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Origin of volleyball

On February 9, 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts (USA), William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director, created
a new game called Mintonette as a pastime to be played (preferably) indoors and by any number of players. The game
took some of its characteristics from tennis and handball. Another indoor sport, basketball, was catching on in the area,
having been invented just ten miles (sixteen kilometers) away in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, only four years
before. Mintonette was designed to be an indoor sport, less rough than basketball, for older members of the YMCA, while
still requiring a bit of athletic effort.
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 sideout)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. [2][3]
The first official ball used in volleyball is disputed; some sources say that Spalding created the first official ball in 1896,
while others claim it was created in 1900.[4][5][6] The rules evolved over time: in the Philippines by 1916, 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 21 to 15 points. In 1919, about 16,000 volleyballs were
distributed by the American Expeditionary Forces to their troops and allies, which sparked the growth of volleyball in new
countries.[4]
The first country outside the United States to adopt volleyball was Canada in 1900. [4] An international federation,
the Fdration Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was founded in 1947, and the first World Championships were held in
1949 for men and 1952 for women.[7] The sport is now popular in Brazil, in Europe (where especially Italy,
the Netherlands, and countries from Eastern Europe have been major forces since the late 1980s), in Russia, and in other
countries including China and the rest of Asia, as well as in the United States. Beach volleyball, a variation of the game
played on sand and with only two players per team, became a FIVB-endorsed variation in 1987 and was added to the
Olympic program at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[4][7] Volleyball is also a sport at the Paralympics managed by the World
Organization Volleyball for Disabled.
Nudists were early adopters of the game with regular organized play in clubs as early as the late 1920s. [8][9] By the 1960s,
a volleyball court had become standard in almost all nudist/naturist clubs.[10]
Volleyball in the Philippines
It was introduced to the Filipinos by an American named Elwood S. Brown,[1] the then Physical Director of theYoung Men's
Christian Association (YMCA). It became a popular game held in backyards and at beaches in the islands. At first, the

Filipinos invented their own rules for the game.[2] US soldiers who were assigned to the different islands of the Philippine
during the period also helped in the widespread introduction of volleyball to the Filipinos. These American military
servicemen encouraged the Filipinos to join them in playing during their time-off from military duties. [3] Early in the history
of the game of volleyball in the Philippines, the Filipinos used trees as makeshift net holders (the net was hung between
the two chosen trees).
Contributions
Inspiration for the three-hit limit[edit]

The first contribution was that the Filipinos inspired American players to create the "three-hit limit" for each player in
modern-day volleyball. This number of limits in hitting the ball was based by American volleyball players from the Filipino
way of letting each player hit the ball before sending or "volleying" it over to the side of the opponent team. The Americans
revised this method to become the "three-hit limit" because the old way of taking turns in hitting the ball took too much
time, and had been observed to affect the intensity of the game and the motivation of the participating volleyballers
(lessens the "challenge and the competitive nature" of the game). [2]
Setting and spiking the ball[edit]

The second Filipino contribution was the "set and spike" maneuver,[2] also known as "set and hit",[3] "setting and spiking",
[4]

or just "spike".[3] A spike is a form of volleyball "attack" done by the player by 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. The set, on the other hand, is an
over-hand pass done by the setter (another player) using the wrists to push finger-tips at the ball.
It was after accepting the new set of rules created by the Americans regarding the "three-hit limit" when the Filipino
volleyball players at the time invented the "set and spike" maneuver. The new technique invented by the Filipinos
prompted American enthusiasts and participants in volleyball to call it as the "Filipino bomb", because "spiking the ball"
was like a "hit" or a form of "attack" that can squash or "kill" the opportunity of the opponent team to hit the ball back for a
possible point or win.[2] A more apt description of "hitting and spiking" is that it is "an offensive style of passing the ball in a
high trajectory to be struck by another player."[4]
VOLLEYBALL TERMINOLOGY
10 Ball or Pipe - A high set around the 10-foot line, intended for a back row hitter.
10-foot line or attack line - A line on the court 10 feet from the net, parallel with the net. Players in the back row cannot
attack the ball above the net while in front of this line; however, if a player jumps from behind the line toward the net and
hits the ball before landing on the court in front of the line, the attack is legal.
ACE - A serve that results directly in a point without further action by players on the serving team. Typically, the ace can
be detected due to an inability to touch the served ball or a shanked pass by a player on the receiving team. However, if
the serve-receiving player passes the ball to another player and that second player can make a play on it, but doesn't, this
serve is not considered an ace.
ANTENNA - The vertical rods along the outside edge of the net extending 32 inches above the net to indicate out-ofbounds along the sideline. Any ball that touches the antenna is considered out.
ASSIST - Passing or setting the ball to a teammate who attacks the ball for a kill. The typical assist is a set, but generally,
any ball delivered by one player to a second player to allow that second player to make a kill is an assist.

