Volleyball began as basketball for tired businessmen
In 1895 YMCA director William G. Morgan invented "mintonette" in Holyoke, Massachusetts, so middle-aged clients could play without basketball's strain. An observer renamed it for its volleys. Olympic indoor play arrived in 1964; beach volleyball followed in 1996.
Volleyball fields two teams of six divided by a net, each trying to ground the ball on the other court. A rally starts with a serve from behind the end line; a side may use up to three touches, never two in a row by the same player, typically pass-set-spike. Common faults include grounding out of bounds, double hits, four team contacts, net touches, and foot faults. Hands and arms dominate, but any body part may legally contact the ball.
Morgan, once a student of basketball inventor James Naismith, wrote first rules with a 6-foot-6 net, a 25-by-50-foot court, any number of players, nine innings of three serves, and unlimited team contacts. Alfred Halstead coined volleyball—first two words—at an 1896 Springfield College exhibition. The game spread through YMCAs; Canada adopted it in 1900. American Expeditionary Forces issued about sixteen thousand balls in 1919, seeding Europe and beyond.
Skills evolved: Philippine play showcased set and spike by 1916; a three-hit rule and back-row attack limits arrived around 1920; scoring shifted from twenty-one to fifteen points in 1917. The FIVB formed in 1947; world championships began in 1949 for men and 1952 for women. Beach volleyball, likely born on Waikiki in 1915 as two-a-side sand play, gained FIVB backing in 1987 and Olympic status at Atlanta 1996. Sitting volleyball is the Paralympic form.
A modern court measures 9 by 18 metres with men's net height 2.43 metres and women's 2.24, plus a three-metre attack line. Matches are usually best of five and last about ninety minutes. From Holyoke gyms to global finals, the softer alternative to basketball became a vertical jumping sport of its own.
Source: Volleyball
