- AuthorPamela Pratt-Zavadil
Pamela has been a teacher for the past 8 years. During the last 4 years she taught Marine Science in middle school. She also taught 7th grade Science, at the middle school level, Biology, Earth Science, Physical Science and Marine Biology in High Schools. She has earned her Master’s in Education from University of Phoenix while being stationed overseas through the Military. She has earned her Bachler's degree in Environmental Health from Western Carolina University. She has worked in laboratories, and in the nuclear energy industry before entering education.
View bio - InstructorSharon Linde
Sharon has an Masters of Science in Mathematics and a Masters in Education
View bio
Explore what volleyball is and discover its different types. Learn the nature of the game, the rules, unique language terms, and the objectives of volleyball.Updated: 11/21/2023
Table of Contents
- What Is Volleyball?
- What Is the Objective of Volleyball?
- Types of Volleyball
- The Basic Play of Volleyball
- Volleyball's Adaptability
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there different versions of volleyball?
There are a number of different types of volleyball.
Indoor is played inside, beach volleyball is played on sand, and international volleyball is highly competitive, walleyball is played where you can hit the ball off the walls. bossaball incorporates gymnastics, soccer and volleyball and jokgu is played mostly with the feet instead of the hands.
How do you score points in volleyball?
A point is scored in volleyball when one team legally hits the ball over the net and it lands within the opponents court and the opposing team is not able to successfully return the ball.
What is the main idea of volleyball?
The main idea of volleyball is to be the first team to score ether 21 or 25 points first. A team must win by at least 2 points.
What are the different types of hits in volleyball?
A serve starts the ball in play.
A set sets up the ball for your teammates.
A spike forces the ball across the net.
A dig stops the ball from hitting the floor.
An attack is an aggressive return of the ball.
A pass is moving the ball in position so your team make can score.
Table of Contents
- What Is Volleyball?
- What Is the Objective of Volleyball?
- Types of Volleyball
- The Basic Play of Volleyball
- Volleyball's Adaptability
- Lesson Summary
Volleyball is a popular game in over 200 countries. It is the most popular participation sport in the world. Volleyball was first invented in the U.S. by William G. Morgan in 1895, who was an athletic director at a YMCA and was looking for a game for older clientele to play. It was originally named Mintonette, but the name was changed to volleyball because of the game's object. Morgan combined rules from tennis, handball, and basketball to create a team game to be played indoors, with little equipment, and gave all players an equal opportunity to play. Each side could have as many players as they wanted and had as many hits as needed to get the ball over the net. Today volleyball is a highly competitive team sport, found in the Olympics and national teams, and popular in playgrounds.
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The objective of volleyball is to hit the ball across the net, using three or fewer hits, into the other team's court so that they cannot successfully return it. The goal of volleyball is to be the first team to score 21 or 25 points, depending on the game, and win by at least two points. To score a point, the ball is hit into the air, over a net, and into the opposing team's court, so they cannot return the ball over the net.
Along with athleticism, volleyball is a team sport that heavily relies on cooperation and coordination among the players to score points. It is gender-neutral and played equally by men and women. It is an exciting and fast-paced game that is thrilling for spectators to watch as well as the athletes to play. Volleyball is also a popular sport to bet on. It can be adapted and played at all levels encouraging physical fitness, hand-eye coordination, and even injecting joy into the players' lives because of friendship and love of the sport.
Nature of Volleyball
Volleyball can be adapted to all different levels and places of play, but the basics of the game stay the same.
- The main objective is to hit the ball over the net into the opposing team's court.
- A point is an award when the ball hits the floor in the opponent's court or they cannot successfully return the ball.
- Each team gets three hits, or touches, on the ball to get it over the net.
- A player may not hit or touch the ball more than once in a row.
- A team must win by at least two points.
- The ball may be played off the net.
- The ball may be hit with any part of the body.
- A person may not catch, hold, or throw the ball.
- The ball must go over the net on the serve.
- The ball is served from behind the backline.
- Players rotate, so everyone gets to serve and play all positions.
- Players cannot cross the net or centerline.
- Players cannot touch the net.
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Volleyball is played in many different forms and versions. Some of the most common ones are:
- Indoor Volleyball - is played indoors on wood or rubberized court. A team consists of six players with three in front and three in back. Games, also called sets, are played to 25 points, except for tiebreakers which are played to 15.
- Beach volleyball - is played outside on sand. It usually consists of two players per team but can have three or four players per team. The court is a slightly smaller size. A set is played to 21 points. A match is played best two out of three sets.
