VOLLEYBALL

HISTORY
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
COURT DIMENSION
SKILLS
HAND SIGNALS
ACTUAL PLAY
 HISTORY
• Originally called “mintonette”
• Invented in 1895 by William G.
Morgan
• Designed the game to be a
combination of basketball, baseball,
tennis and handball
• The Ball
After testing many colours, the FIVB introduced
a ball with yellow, blue and white panels at the
World Championships in Japan in 1998. It replaced
the traditional all-white ball.
• The Rally Point System
In 1998 the FIVB also tried some different
scoring systems. At its World Congress in
October 1998, the FIVB ratified the "rally point
system." Every rally would now earn a point. The
first four sets are played to 25, but the winning
team must be ahead by at least two points. The
fifth set is played to 15 – and again the winner
must have a two-point margin. The system was
designed to make the scoring system easier to
follow and games faster and more exciting.
 COURT DIMENSION
• The game is played on a volleyball court 18
meters (59 ft) long and 9 meters (29.5 ft) wide
• Divided into two 9m x 9m halves
 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
• Service
A serve begins each rally. A player must hit
the ball with his or her hand over the net to land
inside the lines of the court.
Players may serve underarm or overarm
(hardly anyone at elite level would offer an
underarm serve). A popular serve is the "jump"
or "spike" serve: the player jumps and serves
the ball while airborne.
• Dig
The "dig" is a forearm pass that is used to
control the ball and pass it to the setter at the
net. It is usually the first contact by the team
and an effective shot to use in defence, such as
when receiving a spike. The "libero" handles
much of the team's serve reception and is
pivotal in backcourt defence.
• Set
The "set" is an overhead pass used to change
the direction of the dig and put the ball in a
good position for the spiker.
• Spike
The "spike" is when the ball is hit or smashed
across the net. It is the most powerful shot in
volleyball – and the most effective way to win a
rally.
• Block

