The dynamic and thrilling sport of volleyball is popular and has millions of enthusiastic fans and players all over the world. It transcends countries, and multiple generations grew up with it. It is captivating and improves coordination, mobility, and strategic playing. It combines physical abilities with quick thinking and fast reactions. The fact that volleyball can only be played with a team strengthens cohesion and the ability to not only look out for your own needs but also the opinions of others.
The game of volleyball that used to be called mintonette has its origins in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. It was founded in 1895 by the American William G. Morgan. Morgan basically combined different sports like the net, which we know from tennis, the ball that originates from basketball, and the use of our hands from handball. He was the physical director of the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Organization) of a town in Massachusetts and presented his game idea at a conference to the other directors.
After that, in the year 1900, he created a special ball because a basketball was too big and heavy to play with. In 1952, it was decided to give this special ball the name volleyball. In the following years, the game became more popular, so rules were created in order to structure the game.
Its popularity even increased so much that, in 1957, it became an official sport at the Olympic Games. Ever since then, the game has become even more popular, and it is played by over 800 million people all over the globe.
There are some requirements that are needed to play volleyball. You will need two poles and one net that is taut in between them, as well as a volleyball, of course. If volleyball is played in the gym, most players prefer to wear knee pads in order to keep the skin on their knees from hitting the ground. The field is 16m long and 8m wide, but it can be smaller depending on the number of players. The height of the net also varies but is usually about 2.24 m. There are two teams, with usually six players per team.
Furthermore, there is no official duration for a volleyball game like in soccer or other sports. A team wins a set when it can score 25 points. The winner is the team that manages to win two sets in general.
A volleyball game begins when one player serves and the ball flies on the other side of the net into the field of the opposing team. The ball should not touch the ground on your side of the field because that is when the other team scores a point. In order to avoid this, the players have to try to set the ball so it will fly back to the first team that served. In order to get a point, the ball has to land on the adversarial team’s side in the field, touch the ground outside of the field, or one player from the adversarial team touches the net with any part of their body.
There are different techniques for how you can play the ball.
If the ball has a rather low flight curve, then one should dig the ball. This means that the player goes into a squat position, leans forward, intertwines the fingers, and holds the arms extended so that the ball hits their inner forearms.
If the ball has a high flight curve, one should spike the ball by holding your arms over your body and forming a little basket with your fingers.
Then there is the technique called smashing. It is used to pressure the other team by jumping and then hitting the ball with your bare hand.
In order to fend off the ball, one can also jump very close in front of the net and put the arms parallel in the air so that the ball rebounds from the spread and tense fingers like a wall. This maneuver is called a block.
Furthermore, there are different ways to play volleyball. You can play it in the gym or on a sand field (beach volleyball). Beach volleyball is harder for most people because it is more difficult to move in the sand, jump, and run. There is even a way to play volleyball for people who have a physical disability. It is called sitting volleyball, and the players are sitting on the ground and have to play the ball over a modified net.
Besides the fun that it can be, playing volleyball is also good for your health since it is a physical activity. It shapes your body and tones your muscles, especially in your thighs, arms, and shoulders. It also trains your agility because you have to be able to react quickly and make decisions on the spot. Moreover, the heart rate will increase, which will make your heart stronger and make you less likely to suffer from a heart condition. Volleyball also improves camaraderie and the ability to communicate quickly with other players. Also, you will develop a little community with your teammates because you will go through all the emotions together, like joy, glee, sadness, anger, and frustration, that can occur during a game.
https://olympics.com/en/news/what-history-volleyball-game-origin-mintonette-ymca-fivb-olympics
https://klexikon.zum.de/wiki/Volleyball
https://www.jacksonvts.com/volleyball-for-dummies.html