History

Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, physical director of the Young Men’s Christian
Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was designed as an indoor sport for businessmen who
found the new game of basketball too vigorous. Morgan called the sport “mintonette,” until a professor
from Springfield College in Massachusetts noted the volleying nature of play and proposed the name of
“volleyball.” The original rules were written by Morgan and printed in the first edition of the Official
Handbook of the Athletic League of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of North America (1897). The
game soon proved to have wide appeal for both sexes in schools, playgrounds, the armed forces, and
other organizations in the United States, and it was subsequently introduced to other countries.

In 1916 rules were issued jointly by the YMCA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA).
The first nationwide tournament in the United States was conducted by the National YMCA Physical
Education Committee in New York City in 1922. The United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) was
formed in 1928 and recognized as the rules-making, governing body in the United States. From 1928 the
USVBA—now known as USA Volleyball (USAV)—has conducted annual national men’s and senior men’s
(age 35 and older) volleyball championships, except during 1944 and 1945. Its women’s division was
started in 1949, and a senior women’s division (age 30 and older) was added in 1977. Other national
events in the United States are conducted by member groups of the USAV such as the YMCA and the
NCAA.

Volleyball was introduced into Europe by American troops during World War I, when national
organizations were formed. The Fédération Internationale de Volley Ball (FIVB) was organized in Paris in
1947 and moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1984. The USVBA was one of the 13 charter members of
the FIVB, whose membership grew to more than 210 member countries by the late 20th century.

The FIVB-sponsored world volleyball championships (for men only in 1949; for both men and women in
1952 and succeeding years) led to acceptance of standardized playing rules and officiating. Volleyball
became an Olympicsport for both men and women at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

European championships were long dominated by Czechoslovakian, Hungarian, Polish, Bulgarian,

Romanian, and Soviet (later, Russian) teams. At the world and Olympic level, Soviet teams have won
more titles, both men’s and women’s, than those of any other nation. Their success was attributed to
widespread grassroots interest and well-organized play and instruction at all levels of skill. A highly
publicized Japanese women’s team, Olympic champions in 1964, reflected the interest of private
industry in sport. Young women working for the sponsoring company devoted their free time to
conditioning, team practice, and competition under expert and demanding coaching. Encouraged by the
Japanese Volleyball Association, this women’s team made its mark in international competition, winning
the World Championship in 1962, 1966, and 1967, in addition to the 1964 Olympics. At the end of the
20th century, however, the Cuban women’s team dominated both the World Championships and the
Olympics.

The Pan American Games (involving South, Central, and North America) added volleyball in 1955,
and Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, and the United States are frequent contenders for top honours.
In Asia, China, Japan, and Korea dominate competition. Volleyball, especially beach volleyball, is played
in Australia, New Zealand, and throughout the South Pacific.

A four-year cycle of international volleyball events, recommended by the FIVB, began in 1969 with World
Cup championships, to be held in the year following the Olympic Games; the second year is the World
Championships; in the third the regional events are held (e.g., European championships, Asian
Games, African Games, Pan American Games); and in the fourth year the Olympic Games.

EQUIPMENT

A player's equipment consists of a jersey, shorts, socks (the uniform)

and sport shoes.

4.3.1 The colour and the design for the jerseys, shorts and socks must be

uniform for the team (except for the Libero). The uniforms must be

clean.

4.1, 19.2
4.3.2 The shoes must be light and pliable with rubber or composite soles

without heels.

4.3.3 Players' jerseys must be numbered from 1 to 20.

In FIVB, World and Official Competitions for Seniors, where

larger playing squads are used, numbers may be extended.

4.3.3.2

4.3.3.1 The number must be placed on the jersey at the centre of the front and

of the back. The colour and brightness of the numbers must contrast

with the colour and brightness of the jerseys.

4.3.3.2 The number must be a minimum of 15 cm in height on the chest, and

a minimum of 20 cm in height on the back. The stripe forming the

numbers shall be a minimum of 2 cm in width

Playing Area

In the vast majority of cases, indoor volleyball is played in a multi-purpose gymnasium either at a school
or university, and the court lines are superimposed on the floor along with basketball, badminton,
handball, and so forth. In national and world-level competition, the court surface is usually dedicated
only to the sport of volleyball.

Court

No matter the venue, the court dimensions are as follows:

Free Zone Dimensions

The free zone is the area surrounding the court itself, in which the ball can be played. It varies slightly for
school age, university, and international FIVB.

The main goal of the free zone is to provide a safe area for players to play the ball – stands for spectators,
equipment and so forth should not be in this area except for the volleyball net stands, the referee stand,
etc.

VariationsHigh school and University: at least 2 meters, 3 meters is preferable.National / FIVB: minimum
3 meters, with a minimum of 5 m from the side lines and 6.5 m from the end lines for world and official
tournaments.Net Height

The official heights for the nets vary for men and women, but of course you want to have success early
on for beginner players so by all means feel free to adjust the net height.
For ages 15 and above, the heights are:

Men – 2.43 metersWomen – 2.24 metersVariations

Below age 15, you can use:

Boys and Girls ages 13-14 – 2.24 metersBoys and Girls ages 11-12 – 2.13 metersBoys and Girls ages 10
and under – 1.98 meters

Related: Best Volleyball Nets

Number Of Players

In general, teams must have at least 6 players to start the match, and at least 6 eligible players
(substitution players, or “subs”) to play the match. There are 6 players on court for each team during the
match. In FIVB rules, a team may have up to 14 players in total.

Serving RulesThe Actual Serve

The server must toss (i.e. release the ball), and then must contact the ball behind the end line in the
service area located behind Zone 1 (usually a 3 meter wide area). Neither foot may touch the line during
the contact. In the case of a jump serve, the jump takeoff must be behind the line as well.

No Screening Allowed

The players on the serving team must not arrange themselves on the court in such a way as to block the
view of the server or the ball, nor wave their hands or make other distracting movements.