- International Volleyball - is played worldwide, with amateur and professional players competing internationally. Players who go to professional teams often start in club teams which take talented players and develop skills to prepare them to play in high school, college, and professional teams. These are very dedicated players that require a lot of time and commitment. FIVB is the governing body of international volleyball.
- Wallyball - is similar to volleyball but played in an enclosed handball court, and the ball may bounce off the walls, giving it its name. The court is slightly smaller than a regular volleyball court. Teams consist of two to six players but normally four players, usually with two men and two women on a team.
- Bossaball- is a relatively new version of volleyball developed in Columbia. It combines volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, and music. Each side of the court has a trampoline in the middle, surrounded by an inflatable surface like a bouncy house. There are four players per team. Each team gets five touches to get the ball over the net. Soccer touches or kicks score twice as much. Three points are scored in the ball lands on the trampoline of the opponent. Bossa Nova music is played and an integral part of the game.
- Jokgu- is another form of volleyball developed in South Korea. It is similar to soccer by kicking the ball over a low net. The ball may bounce once between every kick. Each team gets three kicks to return it to the other teams playing area. Headers are also allowed.
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Each team consists of between two and nine players. A typical court is 30 feet wide by 60 feet long, with a seven- to eight-foot-high net across the center. This gives each team a 30-foot x 30-foot playing court. To set the ball in play, it is served from behind the baseline, furthest from the net. The ball must go over the net and land within the opposing team's court. Each team has three hits or touches to volley the ball back over the net to the court of the other team. If the ball touches the ground or a team has more than three touches before sending it back, or the ball goes out of bounds on the other side, a point is awarded to the other team. A team must get 21 points in beach volleyball or 25 points in indoor volleyball to win a game. A team must win by at least two points so tied games can go to a higher score. To win the match, a team must win two out of three or three out of five games, also called sets. The terms are often used interchangeably.
Volleyball includes several different skill sets. Players must be able to play both offensively and defensively. Offensive players are trying to score a point on the other team using serves and spikes. Defensive players are trying to keep the other team from scoring a point on them using blocks and digs. Players must be able to serve, set, pass, attack, block, and dig. Serving is starting the ball in motion from behind the baseline. Setting is gently hitting the ball high into the air to set up another teammate for an attack. A pass hits the ball back into their own playing field. A block is usually at the net when a player jumps up with hands outstretched to stop the ball as soon as it crosses the net and is sent back to the other side. An attack is an aggressive hit of the ball to try and score on the other team. Digging is a low to the ground hit to stop an attack or a serve and pop it back up. A libero is a defensive specialist player and can only play in the back row. This player must wear a different jersey than other teammates.
International volleyball is governed by the FIVB (Federation International De Volleyball), which sets the rules and makes decisions for international amateurs and professional players, courts, couches, and the game. Every few years, rules are added or clarified as the need arises. One of the most significant changes was in 1999 when the scoring was changed from side-out scoring to rally scoring. Side-out scoring only allowed a team to score a point when serving, and games were played to 15 points. In rally scoring, a point is awarded each time the ball is set into play, and games are played to 25 points. This was done to move the game along faster and allow the games to be more predictable in length for scheduling purposes.
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Volleyball is an extremely popular sport partially because of its adaptability to different places, skill levels, and team sizes. A team can range from 2 to 9 players but can be adapted to any number of players. It can be played indoors, for winter play or bad weather, or outdoors on grass, sand, or clay, even in a pool with the basic rules remaining the same. All players get a chance to serve and play all positions, and it is a fast-paced game with lots of scoring and teamwork. Volleyball does not require a lot of equipment or space to play. Another popular aspect of volleyball is it is gender-neutral. Rules are the same for all players, and teams are often mixed genders. Some easy adaptations for younger children could include allowing players to catch and throw the ball or an unlimited number of hits per side or a lower net.
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Volleyball is the most participated sport in the world. It was invented by William G. Morgan in 1895 by combining basketball, tennis, and handball. Volleyball is popular today, from playgrounds to the Olympics. The objective of volleyball is to make the ball go over the net and land in the court of the opponent so it cannot be returned. It is a team sport that relies on cooperation and coordination of the team to win. Volleyball can be adapted to any skill level and location of play, but the basics rules stay the same. Indoor volleyball is played inside with six people. Beach volleyball has two to four players, is played on sand, and is only played to 15 points. International volleyball is highly competitive and governed by a board. Wallyball is played on a handball court, and teams are allowed to hit the ball off of the walls. Bossaball is played on a trampoline on an inflatable surface, allowing five touches per side. In Jokgu, a person uses their feet to kick the ball across a low net.
