Volleyball is a great "all-around" sport. It can be played indoors or out, by varying numbers of players (except in competitive play). It is played by males and females of all ages and skill levels, from kids to Olympic athletes!
And, volleyball doesn’t require much equipment to play — all you need is a ball, a net and a flat area. It’s even played on the beach, and “beach volleyball” is a separate Olympic sport! An official court is 30 feet wide by 60 feet long, with a net dividing it into two halves. The top of the net is 8 feet high for men and 7.4 feet for women. Although informally any number can play, in competition, each team consists of six players (except in Olympic play as of 2000), divided into two rows of three.
Play is started when the person on the back right of the serving team steps outside his end line into the serving area and hits the ball over the net into the opponents’ half of the court. The receiving team must hit the ball back across the net into the opposite court without letting it hit the ground. They can hit the ball three times, but no player can hit it twice in a row. If they are successful, the other team must do the same thing.
Play continues until one of the teams makes an error. If it is the receiving team, the serving team gets a point and continues to serve. If the serving team makes the error, the receiving team gets a point and it is called a “side out.” The receiving team becomes the serving team, and its players rotate clockwise one position, the right forward shifting to the right back position and then serving from the service area. The first team to 25 wins the “set” (game), but they must win by at least two points. A team must win two of three sets or three of five sets, depending on the level of play, to win the match.
In 1895, William G. Morgan, the physical education director of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts, invented volleyball. He wanted a less rough alternative to basketball for older members of the YMCA, while still requiring athletic effort. At the time, basketball was a new sport catching on in that area. Originally called "Mintonette," it was later changed to "Volleyball" because of the way the game is played. Volleyball became an Olympic sport for both men and women at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica Online; www.wikipedia.org; USA Volleyball. www.volleyball.com.