This is the first line of defence in Volleyball. The

objective of the "block" is to stop the spiked ball
from crossing the net or to channel the spike to
defenders. The three front-court players share
blocking. Teams usually opt for a "read and react"
block (whereby they try to react to the ball leaving
the setter's hands) or for a "commit" block
(whereby they decide before the point whether to
jump on the quick middle balls).
• The Libero
The libero must wear a jersey with a different
colour or design than those of other team
members.
• Rotation
Each of the six players on an indoor team
rotates a position after winning back service
from the opponent. This is the key to the tactics
of indoor Volleyball – you cannot simply keep
your best blockers and spikers at the net or your
best defenders in backcourt.
• After serving from position one, players rotate
to position six (middle back), then position five
(left back), position four (left front), position
three (middle front) and position two (right
front) before returning to serve.
• A team must be in correct rotation order
before the serve is put into play. Once the ball
is served, the players can move positions but
backcourt players cannot move to the net to
block or spike. They must make all attacking
actions from behind the attack line (hence the
advent of the backcourt attack to have great
spikers participating in all six rotations). The
rotation rule explains why a setter often
appears to be "hiding" behind his or her
players before a point. The setter must be in
proper rotation order before sprinting to the
net or a point is given to the opposition.
• Attacker
A volleyball attacker is also called a hitter or
spiker. An attacker is a player who attempts to
hit a ball towards the opponents court with the
purpose of finishing the volley and scoring a
point for his/her team.
• Attack Hit
An attack is any ball that is sent over the net
to the opponent. An attack is an offensive action
of hitting the ball, attempting to terminate the
play by hitting the ball to the floor on the
opponent's side or off the opponent's blockers.
• Back Row Attack Hit
A back row attack is when a back row player
attacks the ball by jumping from beyond the
attack line. If the back row player steps on or in
front of attack line during take-off and the ball is
contacted when the ball is completely above the
height of the net, the attack is illegal as soon as it
is completely crosses the net or is contacted by
the opponent.
• Spike
Hitting the ball at a strong downward angle
into the opponents court is called a spike.
• Hard-driven Spike
A hard-driven spike is a hard hit ball that
travels forcefully down towards the opponents
court.
• Off-speed Spike
An off-speed spike is a controlled spike ball
placed in an open area of the court.
• Standing Spike
A standing spike is attacking a ball from a
standing position. A standing spike is also
referred to as a down ball.
• Open Hand Tip
Open hand tipping is directing the ball with
the fingers when attacking.
 SKILLS
1. PASSING
2. SETTING
3. SPIKING
4. BLOCKING
5. DIGGING
6. SERVING
 PASSING
1. Underhand Pass
When the ball flies over the net to your side
of the court, your team’s first pass is typically an
underhand pass. This pass may set up a front
row player for a kill, but more likely you’ll try to
direct your pass to the setter. Ideally, you’ll hit
the ball high enough that your setter can play
the ball while it’s over her head
2. Overhead Pass
Setters typically use an overhead pass to
position your best attacker for a kill. The setter
often passes to a spot, rather than directly to
the attacker. The set must be high enough to
give her teammate time to drive to the net and
gain momentum that she’ll unleash into her
spike.
 SETTING
1. A. A back row set aimed at the left side
quarter of the court
2. B. A back row set aimed to the left side
middle quarter of the court
3. Back-Two: A ball set relatively high and to the
middle or to the right side hitter, directly
behind the setter
 SPIKING
• 1. Hard-Driven Spike
  A lot of volleyball attackers choose to carry
out the so called “hard-driven” spike. The
attacker needs to hit a ball forcefully and should
aim to land it on the opponent’s side of the
court. Now, we would like to give a few tips to
help volleyball attackers with this type of spike.
2. Off-speed Spike
The “off-speed” spike is also known as the
“roll shot” in volleyball sport. When carrying out
this type of an attack hit, a volleyball player
should aim to land the ball in the open area of
the court. That’s the reason why volleyball
players also call “off-speed” spike as a controlled
spike
3. Standing Spike
Oftentimes, volleyball players need to carry out
an attack hit from a standing position. That means
that an attacker doesn’t have to jump to carry out
an attack hit. For this reason, such an attack hit is
called as the “standing” spike. The “standing”
spike is also known as the “down ball”. When
carrying out this type of an attack hit, an attacker
should aim to land the ball on the opponent’s
court. Now, we would like to give you a few tips to
help you succeed with the “standing” spike
 BLOCKING
1. Single blocking
While not the most effective type of blocking,
a single block allows the back row to dig or pass
more easily and prevents a free kill. When you’re
playing against tough competition, your team
may be scattered and scrambling and this may be
the only kind of blocking you can do on many
plays. When your opposition is running multiple
hitters on approach, you may have to divide and
each be ready to single block if necessary.
2. Double blocking:
Two blockers focus attention on the
opposition’s hitter to deflect an attacked ball at
the net. Whoever the player is closest to being
in front of the attacker becomes the primary
blocker. The teammate next to them needs to
come in and assist by lining up as closely as
possible to create a wall.
3. Triple blocking
With more hands available to deflect the ball
and deter the play, triple blocking is the most
effective type. All three front row players jump
in unison to create this triple block. This really
becomes the goal when you’re facing a
dominant hitter that you need to shut down. If
you can mount a solid wall, the hitter will be
forced to play around or over it which will give
your back row a much easier ball to defend.
•  This is usually going to happen near the
middle of the net because your middle blocker
will need to be your primary blocker. They will
line up and each of the outside hitters will
close the gap on each side.
 DIGGING
1. A traditional volleyball dig.
Try your best to approach to a ball early and get your
hips as well as forearms under the ball in advance.
Your goal is to dig a ball between knees and
shoulders. If you manage to do this you’ll certainly
find it easy to direct a ball to one of your teammates
after doing a volleyball dig. Keep in mind that getting
to a fast-approaching ball is no easy task. That’s why
you need to watch the opposing team’s attacker
closely and position yourself properly ahead time.
2. A dive
Sometimes, diggers find it hard to approach to the
ball on their feet. In this case, it makes a lot of sense
for you to take advantage of diving. Obviously, this
will help you get to a ball much faster and do a
volleyball dig successfully. The question is – how to
get ready for a dive? Your body must be extended
forward and your knees must be bent. Plus, you need
to get low to the ground. In addition, you should try
to keep your arms parallel to the floor. It’s also very
important for a digger to keep his/her chin up during
a dive. By doing so, a volleyball player will be able to
reduce the risk of getting injured dramatically.
3. An overhand volleyball dig
When doing an overhand volleyball dig you
should contact a ball with your fingers. This will
give you more control over the ball. Don’t allow
a ball to hit you! If a ball hits you, you may get
your fingers injured. In order to prevent injuries
from happening, diggers are recommended to
attack the ball during an overhand volleyball dig.
Plus, if you contact a ball with your fingers you’ll
probably find it easier to direct it to a setter.
After that, a setter will pass a ball to a hitter.
 SERVING
1. Underhand Serve
This serve is used mainly in recreational
volleyball. It does not require the level of skill or
coordination that the other types of serves do.
With one foot stepped back, you hold the ball in
your opposite hand. Then with your other hand
fisted, shift your weight forward and hit the ball
just below the center (or equator) of the ball.
2. Overhand Serves

In high school and college competitive volleyball, the

overhand serves are most common, and the two main
overhand, or overhead, serves are the topspin and the float.

For all overhand serves, you start with your dominant-side

foot back and the ball held extended in your non-dominant
hand. Then you toss the ball up in front of you hitting hand.
How you hit it depends on the type of overhand serve you
want to create. The biggest difference between the types of
overhand serves is the server's body position, where contact
is made on the ball, and the follow-through.
3. Floater
A float serve or a floater is a serve that does not
spin. It is called a floater because it moves in
unpredictable ways, making it difficult to pass. A float
serve catches the air and can move unexpectedly to
the right or the left or it can drop suddenly.

To hit a floater, you make contact in front of your

body with your hand hitting behind the middle of the
ball. The arm follows through but only partway. By
hitting directly behind the ball, you ensure there's no
spin.
4. Topspin
A topspin serve does exactly that—spins rapidly
forward from the top. This serve has a much more
predictable movement than a floater, but can be difficult
to handle because of its quick speed and difficult to pass
because it drops rapidly.

To serve a topspin, you toss the ball a little higher, step

under the toss, and strike the ball underneath, toward
the top of the back in a down and outward motion. The
arm follows all the way through with a wrist snap.
5. Jump Serve
The jump serve is more advanced and utilizes
an even higher toss that should be several feet
in front of the server. You uses more of an attack
approach, jumping and striking the ball with the
heel of your hand while you're in the air. With
this serve, your wrist remains stiff, then you hold
(stop) your palm in position facing the target.
HAND SIGNALS
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