ATTACK - A broad term that can mean many different things. At a high level, this term is used to describe the offensive
scheme or pattern with which a team attempts to score a point. At a lower level, this term refers to the attempt by a player
to score a point by hitting the ball in some manner.
Attack Attempt - The attempt by a player to terminate a play by hitting the ball to the floor on the opponent's side.
BACK SET - A set made when the player who is setting the ball has his/her back toward the hitter. Normally the setter
back sets but occasionally, a player other than the setter decides to get fancy and back sets to the designated hitter. It
looks more difficult than it really is. Many players master back setting at an early age.
BACK ROW ATTACK - Typically, a player who has rotated to the back row jumps behind the 3-meter line to hit the ball.
When done by a flashy player who puts some heat on the ball, the play is visually spectacular. However, regardless of
whether a player takes off, any play involving a back row player attacking the ball is considered a back row attack. When
accomplished by a short defensive specialist, the crowd goes wild with delight.
BLOCK - The first line of defense where one or more players successfully terminate a rally or play in their favor by
stopping the ball from traveling over the net. Typically, the blocking player(s) jump in front of the opposing hitter at the net
to make contact with the ball in such a way that the ball lands inbounds on the opposing hitter's court or hits the opposing
hitter before falling out of bounds. See ROOF.
Blocking Error - A violation that consists of touching the net, crossing the center line, blocking a set or any other violation
which occurs while making a block attempt.
BUMP - The use of the forearm to pass or set the ball in an underhand manner.
CARRY - An illegal maneuver in which a player makes an underhand contact with the ball where the duration of the
contact last for more than the maximum amount of time. Needless to say, this is a very subjective call.
CENTER LINE - The boundary that runs under the net and divides the court into two equal playing areas.
CLOSING THE BLOCK - The responsibility of the assisting blocker(s) to angle their body relative tot he first blocker.
Court Dimensions - 59 feet from end line to end line and 29 feet, 6 inches wide (18m x 9m).
Courage - The capacity to meet danger or difficulty with firmness; bravery. Mental or moral strength to resist opposition or
hardship
CROSS COURT SHOT - An angular shot made from one side of the offensive team's side of the court to the opposite side
of the defensive team's side of the court.
CUT SHOT - A spike from the hitter's strong side that travels at a sharp angle across the net.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST (DS) - The position on a team who is responsible for digging and passing the ball in the back
row. These players are normally short and substituted out when they rotate to the front row. As befits their name, these
players are not expected to contribute to the team's offensive production. Some of the greatest defensive specialists in the
history of the game include Nalani Yamashita (Hawaii) and Jaimi Gregory (Stanford).
DIG - The act of successfully receiving a ball. Almost always, the dig refers to the act of recovering an attacked ball close
to the court floor. Some of the best diggers in collegiate volleyball include Nalani Yamashita (Hawaii), Stacy Sykora (Texas
A&M), Jaimi Gregory (Stanford), and usually, any of Kathy Gregory's UCSB teams.
DINK or DUMP - A pinpoint and aggressive push of the ball over the net. 99% of the time, this play is made by the setter.
Usually performed by the setter, who delivers the ball into the opponent's court on the second contact.
DOUBLE BLOCK - Two players working in unison to intercept a ball at the net.
DOUBLE HIT/Contact - Successive hits by the same player. (Illegal)
DOUBLES - A game with two players on a side
DOWN BALL - A ball the blockers elect not to attempt to block because it has been set too far from the net or the hitter is
not under control.
Down-Referee - Secondary referee. He/she stands on the floor at the opposite end of the net as the up-referee.
FIVB/IVBF - Federation Internationale de Volleyball / International Volleyball Federation http://www.fivb.org/
FIVE-ONE (5-1) - An offensive system that uses five hitters and one setter. The setter is usually not a hitter. Most younger
teams and players are used to the 6-2 system but the more advanced teams utilize the 5-1 system. The vast majority of
the college teams utilize a 5-1 system.
FLOATER - A serve with no spin that follows an unpredictable path. Usually, the ball arcs high up at less than full speed
and then, defying all laws of physics, drops to the floor with the force of a 10-ton truck.

