Volleyball Unit

Mintonette Anyone...?

William G. Morgan (1870-1942), who was born in New York, has gone down in history as the inventor of the game of Volleyball, to which he originally gave the name "Mintonette".  Morgan carried out his undergraduate studies at the Springfield College of the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) where he met James Naismith who, in 1891, invented basketball.  After graduating, Morgan spent his first year at the Auburn (Maine) YMCA after which, during the summer of 1895, he moved to the YMCA at Holyoke (Massachusetts) where he became Director of Physical Education.  In this role he had the opportunity to establish, develop and direct a variety of exercises and sport classes for male adults.  To add some competitiveness to his classes he decided to develop a new game that young and old could play.  Basketball, a sport that was beginning to develop, seemed to suit young people, but it was necessary to find a less intense alternative for the older members.


At that time Morgan knew of no similar game to Volleyball that could guide him; he developed it from his own sports training methods and his practical experience in the YMCA gymnasium.  Describing his first experiments he said, "In search of an appropriate game, tennis occurred to me, but this required rackets, balls, a net and other equipment, so it was eliminated, but the idea of a net seemed a good one.  We raised it to a height of about 6 feet, 6 inches from the ground, just above the head of an average man.  We needed a ball and among those we tried was a basketball bladder, but this was too light and too slow.  We therefore tried the basketball itself, which was too big and too heavy."  In the end, Morgan asked the firm of A.G. Spalding & Bros. to make a ball, the result was satisfactory: the ball was leather-covered, with a rubber inner tube, its circumference was not less than 25 and not more than 27 inches and its weight not less than 9 and not more than 12 ounces.  Morgan asked two of his friends from Holyoke, Dr. Frank Wood and John Lynch, to draw up (based on his suggestions) the basic concepts of the game together with the first 10 rules.

Early in 1896 a conference was organized at the YMCA College in Springfield, bringing together all the YMCA Directors of Physical Education.  Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, director of the professional physical education training school invited Morgan to make a demonstration of his game in the new college stadium.  Morgan took two teams, each made up of five men to Springfield, where the demonstration was made before the conference delegates in the east gymnasium.  Morgan explained that the new game was designed for gymnasia or exercise halls, but could also be played in open air.  An unlimited number of players could participate, the object of the game being to keep the ball in movement over a high net, from one side to the other.

After seeing the demonstration, and hearing the explanation of Morgan, Professor Alfred T. Halstead called attention to the action, or the act phase, of the ball's flight, and proposed the name "Mintonette" be replaced by "Volley Ball."  Morgan explained the rules and worked on them, then gave a hand-written copy to the conference of YMCA directors of physical education, as a guide for the use and development of the game.  A committee was appointed to study the rules and produce suggestions for the game's promotion and teaching.  A brief report on the new game and its rules was published in the July 1896 edition of "Physical Education" and the rules were included in the 1897 edition of the first official handbook of the North American YMCA Athletic League.

The following Websites have useful information you may want to look at:


Paralympic Volleyball & Court Diagram

The Dutch Sports Committee first introduced sitting volleyball for locomotor-disabled individuals in 1956.  International competition began in 1967, but it would be 1978 before the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) sanctioned the sport and sponsored an official international tournament in 1979 at Haarlem, Netherlands.

The game is played on a smaller 10 x 6 meter court and with a 0.8 meter-wide net set to a height of 1.15 meters for men and 1.05 meters for women.  When hitting or attacking the ball, the player must have one "buttock" or an extension of the torso still in contact with the floor.  Traditionally the sport has been played not only by amputees and people with polio, but people who have orthopedic problems in their knees or ankles.  Often able-bodied players are on the club teams.  Because of the game's quick pace, the use of your hands to move and play the ball, good balance and a sturdy bottom are a necessity.  Consequently, it is not the ideal sport for most paraplegics.
Men's sitting volleyball was introduced to the Paralympic Games in 1980 and has grown to be one of the more popular Paralympic sports due to the fast and exciting action. Women's sitting volleyball was added to the program for the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece.  The international governing body for the sport is The World Organization Volleyball for Disabled (WOVD).  Dutchman Pieter Joon founded the WOVD in 1980 in the Netherlands.


