Volleyball
History
The history of volleyball is very interesting! The game originated in the U.S. in 1895 and was popularized throughout the world in later years. William C. Morgan of Springfield, Mass. first devised the game which combined the skills from tennis, handball and baseball. It was well-liked by the businessmen at the YMCA where Morgan first brought the game as it was less strenuous than basketball.
The early version of the game allowed for any number of players to be on the court as the ball was hit or batted back and forth across the net. Each server had three outs and the game ended in nine innings. Changes occurred as the game spread across the country. 1912 was an important year in history of volleyball as more rule changes occurred and the first recorded volleyball tournament took place.
Schools began having volleyball as a team sport in 1915, and by the year 1925, volleyball had its set of established rules that continues today. Volleyball is now played in more than 60 countries, in one of the most popular Olympic sports for men and women and is also played professionally by two, three and four person teams in the sand.
Basic Rules
1. Six players per team: Three in the front row, three in the back row.
2. At the time of the serve, all players must be in their proper position on the court.
3. After the serve, all players may move to play the ball or cover the court area. However,
a back row player may not block at the net or play the ball over the net from above the height of the net if their body is in front of the 10’ line.
4. The server may serve from anywhere behind the endline. The server cannot step on the
line or a foot fault occurs, a point is awarded to the receiving team and a
side-out results.
5. On the serve, the ball must be hit or batted with the hand, fist or forearm, and it must cross over
the net. The ball must be playable within the lines of the receiving team’s court.
6. A ball landing on a line is considered in-bounds.
7. After the serve, the receiving team must clearly hit the ball with any part of the body.
Each team may hit the ball three times on their side of the net. No player can hit the ball two
times in a row.
8. A player may go outside the court’s boundary lines to play the ball. A ball that is hit over the
net from out-of-bounds must cross the net between or over the sidelines (antennas).
9. Fouls occur when the ball is not played properly of rules are not followed. Fouls result in a
point for the serving team or a point & side-out for the non-serving team.
A foul occurs if:
a. The server steps on or over the endline as he/she contacts the ball.
b. Any player on the court is out of position when the ball is served.
c. The server hits the ball out of bounds or fails to get it over the net.
d. A player makes the ball land out of bounds.
e. A player lets the ball come to rest on the playing surface and it is not clearly hit.
f. A player hits the ball two times in a row. However, there are two exceptions to this rule. A blocker may block and play the ball again and any simultaneous contact of the ball with another player allows either person to play the ball again.
g. More than three hits are taken before the ball crosses the net.
h. A player touches the net or crosses the centerline when the ball is in play.
10. A replay can occur under certain circumstances.
11. When a side-out occurs, the new serving team rotates clockwise: the right front player goes
back to serve at the right back position.
12. When a point is scored for the serving team, the same server keeps serving. No rotation
occurs.
13. A game is played to 25 points. The winner must be ahead by two points.
14. A match winner wins 2 out of 3 games or 3 out of 5 games.
Volleyball Terms
Block: A way to defend your side of the net by jumping and raising both arms to stop the ball from crossing the net.
Bump (forearm pass): A two-arm forearm volley used to pass the ball up to the front row.
Carry: Handling the ball in other than a momentary fashion using the hands or forearms.
Court: The court consists of two 30’ X 30’ playing areas divided by a net and centerline.
Dig: A 1 handed closed fist pass, generally used as a last resort to play the ball.
Drive: An offensive hit. You keep both feet on the floor and use topspin on the ball to make it
come down faster after it crosses the net.
Foul: An infraction of the rules or failure to play the ball properly; point and/or a side-out is
awarded.
Libero: A player who specializes in the back row and never plays the front row.
Replay: A point can be replayed under certain circumstances.
Serve: The way the ball is put into play at the start of each point.
Set (overhead pass): A 2 hand overhead volley set to pass the ball to the hitter or over the net.
Side-out: the non-serving team earns the right to serve. The new serving team must rotate in a
clockwise direction.
Spike: An advanced skill that resembles the drive except you jump and hit the ball down hard on
the opposite side of the net.
Tip: A skill that you take an approach as if to spike but when you hit the ball, you contact it very
lightly so the ball just falls over the net on the other side.