Volleyball

1. Volleyball

2. Volleyball • Overview • History/Background • Court/ Positions • Techniques • Red is input

3. Overview • Volleyball is a high energy sport that is typically played between two teams of six players (beach volleyball is played with two teams of two). The object of the game is to score points by hitting a ball over a net so that the opposition cannot return it before it hits the ground. Defensive players dive around the court to get their hands under the ball and push it up toward their teammates in attack, who are ready to leap high to smash it back over the net to the opposition. • Once the ball is in play, each team has up to three hits to get it back over the net. As long as they do not catch or carry the ball, players can strike it with any part of their bodies. The team that wins rally wins a point, and if not serving wins the right to do so. • Matches are usually the best of five sets. In the first four games, the winner is the first to 25 points; in the fifth game, the winner is the first to 15 points. If the score reaches 24-24 or 14-14, respectively, two clear points are needed for victory

4. History/ Background • Volleyball was invented in 1895, and originally named mintonette. The first recorded competitive game was played at Springfield College, MA in 1896. • In 1949, volleyball’s first World Championship was held in Prague. The sport was given Olympic status in 1964 (beach-volleyball first started in the Olympics in 1996), although it was first featured as part of a demonstration of US sports at the Paris Olympics of 1924 (Summers 158-160).

5. Court/ Positions • In volleyball, there are two rows of players which make up six players/positions per side. Each row has three people in it. Each spot is called an "area." Area one (1) is right-back, that's also where the serving player is. Right-front, which is located just in front of area one, would be area two (2). Middle front, which is to the left of area two, is area three (3). Left front, left of middle-front, is area four (4). Behind area three is area 5, also known as left-back. And finally, middle-back, which is to the right of left back would be area 6. When rotating, players will rotate in a clockwise direction. The players rotate when there is a side-out. A side-out is when the other team has the serve, but your team wins the point in order to gain the serve back. • End line- Furthest line back on the court where the server must not cross until the ball is in play. • Attack line - One third of the way between net and end line. • Center line - The line directly under the net, any player who crosses it loses a point.

6. Court/Positions

7. Techniques/Skills • Competitive volleyball players master six basic skills: serving, passing, setting, attacking (spike or tip), blocking, and digging. • Serve - The serve is either hit underhand or (usually) overhand; jumping is allowed. Any serve that reaches the opponents’ court is valid, even if it touches the net. Proper technique before performing an underhand serve should have the volleyball placed in the non-dominate hand. The volleyball can be tossed in the air with either hand using proper technique when performing an overarm serve. A ball that is served to the opponent and hits the court in bounds without anyone hitting or making contact with the ball is considered an ace. • When preparing yourself to defend an incoming serve you should be in a ready position with arms and hands stretched out in front of your body.

8. Techniques/Skills • Two types of passes • Forearm/Bump Pass- A forearm pass requires your forearms to be extended in front of you, close together. You can choose one of two methods to create a passing surface. The fist wrap involves wrapping one hand around the other hand, shaped into a fist, so that you feel comfortable. Or try the cupped-hands position, placing one palm into the other to make a cup shape, with thumbs touching and parallel • Overhead/Set Pass- To pass (a volleyball), usually with the fingertips, snapping the wrists in an arc close to the net so that a teammate can spike/attack it over the net.

9. Techniques/Skills • Offensive • Attack(spike)- A player jumps above the net and hits the ball hard toward the ground in the other court. • Tip hit- A light touch by an attack-zone player sends the ball softly over the net into an unguarded area of the opponents’ court. • Defensive • Dig- Players dive or get down low to stop the ball from touching the ground, trying to get enough height on it to allow teammates to play it. • Blocking- Blockers crowd the net and stretch above it to return the ball as soon as it has crossed the center line, before it can do any damage in their court.