball serve, besides others.
 Scoring- “rally scoring” is the method used for scoring in the game of volleyball and it starts
when the ball is served. Thus, in rally scoring, a point is scored when the ball hits the ground.
The team that reaches the 25 points first, with a difference of at least 2 points, wins the set.
Usually, five sets are played during a volleyball match, and the “best of three” rule applies.
 Timeouts- is a player is injured, the game goes into an automatic 30-second timeout. Each team
can take two technical timeouts per set, each being of 60 seconds duration. There is no timeout
allowed in the fifth (deciding) set.
 Violation- the following occurrences or violations are considered as fouls:
1. Unable to serve the ball successfully without it touching the net
2. Stepping over or across the end line while serving.
3. Illegal passing of the ball, like palming, throwing or carrying the ball.
4. Touching any part of the body to the net while passing the ball.
5. Taunting or teasing the players of the other team.
6. Crossing the center line of the court with any part of the body. If the line crossed with
just a part of the foot then it is not a violation (an entire hand or leg should cross the
line).