Volleyball originated in the United States in 1895. The sport was created by William G. Morgan who was an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts (History of Volleyball 1). William wanted combine parts of basketball, tennis, baseball, and handball in order to make a game for his classes of businessmen which demanded less physical contact than basketball (History of Volleyball 1). The game of volleyball had begun soon after it was established. Although at the time it was called mintonette, volleyball got its name during a demonstration game where someone commented to Morgan that the players appeared to volley the ball back and forth over the net. This led to a more simple explanatory name for the sport. Volleyball had gotten very popular and on July 7, 1896 at Springfield College, the first game of volleyball was played (HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL 1).
For Morgan, the game could be played in the gymnasium or the exercise hall but could also be used outdoors. The game consisted of any number of players to keep the ball in motion from one side to the other over a net raised 6 feet 6 inches above the floor . The play would start by a player on one side serving the ball over the net into the opponents ' field or court. The opponents would then return the ball without hitting the floor and both sides would keep striking the ball back and forth until one side fails to return the ball or allows the ball to hit the floor.
Volleyball had reached Japan and Asia through the YMCA network by 1896 and a specially designed ball was made in 1900, the rules of the game were set in place in the next twenty years. In 1916, the Philippines created the "set" and "spike" and a six-a-side play was instituted and became the standard two years later (History of Volleyball, 1). The rules that mandated the three hits per side and back-row attacks were established by 1920. During the same time in the 1920's, the United States, Russia, and Japan had begun volleyball associations. It became even more popular when U.S. soldiers brought the game overseas during WWII and shortly afterward, France had also recognized the sport nationality (History of Volleyball, 1). In 1949, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had established the game a non-Olympic sport in 1949 and the first World Championships for men were also held during that same year at the time. Three years later, the women's first world -level competition came three years later. The Russians were the best in playing the sport until the mid-1980's with competition from Japan. The United States made their stance as the men's team won back-to-back gold medals in Los Angeles (1984) and Seoul (1988).
Volleyball has had a tremendous impact regarding sports. Today there are over 800 million people who play volleyball at least once a week and there are more than 46 million Americans who play volleyball in the United States. The game has always had a great importance in sports and will continue to be one of the most popular games in the world.
Works Cited
"History of Volleyball » NCVA." NCVA RSS2. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
"History of Volleyball - Volleyball.Com - Volleyball Timeline, Volleyball Origins, Volleyball Inventor, Equipment, Clothes, Shoes and Rules for Beach and Indoor." History of Volleyball - Volleyball.Com - Volleyball Timeline, Volleyball Origins, Volleyball Inventor, Equipment, Clothes, Shoes and Rules for Beach and Indoor. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
"Volleyball." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 May 2014.
"Athletic Association to Add Volleyball to Offerings." ABC Newspapers. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
"Remote Whiteboard." Remote Whiteboard. Ad01, 30 July 2012. Web. 14 May 2014.
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