Below is the 2008 Beijing China Women's Paralympic Semi-Final Medal Match between Netherlands Vs. USA.  The skill, technique and athleticism of these players despite their disability is not only awe-inspiring but serves as an example that no challenge is too great.  When there is a will there is a way!


Paralympic Volleyball Court ( Aerial View )


2008 Beijing China Gold Medal USA Women's Paralympic Sitting Team


Beach Volleyball & Court Diagram


The first recorded beach volleyball games took place on the beaches of Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Outrigger Canoe Club in the early 1900’s.  Originally designed to give bored surfers something to do when the surf was down, the game quickly developed into more organized six-man matches.  Most of these early beach volleyball matches were played with teams of at least six players per side, much like indoor volleyball.  The concept of the modern two-man beach volleyball game, however, is credited to Paul "Pablo" Johnson, an indoor player.  In the summer of 1930, while waiting for players to show up for a six-man game, Johnson decided to try playing with only the four people present—the game was forever changed.  Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played on sand.  Like other variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team's court.  Competitive beach volleyball teams usually consist of two players, though recreational variations can contain up to six players.


Beach Volleyball is an exciting game to watch!  The video below is a great example of the game and how teamwork can make even an underdog win Gold in the 2000 Sydney Australia Olympics!  Watch and be inspired by their desire, determination, heart, belief in themselves and how playing like a Champion even if no one else thought they could do it, did it!


2000 Sydney Australia Olympic Men's Beach Volleyball




2000 Sydney Australia Olympic Gold Medal Men's Beach Volleyball Team USA
An Interview with Dain Blanton & Eric Fonoimoana




Beach Volleyball Court ( Aerial View )


2008 Beijing China Olympic Beach Volleyball


Indoor Volleyball & Court Diagram


Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net.  Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.

Play proceeds as follows: 
A player on one of the teams begins a 'rally' by serving the ball (tossing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm), from behind the back boundary line of the court, over the net, and into the receiving team's court.  The ball is usually played with the hands or arms, but players can legally strike or push (short contact) the ball with any part of the body.  The receiving team must not let the ball be grounded within their court.  They may touch the ball as many as three times.  Typically, the first two touches are to set up for an attack, an attempt to direct the ball back over the net in such a way that the serving team is unable to prevent it from being grounded in their court.

The rally continues, with each team allowed as many as three consecutive touches, until either 
(1): a team makes a kill, grounding the ball on the opponent's court and winning the rally; or 
(2): a team commits a fault and loses the rally. The team that wins the rally is awarded a point, and serves the ball to start the next rally. 

A few of the most common faults include:
-Causing the ball to touch the ground outside the opponents' court or without first passing over the net
-catching and throwing the ball
-double hit:  two consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same player
-four consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same team
-net foul: touching the net during play


Below is a great highlight reel of the World's Best Volleyball players using Volleyballs 6 basic skills, Serve, Set, Bump/Pass, Attack, Spike and Dig.  Watch how they are able to use Teamwork to achieve more together.


Highlights of the 2008 Beijing China Men's Olympic Volleyball Matches



Indoor Volleyball Court ( Server View )


Indoor Volleyball Court ( Aerial View )





2008 Beijing China Gold Medal USA Women's Volleyball Team


Volleyball Skills

The following Videos are meant to help you visualize and understand the different skills in Volleyball.  As you watch each Video take a minute to analyze and write down the important components to each skill, we will discuss each in class.


