The history of volleyball

Surprisingly, one of the most well loved sports in the world is also relatively young. Despite the game’s youth, it has gone through a wide variety of changes and evolution as a part of its rich history.

To fully understand and appreciate how much the game has changed and how much work was put into to make it successful, you need to search back to the very origin of Volleyball, and study when and why changes were made.

Just over 100 years ago, in 1895, William G. Morgan developed the first game of Volleyball. At the time, Morgan dubbed the game “Mintonette”.

“Mintonette” was created for business men as a game that involved less physical contact at the chapter of the YMCA where he worked at in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Morgan borrowed aspects from several games to create his own game. The first aspect was from tennis, borrowing the net. Instead of the standard net, however, he raised it to be 6 foot 6 inches high, so it was just over the heads of average men.

Other sports he borrowed from include basketball, baseball and handball. During one of the demonstration games of the sport, one of the spectators commented the game was more about volleying, and the games name was changed to Volleyball.

That was only the beginning.

In 1896, the first official game of Volleyball was played at Springfield College. This game signified the first real take-off of the sport, and led into further games being played at a variety of different Colleges. In the year 1900, Volleyball had taken off enough where a special ball was designed just for the game. Another feat also accomplished in 1900 was that the YMCA took the sport from America to Canada, the Orient and the southern hemisphere. Five years later, Volleyball also spread to Cuba. This spreading was what signified the start of the Volleyball era. Unlike most sports, Volleyball moved International in its early days, allowing for the game to evolve to meet the players needs world wide.

In 1907, Volleyball received its first recognition of being one of the most popular sports at the Playground of America convention. This was the first recognition the sport received, and helped to further its popularity. In the following ten years, the YMCA continued to spread the sport to Brazil, Puerto Rico and Uruguay. In 1913, the first official Volleyball competition was held in the Far Eastern Games.

1916 saw Volleyball have its first true evolution. In the Philippines, the set and spike offensive pass was introduced, and game play was altered to involve this new form. The Filipinos developed the “bomba”, which is the kill, and the named the hitter the “bomberino”. In this same year, the NCAA was invited by the YMCA to alter the rules of the game, and it was initiated into Colleges and other schools as a part of the standard physical education courses and intramural programs. A year later, the scoring system was also adjusted so that a game ended after 15 points instead of 21. This allowed more games to be played within the same span of time, in an attempt to make the sessions a little shorter for the players.

Three short years later, in 1919, the American Expeditionary Forces donated 16,000 Volleyballs to the troops, which provided a stimulus for growth in foreign countries. With this rise in growth of the sport, new rules began being developed. A year later, the three hits per side rule and the back row attack rules were put into place.

By 1928, players and fans of the sport realized that “official” tournament rules and regulations were required. The United States Volleyball Association was formed, and the first U.S. Open Volleyball tournament was held. The U.S. Open allowed for squads that were not YMCA sanctioned to participate, which was a breakthrough at the time. This evolution permitted lovers of the sport to fully enjoy the game without having to be tied to the organization that created it.After 1928, the game of Volleyball was forever changed. With the “official” rules set down, and a tournament that wasn’t private to the YMCA, the popularity of the sport was allowed to sky rocket. The Men’s U.S. Open was held every year thereafter, with the exception of three years. 1943, 1944 and 1989 did not have the yearly tournaments, due to wars and other obstacles.In 1934, Volleyball saw another extensive change through the recognition of official referees to oversee the games. This change in particular drastically altered the calls and the fairness of the game.The 1940’s held several special events for Volleyball. Not only was the forearm pass introduced into the game, the first world championship Volleyball game was held. It was during this time that the volleyball movement saw fruition, and squads from all over the world could find out who was the best. This became a yearly event, allowing for more publicity of the sport, which aided in its growth. Around this time, over 50 million people were playing world wide, in over 60 different countries.