Basic rules of volleyball include:
- Courts are 30-foot x 60-foot divided by a seven to eight-foot net.
- Balls are served over the net from the baseline.
- Teams get three hits, or touches to return the ball over the net.
- Games are played to 21 or 25 points.
- Matches are best three out of five sets, also called games.
- Offensive players try to score points.
- Defensive players try to keep the other team from scoring points on them.
- A libero is a defensive player.
One reason volleyball is so popular is that it is adaptable to any skill level and playing conditions, but basic rules stay the same, making it a fast-paced and fun game.
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Video Transcript
Purpose of Volleyball
Debbie watches her friends play volleyball after school, but she's never really caught on to the sport. She wonders where it came from and what the point is. Luckily, her friends are patient and explain a bit of background information to her, hoping to win her over to their favorite pastime.
Volleyball was invented in 1895 in the United States and has since become popular worldwide, with players in more than 200 countries regularly participating in the sport. The object, or purpose, of volleyball is to hit the ball over the net in such a way that it either lands inside the opponent's boundary or bounces off a blocker and hits the floor anywhere but inside your side's boundary. Points are scored according to this type of play. We'll talk more about this in a bit.
Speaking more broadly, there are many purposes to volleyball. These include promoting physical fitness, encouraging teamwork and group coordination, and even injecting joy into people's lives. Because, as Debbie's friends often tell her, volleyball is a fun social pastime.
Nature of Volleyball
There are several different competitive versions of volleyball, each having slightly different rules. However, there are some characteristics that all versions of volleyball have in common.
- All versions have the dual objective of causing the ball to land in your opponent's court while preventing it from landing in your own.
- Every version is considered a team sport, which requires coordinating and communicating with teammates to reach common objectives.
- Each team is allowed a limited number of touches on the ball before it has to go over the net.
No matter which version you play, these rules are the same. Think of the word volley, which means to hit or touch the ball before it strikes the ground. Volleyball is just that; stopping the ball from hitting the ground on your side of the net and trying to get it to hit the ground on your opponent's side. So how does this work? Let's take a look.
The Basic Play of Volleyball
Though there are several different types of volleyball to be played, including sand, court, two-on-two or six-on-six, the game follows the same basic flow. The court consists of a large rectangle, usually 60x30 feet, with a net in the middle, resulting in two sides that are 30x30 feet. The net generally sits between seven and eight feet above the ground. Team members stand on their side of the court in either offensive positions, which means they try to hit the ball to the other side, or defensive positions, attempting to keep the ball from hitting the ground on their own side.
Play begins when the referee signals for the ball to be served, which a player from one team does from the baseline, the line furthest from the net. Once the ball is served over the net, the receiving team then has a total of three hits, or touches, to get the ball back to the other side. A player is not allowed to hit the ball twice in a row. There are also differing rules about acceptable kinds of touches depending on the league or type of volleyball being played. Debbie's friends are pretty causal so they allow just about anything, but professional players have strict rules about specific types of hits.
If the ball hits the ground, the opposing team receives a point. The set is over when one team reaches the score 15 or 25, depending on the set number, but they also have to win by 2 points, so it can go higher. The victorious team is the one that wins best out of five sets.
Debbie is catching on to the basic rules and types of volleyball. But she still wonders about all these different kinds of games.
Volleyball's Adaptability
Debbie's friends tell her that volleyball is an incredibly adaptable sport. The number of players, the size of the court, the playing surface, and the height of the net can all be varied and keep a similar feel without having to change any or all of the rules. Knowing this, it's not surprising that there are volleyball competitions utilizing from two to nine players on a side, or that court sizes range from 162 to 200 square meters. Most people have probably seen sand volleyball or the type typically played on an indoor court. There are even leagues that play on racquetball courts or outdoor grass ones. In fact, Debbie's friends say, the fact that volleyball can be played just about anywhere is one of the things that make it so fun.
Lesson Summary
Volleyball is a very adaptable sport that was invented in 1895 in the United States and has since become popular worldwide, with players in more than 200 countries. It can be played by teams ranging in size from two to nine players, and at skill levels from the complete beginner to the highly-paid professional athlete. Team members stand on their side of the court in either offensive positions, which mean they try to hit the ball to the other side, or defensive positions, who attempt to keep the ball from hitting the ground on their own side, with each side only allowed three hits per volley and two set victories required to win. But those are really the only true consistencies of the game's structure. This adaptability and the team aspect make it a very good social sport. The general object of the sport in all its forms is to get the ball to land in your opponent's court or cause them to violate one of the simple rules.
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