Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Under set rules, each side attempts to score points by putting the ball on the court of the other team. Since Tokyo 1964, it has been a part of the official Olympic Summer Games schedule. At the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, beach volleyball was incorporated into the program. Sitting volleyball is the modified variation of volleyball played at the summer paralympics.
William G. Morgan, the physical director of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts, created volleyball in 1895. For businesses who felt the new game of basketball to be too physically demanding, it was created as an indoor activity. Prior to a lecturer from Massachusetts’ Springfield College pointing out the game’s volleying characteristic and suggesting the name “volleyball,” Morgan referred to the activity as “mintonette.” The first issue of the Official Handbook of the Athletic League of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of North America contained Morgan’s original regulations (1897). The game was then promoted to other nations after quickly demonstrating that it had broad appeal for both sexes in American schools, playgrounds, the armed services, and other groups.
The volleyball court is 9 meters in width by 18 meters in length. The net splits it in half, creating sides. The net is positioned at a height of 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches and has a width of 1 m. (8 feet approx). The other important element is a line that is drawn 3 meters from the net and parallel to the net on each side. The attack line is this line. It designates the volleyball court’s front row and back row areas.
Preparation
It is essential to warm up before volleyball so that muscles are ready for all of the physical activity included in the game. A five to ten minute gentle workout will get the body ready for volleyball’s physical demands. Exercises for stretching are also advised. To avoid injuring muscles, stretching should be done after other activities. Spend an additional five minutes cooling down after playing volleyball. Walking or little exercise can assist in putting the body back into a resting condition. Afterward stretching is also advised.
Volleyball Rules
•There can never be more than six players on the volleyball court at once. Three in each of the front and back rows.
•Rally-point scoring, which awards points for each serve, is used.
•Players are not permitted to strike the ball twice straight (a block is not considered a hit).
•A ball that touches the boundary line is deemed to be “in.”
•If a ball touches an antenna, any cables or net outside the antennae, a section of the court’s floor completely outside the lines, a pole or referee stand, or the ceiling above a place that cannot be used for play, it is deemed “out.”
•In a volleyball match, touching the ball with any part of the player’s body is OK, but throwing, holding, or catching the ball is forbidden.
•Attacking or blocking a serve from inside or close to the 10-foot line is prohibited.
•The front-line players are free to transfer places at the net when the service is complete.
•The number of sets in a match depends on the difficulty of the game.
By 1896, the YMCA network had spread the game to Asia, including Japan. By 1900, a special ball had been created, and during the following 20 years, regulations had been established. In 1916, the Philippines invented the “set” and “spike,” and two years later, six-a-side play became the norm. By 1920, the three-hit per side and back-row attacks regulations had been put in place.
In the 1920s, national volleyball associations were founded in Japan, Russia, and the US. Additionally, the sport took off throughout the rest of Europe when American soldiers took it there during World War II. Soon after, the sport received national recognition in France as well. In 1949, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared the sport a non-Olympic activity, and the following year saw the inaugural men’s World Championships. Three years later, the first world-level event for women took place.
Basic Requirements For Volleyball
•A Volleyball Team consists of a total of 6 players.
•This game consists of 5 sets, any team with the best three sets out of five will win the match.
•Talking about the court, it is generally 9 m wide and 18 m long. Besides this, it is mostly divided from the exact center.
•For Men Tournaments, the net is to be kept at the height of 2.43 meters whereas, for Women’s Tournaments, the net’s height is to be kept at 2.24 meters.
•As already mentioned by ESPN, this game consists of 5 sets, and each of these sets has 25 points. In some cases, 15 points matches have also been played.
•You can score a point only when the ball touches the opponent’s court.
•Both the teams get equal opportunities to touch the ball prior to batting it across with their hands. Well, here the ball has to be touched by three different people.
•The Libero player is the one who is specialized in defensive skills. This player dons a different color jersey from his / her other teammates.
•The ball used in volleyball games is made from synthetic leather with a circumference of 65–67 cm and a weight of 260–280 g.
•A competitive volleyball match lasts for 60 – minutes whereas a social volleyball lasts for 45 – minutes.
Fitness benefits of volleyball
Volleyball has numerous benefits for your health and fitness:
•Develops key upper body muscles, notably in the arms.
•Builds up sprint speed and agility, due to its quick changes of pace and direction.
•Improves flexibility of the hands and feet.
•Boosts mental concentration skills and offers a refreshing workout for the mind.
•Good cardiovascular exercise, strengthening the heart and lungs to pass more oxygen round the body to feed muscles.