Focus - To concentrate attention or effort. To direct toward a common center or objective.


FOOT FAULT - The illegal act of placing a foot on or inside the end line prior to the serve. Like tennis, the server's foot
must always be located behind the end line until the server serves the ball.
Forearm Pass - Contacting the ball with the forearms in order to deliver the ball to the setter in an underhanded manner.
FOUL - A violation of the rules that was called by a referee. If the referees don't call it, you get away with it. No different
from any other sport.
FOUR-TWO - An offensive system using four hitters and two setters. The setters set from the front row.
FREE BALL - A ball that is delivered over the net to the opposing team in a non-threatening manner because the ball was
hit more like a pass rather than a spike. When this occurs, players on the opposing team normally and collectively yell
"free!" while moving backwards away from the net to receive the free ball and set up a transition offensive play. Usually,
but not always, the receiving team moves into its serve receive positions.
HELD BALL (carry) - A ball that comes to rest for more than the maximum allowable time period during contact resulting in
a foul. Again, this is a subjective call.
HIT - To offensively strike the ball in an effort to terminate the rally for a sideout or point. The hit can be either an overhand
or underhand shot so long as the hit is made to terminate the rally.
HITTING PERCENTAGE - A statistical category calculated by subtracting the number of errors from the number of kills
and dividing this result by the number of kill attempts. For example, a player who records 7 kills, 2 errors, and 10 kill
attempts has a hitting percentage of 0.500 (Hitting Percentage = (kills - errors)/kill attempts). Typically, a setter's
performance has a high correlation to a team's hitting percentage.
ISOLATION PLAY - A play normally designed to deliver the ball to Michael Jordan to work his "magic" whenever Craig
Ehlo of the Cleveland Cavaliers is guarding him. Umm, waitIn volleyball, an isolation play is designed to isolate the
attacker on a specific defender due to a perceived advantage.
JOUST - The act of simultaneously making contact with the ball by opposing players immediately above the net. Usually,
both players use both hands to forcefully "push" the ball over the net and onto the other player's side of the court. The
joust normally involves two players of equal heights but sometimes, a short setter is matched against a middle blocker
and the result is not as predictable as you think.
JUMP SERVE - One of the most feared serves in all of volleyball when executed consistently, the jump serve involves the
server tossing the ball up and making contact with the ball as it falls by jumping up in the air. The resulting served ball
usually has more power, arc, and spin than the normal serve. However, it is a risky serve for the serving team as most
players cannot execute it perfectly. Some of the best jump servers in college volleyball include Logan Tom (Stanford) and
Brittany Hochevar (Long Beach State).
KILL - A succesfful attack that terminates a play or rally resulting in an immediate point or side out by the team making the
kill.
LET SERVE - A legal serve attempt where the ball makes contact with the net while still managing to go over on the serve
receiving team's side of the court.
LIBERO - A player who can be substituted into a game freely in the back row for defensive purposes, i.e., digging,
passing. Required to wear a striking and different color jersey, the libero is prohibited from serving or attacking the ball.
LINE SHOT - In contrast to a cross-court shot, a line shot refers to a hit attempt where the ball is directed along an
opponent's sideline closest to the hitter and usually outside the block.
Line Judge - Officials located at the corners of the court; each linesman is responsible for ruling if the ball is legally in play
along the lines for which or she is responsible.
MIDDLE BACK - A defensive system that uses the middle back player to cover deep spikes.
MIDDLE HITTER/BLOCKER (MH OR MB) - The position on a team who is primarily responsible for blocking. Middle
hitters or blockers are usually the tallest players on the team. Because of their proximity to the setter, the middle hitter
usually receives most of the quick and lower height sets. Because of the variety of ability levels and heights, setting the
middle is considered one of the most difficult sets to make in all of volleyball. However, setting the middle is indispensable
to opening up the offense and keeping the opposing defenders on their toes. In practice, middles get yelled at a lot
because they tend to get in the way of the setter. Some of the greatest middles in the history of the game include Deitre
Collins (Hawaii), Kim Oden (Stanford), Elaina Oden (Pacific), and Danielle Scott (Long Beach State).

