VOLLEYBALL

OVERVIEW
Volleyball is a popular team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net.

Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.
Play essentially proceeds as follows: a player on one of the teams begins a 'rally' by serving the ball
(tossing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm), from behind the back boundary line of
the court, over the net, and into the receiving team's court.
The receiving team must not let the ball be grounded within their court. The team may touch the ball
up to 3 times, but individual players may not touch the ball twice consecutively.
Typically, the first two touches are used to set up for an attack, an attempt to direct the ball back over
the net in such a way that the serving team is unable to prevent it from being grounded in their court.
The rally continues, with each team allowed as many as three consecutive touches, until either (1): a
team makes a kill, grounding the ball on the opponent's court and winning the rally; or (2): a team
commits a fault and loses the rally. The team that wins the rally is awarded a point and serves the ball
to start the next rally.
A few of the most common faults include:

 causing the ball to touch the ground or floor outside the opponents' court or without first
passing over the net;
 catching and throwing the ball;
 double hit: two consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same player;
 four consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same team;
 net foul: touching the net during play;
 foot fault: the foot crosses over the boundary line when serving

Techniques include: spiking, blocking, passing, setting, and specialized player positions and offensive
and defensive structures.
HISTORY OF THE SPORT
William G. Morgan (1870-1942), a YMCA physical education director, has gone down in history as the
inventor of the game of volleyball, to which he originally gave the name "Mintonette”, which derived
from the game of badminton. The game took some of its characteristics from other sports such as
tennis and handball.

The first rules, written down by William G Morgan, called for a net 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) high, a 25 ft × 50 ft
(7.6 m × 15.2 m) court, and any number of players.

A match was composed of nine innings with three serves for each team in each inning, and no limit
to the number of ball contacts for each team before sending the ball to the opponents' court. In case
of a serving error, a second try was allowed. Hitting the ball into the net was considered a foul (with
loss of the point or a side-out)—except in the case of the first-try serve.
After an observer, Alfred Halstead, noticed the volleying nature of the game at its first exhibition match
in 1896, played at the International YMCA Training School (now called Springfield College), the game
quickly became known as volleyball (it was originally spelled as two words: "volley ball"). Volleyball
rules were slightly modified by the International YMCA Training School and the game spread around
the country to various YMCAs.
In 1916, in the Philippines, the skill and power of the set and spike had been introduced, and four
years later a "three hits" rule and a rule against hitting from the back row were established. In 1917,
the game was changed from requiring 21 points to win to a smaller 15 points to win.
GAME PLAY
A player from the serving team throws the ball into the air and attempts to hit the ball so it passes over
the net on a course such that it will land in the opposing team's court (the serve). The opposing team
must use a combination of no more than three contacts with the volleyball to return the ball to the
opponent's side of the net.
These contacts usually consist first of the bump or pass so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards
the player designated as the setter; second of the set (usually an over-hand pass using wrists to push
finger-tips at the ball) by the setter so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards a spot where one of
the players designated as an attacker can hit it, and third by the attacker who spikes (jumping, raising
one arm above the head and hitting the ball so it will move quickly down to the ground on the
opponent's court) to return the ball over the net.
The team with possession of the ball that is trying to attack the ball as described is said to be on
offense. The team on defense attempts to prevent the attacker from directing the ball into their court:
players at the net jump and reach above the top (and if possible, across the plane) of the net to block
the attacked ball.
SKILLS

Serve
A player stands behind the inline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it into the opponent's court.
A serve is called an "ace" when the ball lands directly onto the court or travels outside the court after
being touched by an opponent; when only the only player on the server's team to touch the ball is the
server.
In contemporary volleyball, many types of serves are employed:

 Underhand: a serve in which the player strikes the ball below the waist instead of tossing it
up and striking it with an overhand throwing motion. Underhand serves are considered very
easy to receive and are rarely employed in high-level competitions.
 Sky ball serve: a specific type of underhand serve occasionally used in beach volleyball,
where the ball is hit so high it comes down almost in a straight line. This serve was invented
and employed almost exclusively by the Brazilian team in the early 1980s and is now
considered outdated. During the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, however, the sky
ball serve was extensively played by Italian beach volleyball player Adrian Carambula. In
Brazil, this serve is called Jornada nas Estrelas (Star Trek)
 Topspin: an overhand serve where the player tosses the ball high and hits it with a wrist snap,
giving it topspin which causes it to drop faster than it would otherwise and helps maintain a
straight flight path. Topspin serves are generally hit hard and aimed at a specific returner or
part of the court. Standing topspin serves are rarely used above the high school level of play.
 Float: an overhand serve where the ball is hit with no spin so that its path becomes
unpredictable, akin to a knuckleball in baseball.
  Jump serve: an overhand serve where the ball is first tossed high in the air, then the player
makes a timed approach and jumps to make contact with the ball, hitting it with much pace
and topspin. This is the most popular serve among college and professional teams.
 Jump float: an overhand serve where the ball is tossed high enough that the player may jump
before hitting it similarly to a standing float serve. The ball is tossed lower than a topspin jump
serve, but contact is still made while in the air. This serve is becoming more popular among
college and professional players because it has a certain unpredictability in its flight pattern. It
is the only serve where the server's feet can go over the inline.
Pass
Also called reception, the pass is the attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve, or
any form of attack. Proper handling includes not only preventing the ball from touching the court, but
also making it reach the position where the setter is standing quickly and precisely
The skill of passing involves fundamentally two specific techniques: underarm pass, or bump, where
the ball touches the inside part of the joined forearms or platform, at waist line; and overhand pass,
where it is handled with the fingertips, like a set, above the head.
Set
The main goal of setting 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. Sometimes a setter refrains from raising the ball for a teammate to perform an
attack and tries to play it directly onto the opponent's court. This movement is called a "dump".
Attack
The attack, also known as the spike, is usually the third contact a team makes with the ball.
Contemporary volleyball comprises a number of attacking techniques:

