Volleyball: The History of the Game

 

Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan in 1895. Then called mintonette, Morgan blended the elements of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball to come up with a game with a lesser physical contact than basketball but still requires athletic effort.

Below are the first rules of volleyball:
  • Net height: 6 feet, 6 inches
  • Court size: 25 x 50 feet
  • Nine "innings" per match, 3 serves per inning
  • Unlimited number of touches before passing to the opponent's court
  • No limit for the number of players in each team
In a game demonstration in 1896, an observer noticed the volleying nature of the the ball while in place and hence, mintonette was aptly called volleyball.

Here is the chronology of volleyball's long history:
  • 1895  William G. Morgan invented the mintonette
  • 1896  Mintonette is renamed volleyball
  • 1900  Net height is changed to 7ft, 6in and match length set to 21 points
  • 1908  Volleybal reaches Japan
  • 1910  The game is introduced to the Philippines and China
  • 1912  Court size is changed to 35 x 60 ft and the official ball size and weight established. The number of players is set at six and the process of rotation is introduced.
  • 1914  Volleyball is included in the recreation program for the American armed forces
  • 1915  Players on court becomes variable wherein 2 to 6 players may play for each team. Official game time is introduced.
  • 1916  New rules: 15 points to win a game; two out of three games to win a match; ball may be hit with the feet; net height rises to 8 ft; holding on to the ball is a foul; two consecutive touches is not allowed.
  • 1917  Volleyball is introduced to Italy
  • 1918  The number of players per team is reset to six
  • 1920  Court size goes down to 30 x 60 ft. Three touches only rule is set. The set and spike attack is developed in the Philippines and hence blocking is also invented.
  • 1922  Players in the back line are prohibited from spiking. A deuce is introduced when the score reaches 14-14.
  • 1923  Revised rules: 6 players per team; 12 official substitutes; each player to have a numbered jersey; a serving team must rotate clockwise; minimum ceiling height is 15 ft
  • 1925  Two time-outs per game implemented. Volleyball is played for the first time in the Netherlands.
  • 1926  A team reduced to less than 6 players forfeits the match
  • 1928  The US Volleyball Association is founded
  • 1932  Time-outs are limited to one minute
  • 1935  New rules: crosses are to be marked on the floor to determine player position; touching the net is considered a foul
  • 1937  Multiple ball contacts were permitted in defense against violent spikes
  • 1938  The Czechs perfected blocking. Blocking is officially introduced into the game's rules
  • 1940  William G. Morgan dies at the age of 68
  • 1942  The ball can be played by any part of the body from the knees up
  • 1947  FIVB is founded in Paris. The court size set to 9 x 18 m and the net height at 2.43 m for men and 2.24 for women.
  • 1948  New rules: service is limited to the right third of the back boundary; each player has to be in the right place during service; points scored by a wrong server is nullified; regular time-out lasts one minute; injury time-out lasts 5 minutes; 3 minutes rest time between sets
  • 1949  First men's world championships held in Prague and won by USSR. The setter is allowed to penetrate from the back line allowing for a three-player attack.
  • 1951  FIVB allowed a blocker's hand to invade at the net during blocking; a back-line player can spike provided he remains in his zone and does not move up the front line
  • 1952  First women's world championship held in Moscow and won by the USSR
  • 1953  FIVB defines referee action and terminology. The Chinese Federation is born.
  • 1954  The Asian Confederation is founded in Manila
  • 1959  FIVB forbids screening during service
  • 1964  Blockers are permitted a second hit. First Olympic volleyball tournament held in Tokyo.
  • 1968  The use of antennas is introduced
  • 1998  Rally point system of 25 points for each of the first four sets and a 15 point fifth tie break set is introduced. The libero is also allowed.

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