( Information about the most famous sport in the world )

Volleyball is becoming increasingly popular in the world. One may ask - why this sport is so popular? How it was created? Well, this game was... invented in the USA. Just as basketball. Its founder was William Morgan. The game attracted great interest among the students, and quickly spread across the U.S. It was introduced in Europe during the First World War through the organization of the YMCA instructors. Volleyball was adopted rapidly in Poland, and in 1929 the country hosted the first championships in the new discipline. Volleyball seventy years ago had little in common with the game which can be seen nowadays in TV broadcasts of international events. „Flying ball”, „dłoniówka "," przebijanka "- were one of the names Poles called old volleyball. Rules of the game were in many cases completely different than they are today. For some time, for example, rules did not concern a rotation of players in the field. Every player had his own position in which he specialized himself. As interest in volleyball was increasing, players were becoming more and more skillful in their discipline which caused, as a result, search for new and more effective ways to play. Some of the ideas were taken into account as far as the rules of the game are concerned, others gradually faded away like the strike after jump from one foot. The international competition caused that the teams took over their opponents’ most effective in order to win, and play more efficiently.

The very first volleyball match was held in 1896 in the USA. In the meeting there were two teams of five players. During the game a ball weighting 340 grams was used. A tennis net, used for this particular match, was hung at a height of 213 cm. During that match the name of this discipline was created - „volley ball”. This name was accepted, and eventually evolved into the single word "volleyball".

Polish volleyball players have established the first international contacts in the late 30‘s with teams from Czechoslovakia and Estonia. A growing number of international meetings resulted in the need to develop regulations, directing the further development of the volleyball. This was the beginning of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). Poland, France, Yugoslavia, USSR and Czechoslovakia were founding members.

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. The game continues in this manner, rallying back and forth, until the ball touches the court within the boundaries or until an error is made. When the ball contacts the floor within the court boundaries or an error is made, the team that did not make the error is awarded a point. If the team that won the point did not serve the previous point, the players of the team rotate their position on the court in a clockwise manner.

Volleyball years ago was a very simple game, and due to that fact more and more people found it interesting. The game, which was created in the USA, has become very popular in Europe, gained popularity in Asia (which quickly became a volleyball power), but in the end lost popularity in its homeland, because Americans where more fascinated with American football, baseball, orhockey.

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Thank you for watching my presentation By: Natalia Wyporska