**Click on each Video Title below to see a Volleyball Skill Poster from USA Volleyball.

Volleyball Serve: Underhand, Overhand & Jump


Volleyball Set


Volleyball Bump or Pass


Volleyball Block


Volleyball Spike


Historical Timeline of Volleyball & USA Volleyball


1895   William G. Morgan, an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association
(YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts, decided to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball to create a game for his classes of businessmen that would demand less physical contact than basketball. He created the game of Volleyball (at that time called Mintonette). Morgan borrowed the net from tennis, and raised it 6 feet 6 inches above the floor, just above the average man's head. During a demonstration game, someone remarked to Morgan that the players seemed to be volleying the ball back and forth over the net, and perhaps "volleyball" would be a more descriptive name for the sport. On July 7, 1896 at Springfield College the first game of "volleyball" was played.

1900   A specific ball was designed for the sport.

1916   In the Philippines, an offensive style of passing the ball in a high trajectory to be struck by another player (the set and spike) was introduced.

1917   The game was changed from 21 to 15 points.

1918   Six-a-side play became standard.

1920   The rules mandating three hits per side and back-row attacks were instituted.

1920   Three hits per side and back row attack rules were instituted.

1922   The first YMCA national championships were held in Brooklyn, NY. 27 teams from 11 states were represented.

1928   The United States Volleyball Association (USVBA, now USA Volleyball) was formed. The first U.S. Open was staged, as the field was open to non-YMCA squads.

1930   The first two-man beach game was played.

1934   The approval and recognition of national volleyball referees.

1937   At the AAU convention in Boston, action was taken to recognize the U.S. Volleyball Association as the official national governing body in the U.S.A.

1947   The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) was founded.

1948   The first two-man beach tournament was held.

1949   The first World Championships were held in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

1964   Volleyball was introduced to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

1965   The California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) was formed.

1974   The World Championships in Mexico were telecast throughout Japan.

1975   The US National Women's team began a year-round training regime in Pasadena, Texas (moved to Colorado Springs in 1979, Coto de Caza and Fountain Valley, CA in 1980, and San Diego, CA in 1985).

1977   The US National Men's team begins a year-round training regime in Dayton, Ohio (moved to San Diego, CA in 1981).

1983   The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was formed.

1984   The US won their first medals at the Olympics in Los Angeles. The Men won the Gold, and the Women the Silver.

1986   The Women's Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA) was formed.

1987   The FIVB added a Beach Volleyball World Championship Series.

1988   The US Men repeat the Gold in the Olympics in Korea.

1989   The FIVB Sports Aid Program was created.

1990   The World League was created.

1992   USA Men and Women Olympic Teams win Bronze medals.

1995   The sport of Volleyball was 100 years old!

1996   Two-person beach volleyball was added to the Olympics. USA Men win Gold and Silver medals in Olympic Beach Volleyball.

1997   USA Men and Women’s Team move to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO for year round training.

1998   Rally Scoring for all sets, and Libero position created. FIVB goes over 200 nations in membership. 

2000   USA win’s Olympic Beach Gold in Men’s competition, 4th for indoor women.

2004   USA wins Olympic Beach Gold and Bronze in women’s competition, 4th for indoor men USA Sitting Women’s Paralympic Team win Bronze medal.

2007   USA Women and Men win Beach World Championships.

2008   USA Men Win FIVB World League USA Wins Olympic Gold in Men’s indoor, Women and Men’s beach and Silver in Women’s indoor Paralympic Silver for Women’s Sitting Team.

2009   USA Men Qualify for World League Finals USA Women Win Beach World Championships, USA men Bronze medal.

Volleyball Vocabulary Words

These vocabulary words will help you understand Volleyball, its skills and rules and allow you to appreciate our unit more.

ACE - A serve that is not passable and results immediately in a point.

APPROACH - Fast stride toward the net by a Spiker before he/she jumps in the air.

ASSIST - Passing or setting the ball to a teammate who attacks the ball for a kill. This stat is normally only logged for high school, college, and National/Olympic team play.

ATTACK - The offensive action of hitting the ball. The attempt by one team to terminate the play by hitting the ball to the floor on the opponent's side.

