Tuesday, January 15, 2013

A Brief History of Volleyball


When running volleyball drills with your team, it may be a good diversion to review the actual history of the game. Some coaches who are very serious about volleyball may even want to have their team learn the history also. While in no way is it a necessity, some people feel that knowing everything there is to know about a sport often gives the players a bit of an edge. Regardless of the reason, it might be a good idea to take a break from volleyball drills for a practice to teach the history of volleyball to your team.
Long before there were any volleyball drills, competitions, or even teams, there was an instructor at the YMCA in Holyoak, Mass. by the name of William G. Morgan. He wanted to create a game that would combine the elements of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball that would be less physically demanding than basketball. In 1895, he created the sport that he called "mintonette". At its conception, any amount of players could be on the court at a time. Females were allowed to catch the ball after a serve in order to toss it back into play. And as long as the ball didn't hit the ground, there was no limit to the number of hits per side during each play. Since it wasn't a competition sport to begin with, there was no reason for volleyball drills. During one the earliest demonstration games, a person watching the game commented to Morgan that the players appeared to be "volleying" the ball back and forth. From that simple statement, modern day volleyball got its start.
Volleyball drills in the early years were much more laid back than they are today. The purpose of the game in those days was to simply get the ball over the net. In the year 1900, volleyball began to be introduced in other countries. In 1907, just 12 years after its conception, the game was introduced to the Playground of America association as the most popular game. In the meantime, the game was spreading more widely throughout the world. In the Philippines, they began to take the game a little more aggressively. There, they conceived of a play in which one player would hit the ball in the air to another player, who would then power hit the ball over the net at a downward angle. In today's volleyball drills and games, this was the first set and spike combination.
The sport was becoming more popular as the years passed. Official teams and divisions had been formed. Standard volleyball drills were shared with coaches throughout the world. In 1964, the game took on a whole new dimension. In the Tokyo games, volleyball was introduced as an official Olympic sport. This gave volleyball a worldwide forum. From that point, international rules and regulations were put in place in order to level the playing field. Volleyball drills became a huge tool in the repertoire of the average coach, in order to create a competitive playing atmosphere.
Today, the game is hugely popular. At almost any school, you can see teams running volleyball drills in the fall. From its humble roots as a leisurely game to help get fit, volleyball has become an international phenomenon. Volleyball has grown into a game of strength, fitness, and strategy. With a continued pace of good coaching, strong volleyball drills, and excellent teamwork, you may find that your team can become a huge contributing force in the history of volleyball.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6614110

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