MIDDLE UP - A defensive system that uses the middle back player to cover dinks or short shots.
MINTONETTE - The original name for the sport of volleyball given by founder William Morgan.
Missile: A spike or serve that rockets out of bounds.
OFF SPEED SHOTS - Any ball spiked with less than maximum force but with spin.
Open Up - An exlamation made by a player telling his teammate in back of him that the ball is his/her.
OUTSIDE HITTER (OH) - The position on a team who is normally responsible for attacking the ball on the left side of the
team's side of the court. These players usually get the most kills and all the glory. Some of the best outside hitters in the
collegiate game include Tara Cross-Battle (Long Beach State), Teee Williams (Hawaii), Natalie Williams (UCLA), and Elsa
Stegemann (Pacific).
Overlap - A violation called when a team lines up out of rotation on a service attempt.
OVERHEAD PASS - A ball-handling skill using both hands simultaneously to contact the ball above the head and direct it
to the intended target.
PANCAKE DIG - a spectacular dig that should not be tried at home without the supervision of a trained professional,
unless you are Kerri Walsh. As the ball falls toward the floor (as gravity dictates), a player literally dives head first toward
the ball by stretching at least one arm to place his/her palm on or near the floor and under the ball to prevent the ball from
touching the floor. The hand is as flat as a pancake on the floor. Clear enough?
PASS - The act of receiving and delivering the ball to the setter. Technically, a pass is made by joining the arms from the
elbows to the wrists and making contact with the ball on the forearms in an underhand motion to direct the ball to the
setter. The pass is considered the most important fundamental element of volleyball.
PIPE - A play which involves the setter delivering the ball high and to the middle of her side of the court so that a back row
player (usually an athletic hitter who happened to be in the back row at the time due to the rotation) can leap and strike
the ball with maximum force to terminate the play for a point or sideout for the offensive team. This is a special case of a
BACK ROW ATTACK, because the location of the set ball and the hitter is somewhere along the middle of the offensive
side of the court.
POWER ALLEY - A cross court hit traveling away from the spiker to the farthest point of the court.
READY POSITION - The flexed, yet comfortable, posture a player assumes before moving to the point of contact.
Red Card - A more severe sanction given by the up-referee.
RIGHT-SIDE HITTER (RS) or OPPOSITE (OPP) - The position on a team who is responsible for shutting down the
opponent's best left side hitters. Right-side hitters don't record a lot of kills or receive a lot of glory but they are
indispensable to the success of the team. In addition to blocking and hitting, the right-side hitter is also considered the
second option for setting purposes when the setter cannot set the ball. Some of the greatest right-side hitters in the history
of the game include Kerri Walsh (Stanford), Jenny Manz (Florida), and Nancy Meendering (Nebraska).
RALLY POINT SCORE (or RPS) - Simply put, every play will result in a point regardless of who served. Rally score has
been used in international play for years but the United States high school and collegiate games were played with the
conventional sideout scoring system.
ROLLSHOT - an offspeed shot where the ball is hit in such a way that it travels at less than full speed and arcs over the
blockers' hands, requiring the back row defenders to make a play on the ball. Of course, the term is most famous for being
the name of a webzine. http://www.rollshot.com/
ROOF - A colloquial term that is used to describe a successful block attempt. See BLOCK.
ROTATION - The collective clockwise movement of players on a team around their side of the court following a side out.
Each rotation determines the identity of the server.
SCREENING - The illegal act of obstructing the view of the opposing team by preventing them from visually seeing the
server with players on the server's team at the time of the serve. Typically, players on the server's team gather together in
close proximity to create a "wall" or "screen" so that the opposing team cannot determine how, when, and where the
server will serve. The players on the server's team must be separated from each other by at least 1 meter.
SERVE - The act by one player to put the ball into play. The serving player is usually identified by the current rotation.
When serving, the player must be located in a designated area behind the back line.
SETTER (S) - The position on a team who is considered the leader and "quarterback" (to use an overused analogy) who
is normally responsible for delivering the ball to one of the other players for an attack attempt. In the past, setters were
usually shorter and were not expected to contribute to blocking and the team's offensive production. Recently, the trend is
to train athletic taller players so that they can also block and attack the ball when necessary. Some of the greatest setters
in the history of the game include Debbie Green (USC, 1976-77), Lisa Sharpley (Stanford, 1994-97), Robyn Ah Mow