 Backcourt (or backrow)/pipe attack: an attack performed by a back row player. The player
must jump from behind the 3-meter line before making contact with the ball, but may land in
front of the 3-meter line.
 Line and Cross-court Shot: refers to whether the ball flies in a straight trajectory parallel to
the side lines, or crosses through the court in an angle. A cross-court shot with a very
pronounced angle, resulting in the ball landing near the 3-meter line, is called a cut shot.
 Dip/Dink/Tip/Cheat/Dump: the player does not try to make a hit, but touches the ball lightly,
so that it lands on an area of the opponent's court that is not being covered by the defense.
 Tool/Wipe/Block-abuse: the player does not try to make a hard spike, but hits the ball so that
it touches the opponent's block and then bounces off-court.
 Off-speed hit: the player does not hit the ball hard, reducing its speed and thus confusing the
opponent's defense.
 Quick hit/"One": an attack (usually by the middle blocker) where the approach and jump
begin before the setter contacts the ball. The set (called a "quick set") is placed only slightly
above the net and the ball is struck by the hitter almost immediately after leaving the setter's
hands. Quick attacks are often effective because they isolate the middle blocker to be the only
blocker on the hit.
 Slide: a variation of the quick hit that uses a low back set. The middle hitter steps around the
setter and hits from behind him or her.
 Double quick hit/"Stack"/"Tandem": a variation of quick hit where two hitters, one in front
and one behind the setter or both in front of the setter, jump to perform a quick hit at the same
 time. It can be used to deceive opposite blockers and free a fourth hitter attacking from back-
court, maybe without block at all.
Block
A block that is aimed at completely stopping an attack, thus making the ball remain in the opponent's
court, is called offensive. A well-executed offensive block is performed by jumping and reaching to
penetrate with one's arms and hands over the net and into the opponent's area.
By contrast, it is called a defensive, or "soft" block if the goal is to control and deflect the hard-driven
ball up so that it slows down and becomes easier to defend. A well-executed soft-block is performed
by jumping and placing one's hands above the net with no penetration into the opponent's court and
with the palms up and fingers pointing backward.
Dig
Digging is the ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike or attack, particularly a
ball that is nearly touching the ground. In many aspects, this skill is similar to passing, or bumping:
overhand dig and bump are also used to distinguish between defensive actions taken with fingertips
or with joined arms.
PLAYER SPECIALIZATION

 Setters have the task for orchestrating the offense of the team. They aim for second touch and
their main responsibility is to place the ball in the air where the attackers can place the ball into
the opponents' court for a point. They have to be able to operate with the hitters, manage the
tempo of their side of the court and choose the right attackers to set. Setters need to have swift
and skillful appraisal and tactical accuracy, and must be quick at moving around the court.
 Liberos are defensive players who are responsible for receiving the attack or serve. They are
usually the players on the court with the quickest reaction time and best passing
skills. Libero means 'free' in Italian—they receive this name as they have the ability to substitute
for any other player on the court during each play. They do not necessarily need to be tall, as they
never play at the net, which allows shorter players with strong passing and defensive skills to excel
in the position and play an important role in the team's success. A player designated as a libero
for a match may not play other roles during that match. Liberos wear a different color jersey than
their teammates.
 Middle blockers or middle hitters are players that can perform very fast attacks that usually take
place near the setter. They are specialized in blocking, since they must attempt to stop equally
fast plays from their opponents and then quickly set up a double block at the sides of the court. In
non-beginners play, every team will have two middle hitters.
 Outside hitters or Left side hitters attack from near the left antenna. The outside hitter is usually
the most consistent hitter on the team and gets the most sets. Inaccurate first passes usually result
in a set to the outside hitter rather than middle or opposite. Since most sets to the outside are
high, the outside hitter may take a longer approach, always starting from outside the court sideline.
In non-beginners play, there are again two outside hitters on every team in every match.
 Opposite hitters or Right-side hitters carry the defensive workload for a volleyball team in the
front row. Their primary responsibilities are to put up a well formed block against the
opponents' Outside Hitters and serve as a backup setter. Sets to the opposite usually go to the
right side of the antennae
FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE VOLLEYBALL

 The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (English: International Volleyball Federation),

commonly known by the acronym FIVB, is the international governing body for all forms of
volleyball.
 The FIVB was founded in France in April 1947.
 The FIVB's main activity is worldwide planning and organisation of volleyball events,
sometimes in conjunction with other international governing bodies. This involves defining
qualification procedures and competition formulae for tournaments, as well as more specific
details such as player line-up and replacement restrictions, venues and hosts.
 The FIVB participates directly in the organization of continental volleyball events which have
an attached international significance, such as Olympic and World Championship continental
qualification tournaments.
 The FIVB is the ultimate international authority in volleyball, and judges’ issues such as doping,
regulation of player transfer, nationality changes and gender determination.
 The FIVB is responsible for the standardization of volleyball rules.