By 1964, Volleyball had spread enough to warrant introduction into the Olympic games. The first games took place in Tokyo, where a rubber carcass with leather panels was used for the ball. This ball became the one that would be used in most modern competitions. As a part of the Olympic games, Volleyball was allowed to grow even further, until it secured a place for itself as the second most played game in the world.

Despite this high level of popularity, it wasn’t until 1986 that the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association, or the WPVA, was formed. With the growing rate of professional interest by both sexes, Volleyball was finally allowed to reach its full potential for popularity. Elementary, middle and high schools, as well as colleges all invested into the game by providing courses in Volleyball in their physical education, so that the sport was known in most households around the world.While still trailing behind Soccer for popularity, Volleyball has done extremely well for a game with roots so young.

About The Author  Rebecca Blain is a professional and hobbyist writer who enjoys taking care of her fish and educating people about volleyball.

Mailbag: Support Sand Volleyball

Hello Friends and Beach Volleyball Enthusiasts,

Many of you have contacted USA Volleyball with questions as to the status of sand volleyball in the NCAA.  On January 15, 2010 there will be an override vote led by universities who are trying to block the addition of sand to the NCAA emerging sports list for women in 2010-2011.  We need your voice to help block this override vote!

Please take a quick moment to click on the link below to voice your support of NCAA sand volleyball!  (Below is the text of the petition.)

http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/2420g41250

LET US PLAY!

SUPPORT SAND VOLLEYBALL IN DIVISION I

“We, the undersigned, feel passionately that Sand Volleyball should be added to the NCAA emerging sports list for women in 2010-2011. We urge you to support the exciting and numerous opportunities for women that this sport creates. To make sand volleyball a reality for Division I, we respectfully request that each institution send a representative to the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta, Georgia and vote on January 15 to defeat the override. We will watch this vote very carefully. Please support Sand Volleyball for the athletes, coaches, parents, administrators, fans, vendors and many more that will be positively affected by the addition of the sport. If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact the AVCA at members@avca.org or visit the AVCA Facebook page.”

So, if you’re a fan of Beach Volleyball and want to see it a NCAA sport, now is your time to have your voice heard!

Podcast: Interview with Gabby Reece

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:33 — 11.5MB)

Gabby Reece possesses a look that conveys both athleticism and feminine beauty. At 6’3”, she is a dominate force on and off the pro beach volleyball circuit, and an inspiration to all who meet her.

California born, Gabby was raised on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. She didn’t take up volleyball until in the 11th grade when she and her mother moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. Gabby won an athletic scholarship to Florida State University where she majored in Communications and played two seasons of volleyball before accepting offers from the modeling world in New York.  Gabby returned to FSU campus and set two school volleyball records before being inducted into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Gabby trained hard to hone her skills in 2-person beach volleyball and competed domestically in the 1999-2000 Olympic Challenge Series and the 1999-2000 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. In 1997, competing with the best global beach volleyball players ever assembled, Gabby’s 4-person team took first place at the first-ever Beach Volleyball World Championships.

Gabby was Nike’s first female athlete to design a shoe, and Nike’s first-ever female cross-training spokesperson (1993-99). The Air GR was the first women’s shoe to outsell men’s and outsell the Air Jordan.

Gabby’s skills cross over onto the big screen where she played a pro beach volleyball player in ‘Cloud Nine’ with Burt Reynolds (2004), a guest star in ‘North Shore’ (2004) and as a physical trainer in the film ‘Gattica’ (1997). She’s graced the cover of Sports Illustrated for Women, Travel & Leisure Golf, Women’s Sports & Fitness, Outside, Elle, Shape, Self, Harpers’ Bazaar, Volleyball, Fitness, Life, Vogue, Experience Life and People.

Gabby is currently the creator  of The Honey Line, a fast-paced, magazine-style program that delivers realistic solutions to women’s questions concerning style, health & fitness, home, food and the environment. She’s also married to surfer Laird Hamilton and is the mother of two young daughters and a step-daughter.

