Hey guys! Oh my gosh, it seriously has been such a long time since i blogged. I just had tons of things to do for school: Project, book reports, and recently we have a thing called Ancient Walkthrough where we do a skit about Rome, Greece, and Egypt. So, finally I am all caught up with that and I can blog! One of the things I was also working on was an essay. I had to write a 3 page essay about one of my favorite sports that is interesting to me. But, volleyball has many more facts so wrote a few pages more. And if you did not know, I play volleyball. So, that is what I wrote my essay on. This concludes to this post, which is Volleyball facts! Anyway, the facts are in my essay. Lol. Anyway, go ahead and get comfy to read all you need to know about volleyball!
Volleyball
Have you ever wondered what is one of the top 5th most popular sports in the world? Well now you know, it is volleyball. With about 900 million fans, volleyball places 5th most popular sport in the world. Volleyball was invented in 1995 in the United States. Volleyball was originally named “Mintonette”. Some famous people who played volleyball are Misty May, Kerri Walsh, Paula Weishoff, Lagan Tom, Steve Timmons, Ron Von Hagen, and Flo Hyman. Volleyball can be played indoors or outdoors. It was placed as an indoor Olympic Sport in 1964 at Tokyo. In 1996, two-person beach volleyball was approved as an Olympic Sport. Now, NCAA Volleyball is more popular and exciting than ever.
History
Volleyball was invented in 1985 by William G. Morgan. It originated in a dusty-old YMCA gymnasium of Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States. William G. Morgan designed the game to be a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. Morgan borrowed the net from tennis, and raised it 6 feet 6 inches above the floor, just above the average man's head. During a demonstration game, someone remarked to Morgan that the players seemed to be volleying the ball back and forth over the net, and perhaps "volleyball" would be a more descriptive name for the sport. On July 7, 1896 at Springfield College the first game of "volleyball" was played. Four years later, a special ball was designed for the sport. Players in the Philippines devised an offensive style to pass the ball high in order to make it more easily hit by another teammate which we now call the set and the spike. The offensive style of setting and spiking was first demonstrated in the Philippines in 1916.Later on, it became clear that standard rules were needed for tournament play, and so the USVBA (United States Volleyball Association) was formed in 1928. In 1930, the first two-man beach volleyball game was played, even though it was not well-known at the time. Afterwards,the first beach volleyball association appeared in California in 1965. In years later, men and woman took gold and silver medals in indoor volleyball competitions. Starting in 1996, two-man beach volleyball was officially introduced to the Olympics. Volleyball has a very interesting history, from start to finish.
Popularity
Volleyball is most popular in Brazil so it is the top volleyball country. Next in second place is Russia. Serbia has placed third and Cuba in fourth. Indoor volleyball is now among the most popular sports for American teenage girls. Volleyball is ranked 5th most popular sports in the world! Believe it or not, volleyball is way ahead of the following popular American sports like MLB, NBA and the NFL. Volleyball is the 3rd most popular sport for girls in high school with 404,000 girls on varsity level programs and 42,000 boys also play varsity level in 22 states currently. Volleyball is played more than 800 million people on the planet at least once a week. Volleyball is a popular sport.
Rules
Volleyball is a complex game with simple skills. There are six players on court in a volleyball team, who each must rotate one position clockwise every time their team wins back service from the opposition. Only the three players at the net positions can jump and spike or block near the net. The backcourt players can only hit the ball over the net if they jump from behind the attack line, also known as the three-metre line, which separates the front and back part of the court. Matches are played best of five sets. The first four sets are played to 25 points, with the final set being played to 15 points. A volleyball court is 30 feet wide and 60 feet long; each side of the net is 30 feet by 30 feet. A 2-inch line borders the court to serve as the out-of-bounds line. Any ball that touches the line during play is still considered “in” the court. A team can only have 3 contacts with the ball. The contacts are usually a bump, set and spike. No player can ever make contact with the ball twice and the ball cannot be caught or carried over the net. Each player starts with a serve. The server steps behind the line called the end line and serves. But, if the server passes or touches the end line, that is to be considered as a foot fault. Teams must win by at least two points for the game to win. Points keep going until one team wins with a history of two points even if the score is greater than 25. There are many rules to volleyball that can will make the game safe and fun to do. Volleyball is easy to pick up, yet challenging to master.
Interesting Facts
Volleyball is super interesting to learn about especially the facts! Most volleyball players jump about 300 times a match. “Mintonette” is the original name of volleyball. The first special designed ball for the sport was created in 1900. Volleyball took some of its characteristics from tennis and handball. The longest recorded volleyball game was in Kinston, North Carolina. It took 75 hours and 30 minutes. Over 995 million people play volleyball around the world. Volleyball burns calories, improves muscular system and enhances energy level. Also, it greatly improves in your hand-eye coordination. Volleyball is 120 years old right now, 2015. William G. Morgan created a game that was great exercise and had less physical contact, which came out as the sport of volleyball. Today, more than 46 million Americans and 800 million people worldwide play volleyball at least once a week. During the summer of 1976, at Will Rogers State Beach, the first professional beach volleyball tournament took place. It was called the “Olympia World Championship of Beach Volleyball”. Some top colleges that play volleyball are Duke University, Stanford University, University of Texas, and USC. Volleyball is an interesting sport to learn about!
Famous People
Some famous people who played volleyball are Misty May, Kerri Walsh, Karch Kiraly, Paula Weishoff, Logan Tom, Ron Von Hagen, Steve Timmons, and Flo Hyman. Karch Kiraly is the only volleyball player to win three gold medals (1984, 1988, 1996). He inspired the 1984 and 1988 USA Men’s Olympic Volleyball Teams by playing outstanding volleyball and encouraging his teammates to play their best. Misty May is one of the best all-around skilled women’s beach volleyball player ever to play the sport. She is one of only three players to be named a two-time AVCA National Player of the Year. Kerri Walsh is currently beach partners with Mist May. They are one of the most famous beach volleyball teams in the world. Paula Weishoff is one of only four USA women's volleyball players to compete in three different Olympics. Paula Weishoff is one of the best attackers in USA National Team history. Throughout her career, Paula Weishoff was a dominating blocker and server. Paula is the only American volleyball player to have played in Olympic Games twelve years apart. Logan Tom is a phenomenal athlete and one of the most dynamic volleyball players in the world. She plays with strength, power. and grace. Logan Tom's impressive talent has made her one of the most famous volleyball players in the world today. Logan Tom is an international superstar that has played professionally in Brazil, Italy and Switzerland. Steve Timmons is mastered at back-row hitting, so combined with his outstanding front-row attacking skills, makes him an undefeatable player. Ron Von Hagen is considered the Babe Ruth of volleyball. He is considered to be, because he is a legendary beach volleyball player. He played in fifty-four tournaments from 1996 to 1972 never finishing lower than third-place. Flow Hyman is one of the greatest and most famous volleyball players of her generation. In 1985 she was named one of the All-Time Great Volleyball Players. Many of these players work hard and play hard to reach to the top!
That's it! I hope you learned something new today! You should definitely try volleyball, it is an awesome sport to play! I love it!
Tell me in the comments what is your favorite sport to play and what is the most interesting factabout volleyball to you!
See ya,
Sarah :)
