Volleyball

Volleyball is a popular team sport where two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since Tokyo 1964.

History

The sport originated in the United States, where it was invented by William G. Morgan in 1895. It was initially called Mintonette, a name derived from the game of badminton to which it bore similarities. The name "volleyball" came into use after an observer noted the volleying nature of play and proposed the name.

Rules

The game is played on a rectangular court that's 18 meters long and 9 meters wide. The net is placed such that its top is 2.43 meters high for men's competition and 2.24 meters high for women's competition. Each team can contact the ball a maximum of three times before the ball must cross over the net, and individual players cannot touch the ball twice consecutively.

Skills

Key skills in volleyball include serving, passing, setting, attacking, blocking, and digging. These skills must be performed while maintaining a constant awareness of the ball, the opponents, the court, and one's own team members.

Variations

There are many variations on the basic rules of volleyball. By far the most popular of these is beach volleyball, which is played on sand with two players per team, and rivals the main sport of volleyball in popularity.

See also

• Beach volleyball
• Paralympic volleyball
• Footvolley
• Volleyball Hall of Fame

Volleyball Resources
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