A brief history of volleyball

Volleyball is a famous ball sport that is played on a court with a central net between two teams consisting of six players each. A ball is hit through the net and the objective is to score points against the opposing team by supporting the ball. Each team is only allowed three contacts with the ball before it is hit to the opposite side. The net is 6 feet 6 inches high. However, it can be lowered in case children play the game.

A YMCA physical instructor William Morgan created a game called Mintonette in 1895. It was for older YMCA members who needed a game of skill rather than strength. His friend James Naismith, who stood out in basketball history, came up with the idea of ​​having a net slightly above their heads without requiring many jumps.

The original name given to the game was Mintonette, it was given by Morgan and was chosen as a jiggle for Badminton and this game was influential in setting the rules for Volleyball. However, the name was not very catchy. A spectator at the time Alfred Halstead had observed that there were many volleys on the court and the name Volley Ball was shortly chosen. Later the name was contracted to Volleyball.

The YMCA Athletic League of North America published the first official rules for volleyball in 1897. It was quickly successful after the rules were published. In the same year, Spalding manufactured a ball that had a rubber inside a basketball, then it was redesigned so that its weight was adjusted to 8 and 10 ounces and the circumference was the 26-inch size. The game quickly spread throughout the United States and was played in Cuba in 1905, Japan in 1908, and the Philippines in 1910.

The rules of the game were adjusted in 1900 to eliminate the entries defined by Morgan. The rules of the game were changed once again in 1912 to face the realities of the game as players became younger and more energetic. The size of the court was increased and the number of players was set at just 6 per team.

The National Collegiate Athletics Association joined the YMCA in 1916 and in 1920, volleyball was established as a college but not a professional game. When the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) was formed, the YMCA and NCAA accepted it as their new umbrella organization.

While volleyball was a popular game, it struggled to develop a league of teams. In 1930, the first beach game was played and in 1934 the umpires who would judge the championship and intercollegiate games were recognized. The USVBA was finally recognized by all Volleyball associations for having jurisdiction over the rules of the game. The end of World War II resulted in volleyball receiving recognition as a world sport. Volleyball was played internationally in America for the first time in 1955 and at the Pan American Games and Olympics in 1964.

A new version of volleyball was recognized as Beach Volleyball in the 1960s. It was similar to the regular sport, although each team had two players.