Volleyball

The History of Volleyball William Morgan invented the game of Volleyball in 1895 at the YMCA in Holyoke, Mass. Volleyball was first called “Mintonette”. In 1964, Volleyball was introduced to the Olympic games in Tokyo. In 1984, the United States Men's and Women's teams won medals for the first time. Men’s won gold, Women won silver. Today there are 24 million Americans who play Volleyball. There are over 800 million people worldwide who play Volleyball at least once a week. The object of the game is for each team to send the ball over the net and get it to land on their opponents court.

Rules of the Game The ball is put into play by the right back-row player who serves the ball by hitting it over the net to the opponent's court. A team is allowed to hit the ball three times (in addition to the block contact) to return it to the opponent's court. A player is not allowed to hit the ball twice consecutively, except when attempting a block. The rally continues until the ball touches the ground/floor, goes "out" or a team fails to return it to the opponent's court or commits a fault. A player "lifts" or "carries" the ball (the ball remains in contact with the player's body for too long). It is called a “Carry”. A player touches the net with any part of his or her body or clothing while making a play on the ball (with the exception of the hair). It is called a “Net”. A back-row player spikes the ball while it is completely above the top of the net, unless he or she jumped from behind the attack line (the player is, however, allowed to land in front of the attack line). When serving, a player steps on the court or the end line before making contact with the ball. This is also called a foot fault. Service can be from any where along the end line If the ball hits the line, it is in.

Court layouts Player Positions: 60 feet long by 30 feet wide. Left Front Center Front Right Front Left back Center back Right Back 60 feet long by 30 feet wide. Net height; Women’s 7’4”, Men’s 8’0”

Scoring RALLY POINT SCORING The team winning a rally scores a point. When the receiving team wins a rally, it gains a point and the right to serve, and its players rotate one position clockwise. The best of three or best of five games will win matches. Games played to 25, win by two. Final game is played to 15. Rally point scoring is what High Schools play. SIDEOUT SCORING Only the serving team may score a point. When the receiving team wins a rally, it gains the right to serve and its players rotate one position clockwise. Games are played to 15 win by two.

Volleyball Skills Serving Passing Setting Spiking/Hitting Blocking

Serving UNDERHAND SERVE Stand facing the net with the foot opposite the hitting hand forward. The ball is held at waist level. The player leans forward as they swing their arm foreword and contact the ball. The hand holding the ball is dropped just before the contact. The player hits underneath the ball with the heel of the hand. The hitting arm follows through in the direction of the target. OVERHAND SERVE ARM TOSS With firm wrist, toss the ball 18 inches and in line with the hitting shoulder. HAND UP AND BACK BEFORE THE TOSS Elbow and hand are at shoulder height or above throughout the entire serving motion. SHIFT Shift weight to lead foot, or step forward, as you make contact with the ball. SWING TO TARGET Wrist firm throughout serve. Contact with heel of hand through middle back of ball. The contact should sound like a "thud", not a "slap" sound. Hand follows ball to target. Finish with hand alongside or within body line.

Passing Hand placement Start in ready position with feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Upper body should be bent forward and the arms out ready. Move quickly to get behind the ball. Maintain low body position. Contact the ball on the forearms just above the wrists. Direct the ball by tilting arms toward target. (Turtle) Follow path of ball to its target .

Setting Start in the ready position facing the target. Form a triangle with thumbs and pointer fingers (hands should not be touching) Place hands directly in front of the face close to the forehead. On contact, set by extending the arms and legs. Common Mistakes Contacting the ball with the palms of the hands. Facing where the ball is coming from.

Spiking/Hitting Common Mistakes One foot jump Upper Body Pull the hitting arm back with the elbow and hand at shoulder height or higher. The hand should be open and relaxed, with the palm facing away from the ear. The elbow should swing forward and raise above the head. Arm and hand swing over the top as the heal of the hand contacts the ball. Snap through the ball. Contact point is slightly in front of and as high as possible above the hitting shoulder. APPROACH Right - Left finish. (for right handers) Left - Right finish. (for left handers) Three step or four step approach (both o.k.) Important to make the step a long and explosive one. JUMP Jump up (vertically) to meet ball. Contact the ball at the peak of your jump with a straight arm. Jump straight up and straight down. Do not touch the net. Spiking/Hitting Common Mistakes One foot jump Ball hit with fist instead of open hand "Tennis serve" arm action; one arm is swung forward and the other is swung behind "Shot-put" arm action

Blocking Arms extended and wrist locked and angled toward opponents floor. Keep your shoulders square to the net. When you move along the net to block, plant so that you jump straight up and down. Land in the same place from where you jump.

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