Passionate about fitness, Gabby has produced and released numerous  exercise DVDs and health & fitness products. She’s a spokesperson for Simply Nutrilite, a line of vitamins and supplements and her fitness tips can be found on the pages of Shape magazine where she is a monthly contributing editor.

Gabby can also be seen hosting various TV broadcasts for ESPN, Discovery and others. She won a huge following by taking risks road-luging, white water kayaking, drag racing, surfing, and sky diving on “MTV Sports” and “The Extremists with Gabrielle Reece” in the 90’s, and she was a commentator at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

Women’s Sports & Fitness named Gabby one of the ‘20 Most Influential Women in Sports’ in 1997, the same year Crown published the book, “Big Girl in the Middle,” which Gabby co-wrote with Karen Karbo.

To learn even more about this athletic superstar, and all-around Pretty Tough gal, listen to our candid interview.  Gabby talks  about her incredible career, her advice to girls pursuing athletics in school or for a career and what she thinks about the evolution of women in sport.

Volleyball star Kerri Walsh becomes a mom

Olympic gold medals are cool. But two-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh just got the biggest prize of all: She became a mom.

Walsh, 30, and her husband, AVP pro-volley ball player Casey Jennings, 33, welcomed son Joseph Michael Jennings at 7:15 p.m. on May 22 in Los Angeles. The first child for Walsh and Jennings weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, sporting a soft shock of blond hair, the same color as Dad’s.

The AVP Tour said mother and baby are “happy and healthy.”

“We could not be more thrilled to welcome Joseph into the world,” Walsh told People.com. “It’s the most incredible feeling. We are already so in love with him and it’s such an amazing, special moment for our family.”

Walsh and teammate Misty May-Treanor won the Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004 and again in Beijing in 2008. Both players have said they would take some time off to start families and Walsh apparently conceived the night of the Olympic triumph.

For Dad, the 24 hours leading up to the birth was topsy-turvy. Jennings was in the middle of the AVP Crocs Huntington Beach Open. Walsh was a week past her due date when main-draw play began Friday. Jennings and partner Matt Fuerbringer won both of their Friday matches.

And “Joey” waited until Dad was finished playing Friday to enter the world.

Walsh’s water broke at 6 p.m. Friday, five minutes after Jennings returned to their Hermosa Beach home. Jennings drove her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, in traffic.

“It was just a beautiful thing,” Jennings, a defensive specialist, recalled. “Kerri is a star. She waited for me to get home, and I think mentally she just did exactly what she wanted to do.”

Jennings will never forget the first look the baby gave Mom. He drifted back to the moment and explained:

“The baby looked at her right away and was just staring at her like: ‘This is the woman that’s been talking to me for the past nine months.’ And he’s looking at her, and you can just tell there was that immediate bond.”

Congrats to both Casey and Kerri.

The Alt Games – Collegiate Action Sports

You’ve heard of the X Games, the Dew Tour and NCAA Championships. But how about The Alt Games?

CBS Sports and CBS College Sports Network created The Alt Games (formerly known as the Collegiate Nationals) to provide a stage for competitors in action sports to compete and represent their colleges (and presumably to make a few bucks).

The 2009 Alt Games’ line-up is highlighted by last year’s roster of championships, which includes snowboarding, wakeboarding, flowboarding, freeskiing and beach volleyball.

The snow portion of the comp took place April 9th, at Colorado’s Copper Mountain. Events included men’s and women’s snowboarding and freesking.

Kelsey Huelsman admits one of the biggest factors she enrolled at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, was so she could ski a lot. After winning the Alt Games slopestyle ski championships yesterday, it appears to be paying off for the third-year graphic design major.

Snowboarder Michelle Zeller, a junior at the University of Colorado in Boulder, absolutely stomped her second slopestyle run at the Alt Games collegiate snowboard championships to earn her first-place prize. Zeller, who is studying international affairs and Japanese, hopes to head to New Zealand this summer for a few more comps. Zeller’s CU-Boulder classmate Kendra Tombolato also made the Buffaloes proud with a second-place finish in this year’s competition.

