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Volleyball (Olympic sport since 1964)
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History |
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Equipment |
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Glossary |
Volleyball, like basketball, is a sport whose origin is known almost to the day. Oddly enough, both sports were invented at the same college and within a few years of one another. Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a student at Springfield College and a director of the YMCA at Holyoke, Massachusetts. The game was originally called "Mintonette".
Volleyball quickly spread around the world and became more popular in other countries than in the United States. The F¨¦d¨¦ration Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) was formed in 1946. The sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1964 by the Japanese, although it was never contested as a demonstration sport at the Olympics. No country has been truly dominant in volleyball, although the Soviet Union has won the most medals. Originally the Japanese had the world's best women players while the United States had the best men's team in the world throughout the 1980s.
Volleyball has now reached great heights of popularity in the United States and Brazil, largely thanks to the discipline of beach volleyball.
The beach volleyball phenomenon, although hugely visible, is still just in its infancy. From the first FIVB World Tour event just over ten years ago, to the overwhelming spectator and television success of 'Beach' at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, beach volleyball has opened up Volleyball to a completely new market
History
About
Prior to Sydney 2000, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) introduced a new specialist role: the libero. This player wears a different coloured uniform from the rest of the team and can be substituted in backcourt for any player on the team. The libero cannot serve, spike the ball over the net or rotate into the front-line positions, but plays a vital role for the team in serve reception and backcourt defence. There must be at least one point played between a libero substituting off for a player and going back on the court for another player - hence he/she cannot be on the court for the whole game. The libero added an extra dimension to backcourt defence during the Sydney 2000 Games, improving the reception of teams, lengthening the rallies and giving a vital role to shorter players.
Competition
Matches are played best of five sets. The first four sets are played to 25 points, with the final set being played to 15 points. A team must win a set by two points. There is no
ceiling, so a set continues until one of the teams gains a two-point advantage. Previously, all sets were to 15 points, with the first four sets having a ceiling of 17 and the final set
requiring at least a two-point winning advantage.
Sydney 2000
There was a men's and women's volleyball event and a men's and women's beach volleyball event.
In volleyball, 12 men's teams of 12 players and 12 women's teams of 11 players competed. In beach volleyball, 24 men's and 24 women's pairs competed.
Athens 2004
Volleyball at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games will feature the same competitions as Sydney 2000 (men's and women's volleyball and beach volleyball), with the same number of teams participating (12 men's and 12 women's volleyball teams with 24 men's and 24 women's teams for beach volleyball).
The only significant difference in formats will be that volleyball will be played in one venue with 3 sessions per day. It is currently proposed that beach volleyball will be played over 12 days (instead on 11) including one rest day, with two sessions per day. It is also proposed to run evening sessions under lights.
List of events
-- volleyball Men
-- volleyball Women
Equipment Ball
Net
Shoes
Glossary
Ace: A serve that lands in the opponent's court without being touched.
Attack: An attempt by a player to win a point by hitting the ball over the net.
Attack line: A line three metres from the net which marks the limit for where a back-row player may advance to hit a ball from above the net.
Back-row player: Any of three players positioned at the back of the court.
Block: To block an opposing player from spiking the ball by jumping at the net with arms in the air.
Centre line: The imaginary line running directly under the net and dividing the court in half.
Chuck: To push or throw the ball rather than hit it (slang).
Crossing space: The zone above the net and between two antennae through which the ball must pass during a rally.
Dig: A defensive move in which both arms are placed together in an attempt to bounce a hard-hit ball up into the air.
End line: A back boundary line of the court.
Facial: A boom or spike that hits an opponent in the face (slang).
Fault: A foul or error which results in the loss of the rally.
Front zone: The area between the net and the attack line.
Front-row player: Any of three players positioned closest to the net.
Heater: A hard-hit or spiked ball (slang).
Hit: To touch the ball as an offensive player, one of three "hits" allowed a team in getting the ball back over the net.
Hold: To let the ball settle into the hands briefly on a shot instead of releasing it immediately.
Kill: To smash the ball overarm into the opponent's court; also called a "spike".
Kong: A one-handed block, named after King Kong's style of swatting biplanes in the original King Kong movie (slang).
Libero: A substitute defensive player especially adept at digging.
Lip: A good dig (slang).
Match: A series of sets to determine a winner.
Mintonette: The original name for volleyball.
Missile: A spike or serve hit out of bounds (slang).
Rally: The exchange of plays that decides each point.
Rotate: To move to the next position on the floor in a clockwise manner.
Screen: To impede the opponent's view of the ball during the serve.
Serve: The stroke used to put the ball in play at the start of each rally.
Set: 1. The part of a match completed when one side has scored enough points to win a single contest. 2. To position the ball so a team-mate can attack.
Setter: A player who excels in setting up team-mates to attack.
Sideline: A side boundary line on a court.
Sideline: A side boundary line on a court.
Spade: An ace (slang).
Spike: To smash the ball overarm into the opponent's court; also called a "kill".
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