VoLLEYBALL AND ITS GREATEST PLAYERS Ball encouraging his teammates from the sidelines the Americans rallied to win the fourth set 25 23 Ball returned to the match as a substitute server in the fifth set which the U S team won 17 15 to complete one of the most dramatic comebacks in Olympic volleyball history As that classic match in Athens showed volleyball is a sport that depends both on the strengths of the individual players and the way players work together as a team Unlike the majority of team competitive sports opposing teams in volleyball don t have any physical con tact with each other Instead the two teams of six players are separated by a net Despite this limited contact volleyball can be one of the most fast paced and exciting of team sports Each team member has a specific skill set and each must work together in perfect communi cation to receive the ball and return it over the net They must dive jump and run across the court with strength and agility Volleyball originated in the United States over one hundred years ago Since then it has rapidly grown in popularity around the world According to sports blog Sporteology volleyball is the sixth most popular sport in the world with around 800 million partici pants globally In the United States the sport
INTRODUCTION has also achieved popularity particularly at the high school and college levels In indoor volleyball a large percentage of the par ticipants are female In fact according to a 2013 National High School Athletics Survey for every high school boy playing volleyball there are eight more girls In the sport of beach volleyball the gender divide is less This book will explore some of the basic rules and strategies of the game of volleyball It will provide a history of how the game was first invented and its exciting evolution into a globally played sport and a major event at the Summer Olympics It will also look at the different skills that all volleyball players must master and the different positions players may specialize in on the court It will explore Some of the differences between the sports of indoor volleyball and beach volleyball and look at some of the truly great players in each sport While there are masters of volleyball around the world the focus of this book will be primarily on those from the United States From beach volleyball to the indoor court volleyball has brought thrilling victories and stunning upsets masterful athletes and feats of athleticism For hundreds of millions of fans around the world it is an exciting game to watch and even more fun to
RULES OF THE GAME olleyball is a team sport in which players use their hands or arms to knock a ball over a net Two teams usually with six players each compete in a volleyball game Volleyball requires a mini mum of equipment and space and can be played indoors or outdoors CoURT AND EQUIPMENT The indoor game is played on a smooth surfaced court 9 meters 30 feet wide by 18 meters 60 feet long divided by a center line into two equal areas one of which is selected by or assigned to each of the two competing teams Players may not step completely beyond the center line while the ball is in play A line 3 meters 10 feet from and parallel to the center line of each half of the court indicates the point in front of which a back court player may not IO
RULES OF THE GAME VOLLEYBALL COURT 7 ft 115 8 in men 7 ft 41 8 in women left back left forward o right forward right back end line 29 ft 6 in center center back forward Od center forward center back serving area right right 9 10 in ft back forward o 0 left forward left back 9 ft 10 in sideline 29 ft 6 in An indoor volleyball court consists of two adjacent squares each measuring 29 feet 6 inches on a side and separated by a net Players advance position with each change of serve The player at the right back position serves Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc drive the ball over the net from a position above the top of the net This offensive action called a spike or kill is usually performed most effec tively and with greatest power near the net by the forward line of players A tightly stretched net is placed across the court exactly above the middle of the center line official net heights measured from the top edge of the net to the playing surface in the middle of the court are 2 4 meters 8 feet for men and 2 2 meters II
