The Benefits of Volleyball

More than just a Sport

Participating in any sport has benefits, but volleyball offers the opportunity for lessons that few other
sports can. The volleyball community is a place where everyone is welcome and you can find a lifetime
of play and competition. Volleyball brings families together to play and learn and offers the opportunity
to create lifelong friendships and bonds. From character-building skills such as leadership, teamwork,
respect and communication to the physical benefits of staying healthy and active, here are some of the
things you can expect to gain by playing volleyball.

Gifts for Volleyball Players

Longtime USA Volleyball Director of Sport John Kessel is a legend in the volleyball coaching
community, and in his popular blog, Growing the Game, he listed gifts that a volleyball player should
receive. These gifts are inherent to the sport of volleyball and are easily shared with volleyball players of
any age.

The Gift of Play

Play is simple, play is enjoyable, play is fun. And just playing volleyball is the best gift a volleyball
player can receive. It doesn’t have to be in a full match, either, playing 1×1 or 2×2 can be just as much
fun as the 6×6 game you typically see. This act of play, Kessel points out, actually helps athletes learn the
game and the game’s skills better. The more you play, the more you touch the ball, and the more you
improve. That’s the power of play.

The Gift of Struggle

Like all sports, volleyball allows athletes to experience success, and it allows athletes to experience
struggle. Struggle teaches athletes to learn problem-solving on their own, to look within for answers and
fixes. With so much of sport being mental, volleyball athletes can build their mental fortitude, which will
provide benefits in sport and other aspects of life.

The Gift of a Lifetime Sport

Volleyball is one of the most popular sports worldwide, and you can play volleyball on a variety of
surfaces – even on top of a mountain. Not only can you go anywhere and play volleyball, you can play it
at any age. USA Volleyball actually offers a 75-and-over division at the annual USA Volleyball National
Championship. From grade school to retirement, anyone can play volleyball.

The Gift of Support

This last gift is arguably the most important. Volleyball is a true team sport, and at the end of every point,
teammates come together and encourage each other. Support can also come from parents, coaches and
other friends and fans. This support is tremendous for an athlete’s self confidence and personal strength.

VOLLEYBALL, game played by two teams, usually of six players on a side, in which the players use their
hands to bat a ball back and forth over a high net, trying to make the ball touch the court within the
opponents’ playing area before it can be returned. To prevent this a player on the opposing team bats
the ball up and toward a teammate before it touches the court surface—that teammate may then volley
it back across the net or bat it to a third teammate who volleys it across the net. A team is allowed only
three touches of the ball before it must be returned over the net.

History
Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, physical director of the Young Men’s Christian
Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was designed as an indoor sport for businessmen who
found the new game of basketball too vigorous. Morgan called the sport “mintonette,” until a professor
from Springfield College in Massachusetts noted the volleying nature of play and proposed the name of
“volleyball.” The original rules were written by Morgan and printed in the first edition of the Official
Handbook of the Athletic League of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of North America (1897).
The game soon proved to have wide appeal for both sexes in schools, playgrounds, the armed forces,
and other organizations in the United States, and it was subsequently introduced to other countries.
In 1916 rules were issued jointly by the YMCA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The first nationwide tournament in the United States was conducted by the National YMCA Physical
Education Committee in New York City in 1922. The United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) was
formed in 1928 and recognized as the rules-making, governing body in the United States. From 1928 the
USVBA—now known as USA Volleyball (USAV)—has conducted annual national men’s and senior men’s
(age 35 and older) volleyball championships, except during 1944 and 1945. Its women’s division was
started in 1949, and a senior women’s division (age 30 and older) was added in 1977. Other national
events in the United States are conducted by member groups of the USAV such as the YMCA and the
NCAA.
Volleyball was introduced into Europe by American troops during World War I, when national
organizations were formed. The Fédération Internationale de Volley Ball (FIVB) was organized in Paris in
1947 and moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1984. The USVBA was one of the 13 charter members of
the FIVB, whose membership grew to more than 210 member countries by the late 20th century.

International volleyball competition began in 1913 with the first Far East Games, in Manila. During the
early 1900s and continuing until after World War II, volleyball in Asia was played on a larger court, with a
lower net, and nine players on a team.
The FIVB-sponsored world volleyball championships (for men only in 1949; for both men and women in
1952 and succeeding years) led to acceptance of standardized playing rules and officiating. Volleyball
became an Olympic sport for both men and women at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
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European championships were long dominated by Czechoslovakian, Hungarian, Polish, Bulgarian,
Romanian, and Soviet (later, Russian) teams. At the world and Olympic level, Soviet teams have won
more titles, both men’s and women’s, than those of any other nation. Their success was attributed to
widespread grassroots interest and well-organized play and instruction at all levels of skill. A highly
publicized Japanese women’s team, Olympic champions in 1964, reflected the interest of private
industry in sport. Young women working for the sponsoring company devoted their free time to
conditioning, team practice, and competition under expert and demanding coaching. Encouraged by the
Japanese Volleyball Association, this women’s team made its mark in international competition, winning
the World Championship in 1962, 1966, and 1967, in addition to the 1964 Olympics. At the end of the
20th century, however, the Cuban women’s team dominated both the World Championships and the
Olympics.
Benefits of playing volleyball
1. Burning calories
Scientific research affirms that twenty minutes of participation in a volleyball game burns a hundred and
twenty-six calories (1). As the player moves within the court, keeping up with the sporadic movements
of the ball, the changes in direction increase the amounts of energy expended per minute. This game
hits two birds with one stone since one gets to have group fun and at the same time burn calories.
Bottom line: volleyball keeps the muscles in motion, which consumes calories in the body.

2. Keep a Toned Body

While playing volleyball, the upper part of the body should balance with the lower to ensure balance
and coordination. The lower part covers for speed and balancing requirements since as the ball moves
sporadically, the player’s movements should be spontaneous and coordinated. On the other hand, the
upper body requires hand and eye coordination to direct the ball’s course. These requirements of the
sport will have the dormant muscles along the body’s form to join in and ensure the movements are
well-coordinated (2).

3. Heighten the Body’s Metabolic Rate

To increase the metabolism of the body, the body needs to use up energy constantly. Engaging in sport
is one of the most excellent ways of doing this. As the player scuttles across the court to save the ball or
goes in for a spike, the body has to expend energy and engage the muscles. At these high metabolism
rates, energy distribution to the various organs is now at optimum levels (3).
Bottom line: The need for energy in the muscles while on a volleyball game, increases the body’s
metabolism rates to cover the energy requirements.

4. Rejuvenate Vital Organs in the Body

Scientific research confirms that, body exercise ensures vital organs like the kidney and lungs remain in a
healthy state (4). By engaging in exercise, the body requires pumping substantial amounts of blood to
ensure the muscles have ample supply of oxygen for respiration purposes.
Consistent exercise engages the lungs and heart in respiration, which is vital for their rejuvenation. The
health of the heart and lungs prevent cardiac and respiratory conditions like asthma and heart attacks.
Bottom line: The internal organs needed for provision of blood and expulsion of waste materials
rejuvenate as one exercise.

5. Improve the social attributes of an individual

In a team, the spirit is not individualism but inclusivity and this ensures that the team players trust each
other. This aspect of a team ensures that the individual learns and improves their social attributes in
relation to social relations (5).
Teamwork will be a requirement in various scenarios of life starting with work or even educational
settings. Start small by trusting in your volleyball teammates while on the beach and the social attributes
automatically spill over to other circles.
Bottom line: Volleyball teams allow the player to exercise in a social setting, which allows them to grow
their social skill.