Volleyball

Volleyball is one popular sport played by people of all ages, gender and race. It is popular throughout America and is continually gaining popularity in other parts of the world with more and more people realizing the benefits that the sport has to offer. Statistics have shown that 46 millions of Americans are currently practicing the game, while approximately more than 800 million of the volleyball players are currently around worldwide.

The game of volleyball has actually been around for quite some time now. If you are one of the thousands out there who have been wondering who invented volleyball, then note that a director of physical education named William G. Morgan was the one who came up with the idea of developing a game that incorporates the basics of basketball, baseball, handball and tennis. He developed the game in 1895 and called it mintonette. The game was then introduced to the public in 1896, the year when Professor Alfred T. Halstead of the YMCA Physical Education decided to rename the game after the distinctive volley action of the ball that the professor once noticed. The name volley ball was then coined, and it was in 1952 that the US Volleyball Association decided to spell the name as one word.

Since its inception, volleyball has been considered as an energetic form of sport, but something that is less intense than basketball. This nature is basically what makes the game perfect not just for teens and young adults, but also for older people. It is played with six players composing a team. Two teams compete to get points, but unlike basketball wherein players are positioned anywhere in the court, volleyball is played with the first three players of the team positioning in front, while the other three are at the back of the court. The two teams are separated by a net with both ends stretched and attached to a pole. The net are hanged higher than that in tennis, and the players then make points by way of aiming and hitting the ball to reach the other side of the court. The players are allowed to use their hands and arms to hit the ball, but in order to make points it should not fall on the ground.

It is typical for people to play a volleyball game both indoor and outdoor. However, when practicing the game outfield, players should first create a rectangular court which should be divided into equal halves to form two courts. While keeping that basic rule in mind, it follows that to start the game, a server should make the serve right on the court’s end line. When serving, make sure that the ball is visible to the players who belong to the other team you’re playing against with. A player can serve the ball either underhand or overhand, but in order to make points, the ball should fall to the other side of the net in a way that the other team finds it difficult to hit the ball back.

Speaking of hitting back, it is one rule in volleyball that a single player must only touch the ball once. The players on a team are only allowed a maximum of three hits. If more than that occurs, it is considered a foul. In addition, players, particularly the servers, are trained to keep the ball together or above the waist when serving. The same is true when hitting the ball back to its server. This method leaves no room for the ball to come to rest. If it happens that two players hit the ball at the same time, both of them are not allowed to participate in the next toss or play. The players are also not allowed to attack a serve, but players from the front and back of the court are allowed to switch positions only after the serve.

While all those rules are simple, the scoring involved in volleyball is also understandable. Rally scoring is the technique used here, in which players are expected to aim for 25 points. The scores are counted based on bounds hit or misses of defense.