ATTACK BLOCK - Receiving players' aggressive attempt to block a spiked ball before it crosses the net.

ATTACK ERROR - An unsuccessful attack that does one of the following: 
1.) The ball lands out of bounds, 
2.) The ball goes into the net and terminates play or goes into the net on the third hit, 
3.) The ball is blocked by the opposition for a point or sideout,
4.) the attacker is called for a centerline violation, or 
5.) The attacker is called for illegal contact (lift, double hit...) on the attack.

ATTACKER - Also "Hitter" or "Spiker." A player who attempts to hit a ball offensively with the purpose of terminating play in his or her team's favor.

ATTACK LINE - A line 3m from the net that separates the front row players from the back row players. Commonly referred to as the "10-foot line."

BACKCOURT - The area from the endline to the attack line.

BACK SET - A set delivered behind the setter’s back, which is subsequently hit by an attacker.

BLOCK - A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the hitter’s court. It may be a combination of one, two or three players jumping in front of the opposing Spiker and contacting the spiked ball with the hands.

BUMP - a common term for forearm passing.

BALL HANDLING ERROR - Any time the official calls a double hit, a thrown ball or a lift (except on a serve reception or attack). For our purposes, this category also includes any blocking errors (when an official calls a blocker for a violation such as going into the net, centerline violation, reaching over the net, etc.).

BUMP PASS - The use of joined forearms to pass or set a ball in an underhand manner.

CENTER LINE - The boundary that runs directly under the net and divides the court into two equal halves.

DIG - Passing a spiked or rapidly hit ball. Slang for the art of passing an attacked ball close to the floor.

DINK - A legal push of the ball around or over blockers.

DOUBLE BLOCK - Two players working in unison to deflect or block an attacked ball at the netback into the hitter’s side.

FOREARM PASS - Join your arms from the elbows to the wrists and strike the ball with the fleshy part of your forearms in an underhand motion.

FOUL - A violation of the rules.

HELD BALL - A ball that comes to rest during contact resulting in a foul.

HIT - To jump and strike the ball with an overhand, forceful shot.

JUMP SERVE - A serve that is started by the server tossing the ball into the air and jumping into and hitting the ball in its downward motion.

LINE - The marks that serve as boundaries of a court.

LET SERVE - A serve that contacts the net. If the ball dribbles over, it's playable just like any other ball that contacts the net on the way over. If the ball fails to clear the net, it will become dead when it either hits the serving team's court, or is contacted by a player on the serving team.

MINTONETTE - The original name of the game of volleyball, created by William Morgan.

OVERHAND PASS - A pass executed with both hands open, controlled by the fingers and thumbs, played just above the forehead.

OVERHAND SERVE - Serving the ball and striking it with the hand above the shoulder.

PASS - see "Forearm Pass"

READY POSITION - The flexed, yet comfortable, posture a player assumes before moving to contact the ball.

SERVE - One of the six basic skills; used to put the ball into play. It is the only skill controlled exclusively by one player.

SERVER - The player who puts the ball into play.

SERVICE ERROR - An unsuccessful serve in which one or more of the following occurs: 1) the ball hits the net or fails to clear the net, 2) the ball lands out of bounds, or 3) the server commits a foot fault.

SET - The tactical skill in which a ball is directed to a point where a player can spike it into the opponent's court.

SETTER - the player who has the 2nd of 3 contacts of the ball who "sets" the ball with an "Overhand Pass" for a teammate to hit. The setter normally runs the offense.

SIDE OUT - Occurs when the receiving team successfully puts the ball away against the serving team, or when the serving team commits an unforced error, and the receiving team thus gains the right to serve.

SPIKE - Also hit or attack. A ball contacted with force by a player on the offensive team who intends to terminate the ball on the opponent's floor or off the opponent's blocker.

UNDERHAND SERVE - a serve in which the ball is given a slight under-hand toss from about waist high and then struck with the opposite closed fist in an "underhand pitching" motion.



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