VOLLEYBALL

HISTORY

William G. Morgan invented volleyball in 1895,

initially calling the sport "Mintonette." Within a
few years it have become a popular activity at
YMCAs. Within a few decades volleyball had
spread internationally and become a college
sport in the United States. Over time, the rules
were refined to limit teams to six aside on the
court and hits to three per possession. Volleyball
became an Olympic sport in 1964 and beach
volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996.
VOLLEYBALL EQUIPMENTS
THE COURT

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).
THE NET

The net is placed directly above the center line,

7 feet 4 inches above the ground for women
and 8 feet above the ground for men.
POLES

Volleyball poles should be set at 36 feet apart, 3

feet further out from the sidelines.
THE BALL
THE ANTENNA

A volleyball antenna gives players and the

referee a visual aid to judge if a ball is in play or
out of bounds as it flies over the net.
FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS IN
VOLLEYBALL
RECEIVING/PASSING

is often thought as the most important skill in

volleyball. If you can't pass the serve, then you
won't ever put your team in a position to score a
point.
SERVE

The first contact that starts every rally is called a

“serve”. The player who serves is called the
“server”. Usually a server uses one, open hand to
swing overhead and send the ball over the net
from behind the end line.
TYPES OF SERVE
UNDERHAND SERVE

This serve is used mainly in recreational

volleyball. It does not require the level of skill or
coordination that the other types of serves do.
With one foot stepped back, you hold the ball in
your opposite hand. Then with your other hand
fisted, shift your weight forward and hit the ball
just below the center (or equator) of the ball.
OVERHAND SERVE

For all overhand serves, you start with your

dominant-side foot back and the ball held
extended in your non-dominant hand. Then you
toss the ball up in front of you hitting hand. How
you hit it depends on the type of overhand
serve you want to create. The biggest
difference between the types of overhand
serves is the server's body position, where
contact is made on the ball, and the follow-
through.
FLOATER

 A float serve or a floater is a serve that does not spin. It is

called a floater because it moves in unpredictable
ways, making it difficult to pass. A float serve catches
the air and can move unexpectedly to the right or the
left or it can drop suddenly.
 To hit a floater, you make contact in front of your body
with your hand hitting behind the middle of the ball. The
arm follows through but only partway. By hitting directly
behind the ball, you ensure there's no spin.
JUMP SERVE

 The jump serve is more advanced and utilizes an even higher

toss that should be several feet in front of the server. You uses
more of an attack approach, jumping and striking the ball
with the heel of your hand while you're in the air. With this
serve, your wrist remains stiff, then you hold (stop) your palm in
position facing the target.
 The extra motion of jumping allows you to put even more
power on the ball, making this serve very difficult to handle.
The drawback is that all that extra motion can lead to a
higher incidence of serving errors. Most jump serves have
topspin on them, but it is possible to jump-serve a floater.
BLOCKING

Volleyball blocking is defined as deflecting the

ball coming from your opponent's attack
hit. Blocking is a skill in volleyball used to prevent
the opponent from a successful attack hit.
SET

A volleyball set is an over the head pass to a

hitter so they are able to spike
the volleyball over the volleyball net.
DIG

A dig is a pass of a hard-driven ball from the

other team. Like a pass, your arm position and
platform remain the same. The difference is that
the ball is coming from a high point above the
net and hit in a downward trajectory. When
passing the ball is coming from 30 feet away
and usually below the height of the net.
VOLLEYBALL PLAYER POSITIONS
SETTER

The setter is the main contributor to the offense

of the volleyball team. One of the requirements
of the setter is having a delicate touch to set the
ball perfectly for one of the attacking players.
Communication is extremely important for the
setter because they need to get the rest of the
players on the same page. Without the setter,
there wouldn’t be hard spikes or technical ball
movement.
OUTSIDE HITTER

The outside hitter is also known as the left-side

hitter and is the lead attacker in the offensive
strategy. To be a successful outsider hitter, you
must be able to jump high, be quick on your
feet, and be ready to adapt to different
situations. The volleyball won’t always be
placed where the outsider hitter would like, so
they need to be prepared for hits from a variety
of places.
OPPOSITE HITTER

 Also known as the right-side hitter, these players

need to be a perfect balance of both offense and
defense. They will also get many opportunities to hit
the volleyball, so similar to the outside hitter, jumping
ability is vital. The main difference that sets the
opposite hitter apart is their defensive responsibility.
Being able to receive the serve from the opposing
team is just one of the many requirements of this
specialized position.
MIDDLE BLOCKER

 The middle blocker, sometimes known as the middle

hitter, is the tallest player on the volleyball team.
Their main role for the team is being the first line of
defense against the opposing team’s hits. The
middle blocker needs to read the other team’s
attackers to quickly raise his or her arms above the
net in a blocking attempt. However, this is not a
defense-only position. The middle blocker will have
chances for quick points throughout the set.
LIBERO

The libero can become confusing for non-

volleyball players. They can only play on the
back row of the court, and because of this, are
the ideal person to receive a hit from the
opposite team. There are set rules the libero
needs to follow, such as not attacking the ball
at the net, playing a set for an attacker from the
front, and more. You can always tell a libero
apart from the rest of the team because they
wear a different colored jersey.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST

The thing that sets the defensive specialist apart

from other volleyball positions is their ability to
substitute out any player on the court. This will
count against the team’s total of 12
substitutions. The defensive specialist traditionally
focuses on ball control and passing and works
well with the libero.
PINCH SERVER

A pinch server is someone who specializes in

serving. Usually they have extremely good ball
control and can spot serve really well but
sometimes its just a really powerful but consistent
serve. Good for match points or other crucial
situations.
REFERENCES

 https://www.sportsrec.com/history-development-volleyball-6552454.html
 https://www.topendsports.com/sport/volleyball/equipment.htm
 https://www.google.com/search?q=VOLLEYBALL+COURT&oq=VOLLEYBALL+CO
URT&aqs=chrome..69i57.2340j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
 https://hoovermetcomplex.com/back-to-basics-volleyball-player-positions/
 https://www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com/basic-volleyball-
skills.html#:~:text=The%20six%20basic%20volleyball%20skills,of%20serving%20is%20
often%20undervalued.
 https://www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com/basic-volleyball-rules.html
 https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/basic-volleyball-rules-and-
terminology/