The Alt Games continue April 17-19 in Southern California with beach volleyball, flowboarding, and wakeboarding.

For the wakeboarding comp, each of the 16 competing schools is expected to bring seven riders to compete at Hidden Anchorage Bay Cove on Mission Bay. Individual titles in respective events will also be at stake. The University of Florida is the defending team champion.

In addition, the Alt Games will feature the second annual Competitive Eating Championship, showcasing the nation’s top collegiate competitive eaters, as well as a music festival.

More than 500 competitors from 45 different colleges and universities nationwide are expected to compete at the 2009 Alt Games, which will ultimately crown 11 national men’s and women’s champions in both individual and team events.

Coverage of the Alt Games kicks off with a special one-hour program airing on CBS Sports on Saturday, May 16 (2 p.m. EDT). The show will launch two weeks of Olympic style and sports specific programming on CBS College Sports Network, beginning on Sunday, May 17.

Hot Winter Nights ahead for pro volleyball tour

January 16, 2009 – The idea of playing beach volleyball in the dead of winter may seem like a novel idea, but that’s exactly what’s happening as part of the Hot Winter Nights Indoor Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.

Starting this weekend AVP athletes will pack up the sand (over 200 tons of it) and head out on a 17-city tour, visiting indoor arenas in various cities throughout the East Coast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest. First stop – the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

The format for the HWN Tour will be different from what is seen during the summer. Instead of playing in set teams, a round-robin format will be used to determine both a men’s and women’s individual champion. Each event will showcase four men’s and four women’s athletes, who will battle it out on the sand to determine the best player on the beach for the night.

The round robin format separates athletes from their normal teams, and in many cases puts long standing partners on opposing sides of the net.

Featured this year are seven of the eight Americans who competed in the Beijing Olympics. Misty May-Treanor, who won her second straight gold medal, will miss the tour because she is recovering from knee surgery after tearing her ACL practicing for Dancing with the Stars.

Her partner, Kerri Walsh, is pregnant; she won’t be playing but will appear in Grand Rapids, Mich., Kansas City, Mo., and Indianapolis next weekend to sign autographs and mingle with fans.

During the course of the Tour, the women’s side will feature such AVP veterans as Elaine Youngs, Nicole Branagh Annett Davis, Jenny Johnson-Jordan, Katie Lindquist, and Holly McPeak.

Annett and Jenny have been partners on the outdoor tour for many years, and for the first time will face each other on opposing sides of the net at a HWN event. McPeak captured one indoor title in 2008 and will provide tough competition going into the 2009 season.

The HWN Tour attempts to replicate the authentic Southern California beach party atmosphere. The only thing trumping the unabashed fun is the world-class volleyball action. So if you’re in a part of the country where it is freezing outside, hit the beach and see some of the best athletes in the world bump, set and spike their way to a title.

Misty & Kerri shine as Glamour’s women of the year

December 8, 2008 – We’re a little late on this but didn’t want the accolades to go unnoticed.

Last month, some of the world’s most influential women were honored during Glamour’s 19th annual Women of the Year awards. It was a night filled with glammed up politicians, media moguls, celebrities, athletes and activists honoring those who have made unparalleled contributions to society, politics, science, and so much more.

Among the ten honored women were Olympic gold medal winning beach volleyball players Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

According to Glamour:

The women met as teenagers, when Walsh asked her idol, May, for an autograph. In 2001 they decided to team up, and since then they have not only reached the top of the sport—they’ve taken it to a new level. Walsh, 30, and May-Treanor, 31, are the only beach volleyball players to win back-to-back gold medals, in Athens and Beijing, and did so without losing a single set.

Other honorees this year include Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Tyra Banks, Nicole Kidman, CEO of the luxury brand Chanel Maureen Chiquet, Nujood Ali, Kara Walker, and Jane Goodall.  Congrats to all!

