The History of Volleyball
In this article, you will learn about the history of Volleyball, its origin, who created volleyball, where it originated, the historical development of the volleyball rules, volleyball participation in the Olympic Games and about Beach volleyball.
History of Volleyball Game
The Origin Of Volleyball
Where did Volleyball come from and who created it?
The history of Volleyball began in Massachusetts in the United States in 1895, its creator was Physical Education teacher William G. Morgan. The original name of the sport was “Mintonette”, but it was soon named Volleyball.
At first, Volleyball was a sport practiced only in the United States, but soon spread around the world, became an Olympic sport and one of the most popular and practiced sports in the world.
The Net in Volleyball History
William Morgan was inspired by tennis to come up with the idea of a sport with a net, but a net that would be higher than the one used in Tennis.
The History of The Ball
The ball used to play volleyball needed to be something larger than a tennis ball, but lighter than a basketball. A lightweight leather ball was then created that could easily be played over the net.
Changes In Rules and the International Growth of Volleyball
The game of Volleyball experienced a wide variety of rule changes over the early years. In many parts of the world, different rules were used before the normalization and standardization of Volleyball rules.
Number of Players
In 1912 the number of players in a Volleyball team was set at six, same as today. The system of rotation of the player on service was also implemented at the same time.
Volleyball Comes to Europe
In 1915 Volleyball arrives at the French beaches through the American soldiers who were fighting in the First World War. Volleyball’s popularity has grown rapidly. Volleyball has expanded especially to Eastern Europe, where indoor games are popular due to the very cold weather.
The Scoring System
In 1916 the scoring system changed to a form that resembles the one we use today. The final score changed from 21 to 15 points and the Sets were introduced. The winner was determined in a best of three, which means that two sets were needed to win a match.
Still in 1916, consecutive contacts by each player were limited to one touch.
It has also been established that a player commits a foul by holding or driving the ball.
Playing With the Feet
It was also allowed to play with feet (which is very interesting because FIVB – International Volleyball Federation – allowed again in the recent rule changes in 1995.)
Rules of Number of Contacts and Block
In 1920 there was a big change in the Volleyball rules, was established the maximum number of three contacts per team. The first blocking attempts occurred even before they were identified and recognized by the rules.
WHEN VOLLEYBALL BECAME AN OLYMPIC SPORT
Indoor volleyball became an official Olympic sport in Tokyo 1964, the same year that international volleyball rules were standardized in 1964.
Beach Volleyball History
There are some reports of men playing volleyball on the beach in Hawaii as early as 1915, whilevolleyball on the beach actually began in Santa Monica, California/USA in the 1920s. It was there then that the first volleyball courts were placed on the beach for recreational practice of the regulars.
Beach Volleyball in World War II
During World War II, many American naval bases had beach volleyball courts and this helped spread volleyball around the world.
First Beach Volleyball competitions
The first men’s doubles beach volleyball tournament was held in Santa Monica, California, in 1948.
Beach volleyball at the Olympics
Beach Volleyball won Olympic sports status at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996,with emphasis on Brazilian doubles.
“In 2001, the IOC awarded Beach Volleyball the status of permanent Olympic sport.”