Volleyball

Volleyball, a popular sport, created by William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director. In volleyball the teams are separated by a high net, the players hit a ball back and forth. Each team is allowed three hits to get the ball over the net to the other half. Point is scored if the ball hits the opponents' court, if the opponents commit a fault, or if they fail to return the ball properly. DO YOU KNOW The first country to adopt volleyball outside the United States was Canada in 1900 The sport is now popular in Brazil, all of Europe (especially Italy, Netherlands and Serbia), Russia, other countries including China and the rest of Asia. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) estimates that 1 in 6 people in the world take part in or observe indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, or backyard (recreational) volleyball. HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL Created on February 9, 1895, in Holyoke (Massachusetts) by William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director. Then it was known as Mintonette. The first rules was written down by William G. Morgan. He called for a net 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres) high; a 25 × 50 foot (7.6 × 15.2 metre) court; and any number of players. Alfred Halstead, an observer, noticed the volleying nature of the game at its first exhibition match in 1896 played at the Springfield YMCA, the game quickly became known as volleyball (originally spelled as two words volley ball). The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was founded in 1947. The first World Championships were held in 1949 for men and 1952 for women. Volleyball was added to the program of the Olympic Games in 1964. Beach volleyball became a FIVB-endorsed variation in 1986. Beach volleyball was added to the Olympic program at the 1996 Summer Olympics. The first country to adopt volleyball outside the United States was Canada in 1900.

VOLLEYBALL COURT

• 18 metres long and 9 metres wide.
• Divided into two 9 x 9 metre courts.
• The top of the net is 2.43 metres above the centre of the court for men's competition and 2.24 metres for women's competition.
• Attack Line - It is a line 3 metres from and parallel to the net in each team court. It divides the court into "back row" and "front row" areas.

VOLLYBALL TIPS

• Competitive teams of Volleyball are supposed to master six basic skills: serve, pass, set, attack, block and dig.
• In serve, a player stands behind the endline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it into the opponent's court.
• Pass is an attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve, or any form of attack. It is one of the hardest skills to develop in the game.
• Set is the second contact that a team makes with the ball. Its main goal is to put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by an attack into the opponent's court.
• Attack is the third contact a team makes with the ball. Its object is to handle the ball so that it lands on the opponent's court and cannot be defended.
• Block is the action taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter an opponent's attack.
• Digging is preventing the ball from touching one's court after a spike, particularly a ball that is nearly touching the ground.