Kerri Walsh on Mommy Track

December 3, 2008 – Olympian Kerri Walsh confirmed to “Access Hollywood” that she is expecting first child.  The statuesque, six foot one gold medalist sounded ecstatic about the news.

I’m chubby and I’m pregnant and it’s awesome!” Kerri told Billy [Bush] on Wednesday morning.

And as it turns out, a gold medal wasn’t the only thing Kerri and husband Casey Jennings brought home from the games in Beijing.

This will be the first child for the couple and it comes as no surprise.  During the Olympics Walsh and her beach volleyball partner Misty May-Treanor both said that after the games they would be turning their attention to starting families with their husbands.
Congratulations Kerri!

Listen to the whole interview.

A Day at the Beach; Sand & Surf Olympics

October 22, 2008 – Basketball may be one of the most popular and widely viewed sports in the world. At the Asian Beach Games, the sport will be performed at the beach.

Spectators from around the world can witness sports history with the 1st Asian Beach Games now underway in Bali, Indonesia. Conceived by the Olympic Council of Asia and currently scheduled every two years, the event features athletes from 43 countries participating in 18 sports. Some of those sports are played in North America. Many of them are not. All of them are way cool.

Obvious events like beach volleyball and surfing are included as are sailing, jet skiing, paragliding and marathon swimming. Participants can compete in other hybrid sports such as beach wrestling, beach waterpolo and beach soccer.

Some of the games, such as basketball, have to be adapted in order to be played on the sand. Beach basketball is similar to the hoops we all know and love except the basket has no backboard, just a net on a pole. The court is circular and there is no out of bounds. Shots from outside the circle are worth three points. Shots from inside the circle are worth two points. Obviously there is no dribbling possible so players move the ball by passing or taking two-and-a-half steps.

The Beach Games also features several sports that may fall far outside the American sporting consciousness.

One is Beach Kabaddi, a combative sport with teams of four players who try to score points by raiding their opponent’s court and touching as many defence players as possible without getting caught on a single breath. Kind of like an adrenaline-fueled game of tag.

Beach Pentjak Silat is a combative art of fighting and survival. A martial art form that has evolved in Indonesian and Malaysian civilizations into a social culture and tradition. Competitors use hands, elbows, arms, legs, knees and feet in attacks. Common techniques include kicking, hitting, tripping, sweeps, locks, takedowns, throws, strangles, and joint breaking.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable sports of the Beach Games is Beach Sepaktakraw, a Malaysian game that combines principles of soccer and volleyball. Players touch a rattan synthetic ball across a volleyball-style net using only their feet and heads.

Dragon Boat racing is a sport where a very long and narrow boat is powered by teams of 10 to 50 paddlers. It originated in China and dragon boats are always rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails and are required to carry a large drum aboard that leads the crew throughout a race with the rhythmic beating that indicates the timing and frequency of paddling strokes, from the cadence to picking up the pace to slowing down.

Not all the contests feature female competitors. Beach wrestling, for example, is for men only this year but most of the games do welcome women participants. Windsurfing, triathlon, dragon boat racing and woodball all have female entrants.

What fun to train and what fun to participate. Clearly, these Games, which continue through Oct. 26th, are more than just a day at the beach!

Beach Volleyball: New partner, same result

October 12, 2008 – With her usual partner recovering from a ruptured achilles tendon suffered on DWTS, two-time U.S. beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh has teamed with  fellow Olympian Nicole Branagh. The duo breezed through most of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour beach event at the Jumeirah Beach Park courts in Dubai and met U.S. teammates Jen Boss and April Ross in the weekend final.

Branagh and Walsh defeated their compatriots 21-18, 21-19 for the championship.  The pair shared the  $28,000 first-place prize while Boss and Ross split $19,500 for the silver medal finish.

In winning her 38th international gold medal, Walsh tied longtime partner Misty May-Treanor for the most titles at FIVB-sanctioned events.

Next Page »