Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams, usually of six players each, try to score by sending a ball over a net and landing it on the opponent’s court.

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams, usually of six players each, try to score by sending a ball over a net and landing it on the opponent’s court. The modern game was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and it became an Olympic sport in 1964. In Canada, volleyball is played widely at school, club, university, and recreational levels.

History

Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was designed as a less physically demanding indoor game than basketball and was first known as “mintonette.”

Rules and gameplay

In standard volleyball, two teams on opposite sides of a net try to ground the ball on the other side or force an opponent’s error. Teams generally may touch the ball three times before sending it back across the net.

International competition

The sport’s international growth was formalized with the creation of the FIVB in 1947. Volleyball entered the Summer Olympics in 1964, and beach volleyball joined the Olympic program in 1996.

Variants

Volleyball has several variants, including beach volleyball and sitting volleyball. These adaptations have helped the sport spread across different settings, abilities, and competition formats.