Bumping, Setting, Spiking, Oh My!
By Riley Benedik
Introduction
Callie Daniels was very confident when she walked into the gym for the post test about volleyball, but she didn’t know that part of the test was an oral assessment about the history of volleyball. “Well I already know that it was created in the US by William G. Morgan, the first olympics it was played in was in Tokyo, and that in 1998 the color ball was made…. so I should be good, right?” After tryout coach Stevens made a list of who needed to take the oral assessment again, and Callie was on that list. “Well what else is there to know? What actually is the history of volleyball?”
Where did it all Begin?
The first volleyball net was 6’6, and it is now 7’4, growing 10 inches. The name of the sport was originally called mintonette, and it changed during a demonstration of volleyball by Alfred S. Halsted, another gym coach. He changed it because he thought it would be a better fit because you are “volleying”, or passing the ball back and forth until it hits the floor, the “ball” back and forth. In 1900 the volleyball was made, changing from a basketball to the specific volleyball. In 1908, volleyball was introduced to Japan from the U.S, and in fact, a year later was introduced to Puerto Rico also by the U.S. Volleyball has evolved so much over the years, and we haven’t even covered half of it yet!
(Click on picture below to see caption)
This is how volleyball was played in the beginning years. http://dailydsports.com/volleyball/
How Did it Change in the Middle Years?
Now that you know about the starting years of volleyball, let's learn about the next years! First, in 1912, the court and ball size changed. According to the NVCA, a national volleyball club. The court became 35x60 feet and the ball became between 7-9 ounces. Years later, the first men beach volleyball game was played in Santa Monica, California. Four years later, official referees were approved for the game. After that, the first women’s championship was held in 1952. It was held in Moscow, Russia, and won by the Soviet Union. Finally in 1964, volleyball was made and confirmed an official olympic sport, and was played in the Tokyo Olympics. Now you know so much more about volleyball history, there's one more thing we need to know. What’s happening now?
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/09/05/the-1964-tokyo-olympics-a-turning-point-for-japan/
So What's Happening Now?
Now that we know about the beginning and middle years, your probably wondering, whats happening now? Not a lot has been happening in the recent years, but there is still some events that we should learn about.
First, in 1990, the official volleyball world league was created. Next, in 1998, there was a change of rules. They call it the “Rally point system”. The Rally point system is every set, was played to 25 points, and if there was a tie, they played another set up to 15 points. Also, in 1998, they made the color volleyball. According to NVCA, a national volleyball team, in 2001, beach volleyball was confirmed at a olympic sport. The first olympics it was played in was in Athens, Greece. Also in 2001, there was a rule change, where the ball is now allowed to touch net while crossing it on the serve. And finally, in 2002 the coaches are now allowed to give instructions on the court without delaying the match. Now, you are all caught up on the history of volleyball.
Conclusion
Now Callie knows so much about volleyball, she is eager to know more! She ended up passing the test, and in fact got an 100! The game of volleyball has evolved so much over the years, it’s very hard to believe that is was originally a creation of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball, it’s so different now. What’s going to happen next in volleyball? What’s now to come?
References
"History of Volleyball." NCVA. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
<http://ncva.com/info/general-info/history-of-volleyball/>
"The History Of Volleyball. Where Volleyball Started." The History Of Volleyball. Where Volleyball
Started. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.athleticscholarships.net/history-of-volleyball.htm>
Wwlp. "Learn about the History of Volleyball!" YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2013. Web. 16 Mar.
2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IveUpU_xE60>