VolleyballThe sport of volleyball was created by a man named William G. Morgan of Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895. Morgan was a physical education teacher at the YMCA and called it “mintonette”.
It was an indoor or outdoor pastime that had characteristics of both handball and tennis. The first rules were written down by Morgan himself. He wrote that the game called for a 6 foot 6 inch net and a court of 25×50 feet. A match composed of 9 innings and 3 serves for each team in each inning.
In case of a serving error they got a second chance just like in tennis. If the ball it the net on a serve it was considered a foul and it caused a side out or a point was taken away. In 1896 after a demonstration at the YMCA in Springfield and the name “Mintonette” was replaced with the name “Volleyball”. In 1900 the rules were modified and the height of the net went up to 7 feet 6 inches.
Also a match length was set at 21 points. Also in 1900 Canada was the first foreign country to adopt the game of Volleyball. In 1906 the country of Cuba discovered volleyball thanks to Thanks to a North American army officer named Agusto York who took part in the second military intervention. In 1908 volleyball reached Japan. Hyozo Omori a graduate at Springfield college in the United States who was the first to demonstrate the rules of the game at the YMCA in Tokyo. In 1910 volleyball officially landed in China.
Between 1912 and now many of the rules changed and changed again. In 1924 it was demonstrated at the Olympics in Paris under the show of American sports. In 1938 the Chzechs perfected blocking and was officially introduced to the rules. In 1942 William G. Morgan the creator of volleyball died at the age of 68.
He felt no jealousy when the sport he created grew and developed. In 1945 the first volleyball postage stamp was released in Romania. In 1947 Egypt was the first Arab and African country to organize a national federation. In 1952 the first women’s world championship was held in Moscow and won by the USSR. In 1960 the first World Championship for men was held outside of Europe in Brazil. In 1965 the first world cup was held in Poland and was won by the USSR.
In 1973 the first women’s world cup was played in Uruguay and was won by the USSR. In 1976 at the Olympics in Montreal Poland won the Men’s division and Japan the women’s. In 1986 USA won the first men’s World Championships. China took the women’s Gold.
Beach Volleyball was also first recognized. In 1987 the first Beach volleyball world championship was played in Ipanema, Brazil. Ever since a lot of these events volleyball has grown in popularity and is now played world wide and both men’s and women’s clubs and organizations play at national and international tournaments. At this time in Southern California volleyball is as serious as the winter games in Finland. Both Boy’s and girls compete year round and the competition is fierce.
Not to far behind is the Northern California Volleyball association. The NCVA has put out many of the nations greatest. Many injuries that occur with volleyball run from Bruises to breaks. The most common are ankle or knee injuries since a lot of stop and go and jumping. Often muscles are pulled in the shoulders and back.
In volleyball injuries are all too common. Whether its landing wrong or player collision injuries and volleyball players go together like rain and water. Often you may see a girl with bruises all over her knees and elbows but its just from the game or practice she recently had. Volleyball may seem like a less exsausting sport compared to basketball but in Volleyball muscles are constantly stopping and going and movements are very prisice and sharp. A player has to be almost lightning fast and and in deep concentration.
Focus and playing smart are the keys to being a successful Volleyball player. Many of the most competitive players work out every day of the week to increase their vertical and hitting power. They also attend clinics and camps regularly and play for clubs. In this day and age every volleyball player wants to play at their maximum level. The normal equipment for the individual player is a pair of court shoes or special volleyball shoes, for women spandex shorts and men board or basketball type shorts, a T-shirt that is non-restricting, a pair of knee pads, and often some sort of brace for the prevention of injury or to protect an existing injury.
The equipment for a team consists of any number of balls, often a ball cart, a court with a net and any other skill-training device. The disabled also play volleyball at the Special Olympics. Many associate disabled sports with the Special Olympics. That worldwide program is the guiding organization for volleyball athletes with mental disabilities, but is only one of seven organizations recognized by the USOC in support of the disabled. Additional volleyball opportunities exist for the deaf, amputee, wheelchair, and other physically disabled athletes.