(Hawaii, 1993-96), and Misty May (Long Beach State, 1995-98).


SIDEOUT - In contrast to the rally point scoring system, the sideout scoring system mandates that the only time a team
scores a point is when the play ends in the serving team's favor. Also, the term refers to a situation where a play ends in
the serve receiving team's favor so that the serve receiving team now earns the right to serve the next play.
SIX-TWO (6-2) - An offensive system that uses six hitters and two setters. Obviously, all six players on the court are
considered hitters, including the setters. Most younger teams and players are used to the 6-2 system but the more
advanced teams utilize the 5-1 system. One of the more successful and well-known 6-2 systems was Stanford's 1994 and
1995 teams which used Lisa Sharpley and Cary Wendell as the setters.
SLIDE -The play involves the setter setting the ball to a hitter who is moving laterally with the net, takes off on one foot,
and hits the ball forcefully near the antenna. Although this play was invented by the Asian teams to compete (very
successfully) against the taller Russian and other Western teams, it is now a common maneuver and technique in all
team's offensive repertoire.
STUFF - A colloquial term that is used to describe a successful block attempt. See BLOCK. A ball that is deflected back to
the attacking team's floor by the opponent's blockers.
Substitution - Allows one player to replace another player already on the court. Each team is allowed 15 substitutions per
game. Each player is allowed an unlimited number of entries.
Tandem - A combination in which one player attacks immediately behind another.
TEN-FOOT LINE (or 3-METER LINE) - The two lines that are parallel to the CENTER LINE. Each line is located
approximately 10 feet (or 3 meters) from the center line on both sides of the court. This line specifies the boundary
between the front row and the back row on each side of the court.
TOOL - Commonly used in the phrase "tool the block" or "tooling the block," this term refers to the act of striking the ball in
a savvy manner so that the ball deflects off the defender's hand/arm and fall to the floor for a sideout or point for the
offensive team. This play normally occurs near the sidelines by the antenna.
UNDERHAND SERVE - Although most players serve overhand for greater power, the underhand serve was successfully
employed by the Japanese teams. Arguably, the underhand serve is a more conservative, "safer," and accurate serve
than the overhand serve.
Up Referee - The main referee. He/she stands up on a stand.
USAV - United States Volleyball (formerly USVBA) http://www.usavolleyball.org/
USPV - United States Professional Volleyball
WIPE - the act of deflecting the ball off the opponent's hand(s) and then out-of-bounds by a "brushing" or "wiping" manner
for a point or sideout. The wipe is usually made by an outside hitter near the antenna.
Yellow Card - Warning given by the up-referee.

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