HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball has come a long way from the dusty-old YMCA gymnasium of Holyoke,
Massachusetts, USA, where the visionary William G. Morgan invented the sport back in 1895. It
has seen the start of two centuries and the dawn of a new millennium. Volleyball is now one of
the big five international sports, and the FIVB, with its 220 affiliated national federations, is the
largest international sporting federation in the world.

Volleyball has witnessed unprecedented growth over the last two decades. With the great
success of world competitions such as the FIVB World Championships, the FIVB World
League, the FIVB World Grand Prix, the FIVB World Cup and the FIVB Grand Champions Cup
as well as the Olympic Games, the level of participation at all levels internationally continues to
grow exponentially.

The beach volleyball phenomenon also continues to amaze. The overwhelming spectator and
television success of beach volleyball since its introduction to the Olympic Games at Atlanta
1996 and the stunning success of the FIVB World Tour, the World Championships and the
Continental Cup has opened up volleyball to a completely new market.
 
The origins
William G. Morgan (1870-1942), who was born in the State of New York, has gone down in
history as the inventor of the game of volleyball, to which he originally gave the name
"Mintonette".

The young 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, had
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 vast programme of exercises and sport classes for male adults.

His leadership was enthusiastically accepted, and his classes grew in numbers. He came to
realise that he needed a certain type of competitive recreational game in order to vary his
programme. Basketball, a sport that was beginning to develop, seemed to suit young people, but
it was necessary to find a less violent and less intense alternative for the older members.

At that time Morgan knew of no similar game to volleyball which 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 (1.98
metres) 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, which they did at
their factory near Chicopee, in Massachusetts. 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 (63.5 cm and 68.6 cm, respectively), and its weight not less than 9 and not more than 12
ounces (252 gr and 336 gr, respectively).

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 (and also executive director of the
department of physical education of the International Committee of YMCA's) invited Morgan to
make a demonstration of his game in the new college stadium. Morgan took two teams, each
made up of five men (and some loyal fans) to Springfield, where the demonstration was made
before the conference delegates in the east gymnasium. The captain of one of the teams was J.J.
Curran and of the other John Lynch who were respectively, mayor and chief of the fire brigade
of Holyoke.

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 that the
name "Mintonette" be replaced by "Volley Ball." This name was accepted by Morgan and the
conference. (It is interesting to note that the same name has survived over the years, with one
slight alteration: in 1952, the Administrative Committee of the USVBA voted to spell the name
with one word, "Volleyball", but continued to use USVBA to signify United States Volleyball
Association).

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.
   
Worldwide Growth
The physical education directors of the YMCA, encouraged particularly by two professional
schools of physical education, Springfield college in Massachusetts and George Williams
College in Chicago (now at Downers Grove, Illinois), adopted volleyball in all its societies
throughout the United States, Canada (in 1900 Canada became the first foreign country to adopt
the game), and also in many other countries: Elwood S. Brown in the Philippines (1910), J.
Howard Crocker in China, Franklin H. Brown in Japan (1908), Dr. J.H. Gray in Burma, in China
and in India, and others in Mexico and South American, European and African countries.

By 1913 the development of volleyball on the Asian continent was assured as, in that year, the
game was included in the programme of the first Far-Eastern Games, organized in Manila. It
should be noted that, for a long time, Volleyball was played in Asia according to the "Brown"
rules which, among other things, used 16 players (to enable a greater participation in matches).

An indication of the growth of volleyball in the United States is given in an article published in
1916 in the Spalding Volleyball Guide and written by Robert C. Cubbon. In that article Cubbon
estimated that the number of players had reached a total of 200,000 people subdivided in the
following way: in the YMCA (boys, young men, and older men) 70,000, in the YWCA (girls
and women) 50,000, in schools (boys and girls) 25,000 and in colleges (young men) 10,000.

In 1916, the YMCA managed to induce the powerful National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) to publish its rules and a series of articles, contributing to the rapid growth of volleyball
among young college students. In 1918 the number of players per team was limited to six, and in
1922 the maximum number of authorized contacts with the ball was fixed at three.

Until the early 1930s volleyball was for the most part a game of leisure and recreation, and there
were only a few international activities and competitions. There were different rules of the game
in the various parts of the world; however, national championships were played in many
countries (for instance, in Eastern Europe where the level of play had reached a remarkable
standard).

Volleyball thus became more and more a competitive sport with high physical and technical
performance.

EQUIPMENTS OF VOLLEYBALL
The Ball
The standard volleyball is made of leather or synthetic leather, weighs between 9 and 10 ounces
and has a circumference of 25.6 to 26.4 inches. The ball has a rubber bladder and can be one
color or a combination of colors. Synthetic leather is lighter and is fine for beginner players.
Junior volleyballs for children 12 years old and younger weigh between 7 and 8 ounces.
The Net and Court
The outdoor volleyball court measures 18 x 9 m, surrounded by a free zone that is 2 meters wide
on all sides. The minimum playing space for U.S. volleyball competitions is 7 meters. The
volleyball net is 32 feet long by 3 feet wide. For women, the net should be 7 feet, 4 1/8 inches
high. For men, the net should be 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches high. U.S. regulation volleyball playing
surfaces must be flat and not present any hazards to the players.
Lines
The playing court is marked by two sidelines and two end lines. All lines must be 2 inches wide
and must be created with a light color that is easy to discern from the playing court. An attack
line should be placed three meters from the center line. The center line divides the court into two
9 x 9 meter courts.
Posts and Cables
The volleyball net structure is held together with metal cables and posts. Posts are placed 0.5 to
1.0 meter outside the sidelines and 2.55 meters high. Posts should be round, smooth and padded,
to prevent injury to the players should they dive or crash into them. Metal wires and cables may
need to be covered if it is determined that they present a danger to the players.
Antenna and Side Bands
Antenna are flexible rods that are 1.8 meters long made of fiberglass, fastened at the outer edge
of each side band. Side bands are two white bands attached vertically to the net and placed above
each sideline.
Knee pads
Knee pads should be sturdy enough to protect your knees from falls, slides and dives, but flexible
enough to allow you to bend comfortably. Your volleyball knee pads must be made of fabric that
breathes and manages moisture. Good quality pads have a gel or foam shock-absorbing material
that will cover and protect your patella. It is best to purchase your pads from a reliable sporting
goods store that will allow you to try them on. If you have difficulty finding the right fit, have
the store professional measure you and order custom-fit pads. Popular volleyball knee pad brands
include Asics, Mizuno, adidas, Nike and Mikasa.

Shoes
Arch and ankle support is key when choosing a volleyball shoe. Mizuno, Asics and Nike are just
a few of the popular brands of volleyball shoes, which are lightweight, allowing you to be faster
on your feet, as well as bearing good shock absorption on your toes. Volleyball shoes also
provide for better lateral movement than typical running or cross-training shoes.
Clothing and Jewelry
All clothing should be lightweight to allow maximum flexibility and breath-ability, as well as
made of a material that absorbs sweat and keeps skin dry. Spandex shorts are a good option, as
they are flexible, light and absorb odor. Socks, while not required, absorb sweat and prevent
blisters. Jewelry is not permitted in volleyball, with the exception of smooth wedding bands.
Glasses must be worn with a strap to keep them secure.