In October of 1998, U. S. House and Senate amended and renamed the Amateur Sports Act, to the current the. The new Olympic and Amateur Sports Act now fully incorporates Paralympics, clearly reflecting equal status for disabled athletes. It continues the original focus of the Act to integrate disabled sports with non-disabled National Governing Bodies (NGBs). Because some disabled sports are unique, it allows the USOC to recognize Paralympic sports organizations if integration does not serve their best interests, or if an NGB objects to integration.
Under the measure the USOC is officially recognized as the national Paralympic Committee. A 1994 US Census report showed that 21% of the population was disabled, a percentage certain to grow as the baby boomer population ages. In any case, USOC support, from grant giving to Olympic Training Center usage, will also grow. The recognition of disabled volleyball is a great way to publicize the game. If it is able to be played by the disabled, it becomes a welcoming activity.
This inclusion was mirrored in USA Volleyball, where they now have a Disabled Sport Division, led by Vice President Roger Neppl. In conjunction with the Disabled Sports Organizations, they will be working to get more athletes playing and strengthening the USA National Teams – Deaf, Sitting, Standing and other areas. To play volleyball for fun you don’t need to be really tall, muscular or any other qualities that serious players strive for. Volleyball is easy to play for fun. Volleyball is played both indoors and outdoors. Indoor volleyball is played on a court with six people.
Outdoor can be played with any number of people and on sand or grass and even mud. Volleyball is a fun game the whole family can play and portable nets can be bought almost anywhere. This sport is played in high school, college and at professional levels. Many Clubs have formed to teach young players both male and female to the best of their ability.
When it comes to digging you should not form your digging platform just before you make contact but already have it made. You should also dig with two-hand s and not just one and cushion the impact with not just your arms but with your legs also. Don’t run with your platform because it will slow you down. When you dig overhand keep your fingers firm during contact.
Before a game don’t over eat because it will make you sluggish. Now when in comes to hitting take the last two steps of your approach to the ball and never reach. Sometimes when the court isn’t open tip the ball or hit a roll shot short to take the defense off guard. When you block its not how high you get but it is how far over the net you get but you have to be careful not to net. Setting uses two hands with a quick release and often a jump set is the best to use.
When blocking don’t jump too early because the ball may drop in front of you and the net that will cause the ball to be difficult to get back to play. One of the most difficult skills to master is the jump serve. To be successful you need timing, strength and concentration. You must use the force of your entire body to hit like a pitcher because you can’t just use you arm of and injury can occur. Often you may need to throw the ball up with two hands so that it is more accurate.
Beginners should work on a two step approach similar to that of a spike. Many skills are obtained through years of practice and teaching. Starting the game young is the best way to achieve your best capabilities and skills. Volleyball is a sport for the quick and concentrated.
It often costs a lot of money to pay for clubs with the best coaches. In this day and age young players go to a personal trainer and clinics to clubs because volleyball is a very competitive sport and is often very political. Many faults include service faults. After the ball has been correctly hit, the service becomes a fault if the ball touches a player of the serving team, fails to pass through the crossing space, lands out or lands after a screen. The definition of an attack it is directing the ball toward the opponent except a serve or a block. The attack hit is completed after the ball crosses the plane of the net.
An illegal service leads to a side-out and change of service. Things that lead up to this call would be a violation of the service order or messes up the toss twice. There are many restrictions to a back row player. They cannot attack and put a foot in front of the ten foot line while hitting but can land in the ten foot zone. The Refing staff usually consists of two line refs.
An up Ref. And down Ref. are located at each ends of the net. Volleyball is truly one of the great All – American sports. It has grown and developed a lot since it was first made up and changes are still being made.
Volleyball has not hit such a great national level as it has in other countries and is not a sports gold mine like the NBA or NFL but maybe, hopefully one day it will be just as or more popular. From 1895 to now from Mintonette to the Olympics, volleyball has improved and has been almost perfected. Words/ Pages : 1,800 / 24
