120 Years of Volleyball
I have played volleyball for seven years now, but ever since I watched my sister play when she was in junior high, it’s been my favorite sport. I love everything about it from setting and digging to serving and passing. I couldn’t imagine what I would be doing if I didn’t play volleyball. Many of the important parts of volleyball have changed since William G. Morgan invented the sport. It also has a very interesting beginning. Volleyball is a game that was invented by William G. Morgan; since it was invented, the rules and equipment have been constantly changing.
120 years ago, volleyball was first introduced as a sport at the YMCA. William G. Morgan started the game calling it “mintonette”. It was originally a combination
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At the beginning of the game, players would use a bat to hit the ball over the net. If the ball did not cross the net, the server was out. If the server was the third person out on his team, his whole side was out (“Volleyball History 1895-1900). Today, there are no bats involved in the game, or even “outs”. Net height has had the most changes from 1895 to 1976. It started at six feet, six inches tall. It was raised to seven feet, six inches in 1900. In 1916, the net was raised to eight feet tall. By 1976, the women’s net height was seven feet, four and one-eighths inches (“History of Volleyball Rules”). Now, a high school girls volleyball net is seven feet, four inches, which has barely been changed since 1976. The net height in 1895 seems so much shorter than the rest of the heights. Nets aren’t the only things that have had multiple changes, though. The ball for volleyball started as the bladder of a basketball. This ball was too light and slow for a fast paced game. A whole basketball was too heavy, so Morgan and Spalding worked together to design a ball for the games (“Volleyball History 1895-1900”). Playing with the bladder of a basketball would almost be like playing with a balloon. Playing with a basketball is extremely hard and painful, and the ball is too big and heavy. Since volleyball was getting its own ball, it needed its own net. The net used at the beginning was originally borrowed from tennis. It wasn’t very tall because the average American was shorter than they are now (“This was How Volleyball Was Introduced”). Since then, the net has been raised almost a whole foot. Along with a net, volleyball needed a court to go with it. The court started as 25 feet wide and 50 feet long. A tennis court is 27 feet wide. In 1912, the size was changed to 30 feet wide and 60 feet long (“History of Volleyball Rules”). Equipment isn’t the only thing that has been changing about the
Basketball, the sport that has been around for decades. An abundant amount of people play the sport. In my opinion, it’s one of the finest sports invented. The sport itself is mentally and physically challenging. I will be explaining how to play the sport, the history of basketball, and why you should play basketball.
offshoots of it were created and played in London by a man named Spratt. The first versions are thought to be very similar to the current game that is widely played. The first ball however, was hard and made from wood, making it difficult to hit. Nowdays, it is often made of nylon. It is thought that the sport excelled and grew in popularity because it accepted both male and female players, wh...
Not everyone would agree that volleyball is America’s favorite pastime, but I think they're in denial. I spend virtually all my time practicing, playing, or watching volleyball, so that counts for something, right? The fast pace keeps spectators captivated in the simple yet overly complex game. Okay, it's not true that volleyball is “overly complex”
Like a pestering fly, it kept in the back of my head; a mother’s badgering voice egging me to dig deeper, and answer a question that had nagged me for years. Did I really want to play volleyball, to put all of myself into continuing a future that would include playing volleyball? On the day of my first tournament of my 4th year playing, I found my answer.
Basketball originated in 1891 when future Presbyterian minister named James Naismith (1861-1939) was assigned to teach a P.E. class at Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) training school in Springfield, Massachusetts. The class had been noted for being disorderly, and Naismith was told to invent a new game to keep the young men occupied. Since it was winter and very cold outside, the game had to be played indoors was desirable. Naismith had a flashback to his childhood in Canada, where he and his friends had played "duck on a rock,”. The game involved trying to knock a large rock off a boulder by throwing smaller rocks at it. He also recalled watching rugby players toss a ball into a box in a gym. He had the idea to nail up boxes and the players would attempt to throw a ball. When he couldn't find boxes he used peach baskets. According to Alexander Wolff, in his book 100 Years of Hoops, Naismith drew up the rules for the new game in "about an hour." Most of them still apply in some form of todays. Basketball was a simple game that could be played indoors during winter. Naismith spread the rules freely, and there was a need for Naismith's legacy included the first great college basketball coach, Forrest "Phog" Allen (1885-1974), who played for Naismith at the University of Kansas and went on to win 771 games as a coa...
I have played volleyball for 5 years. I have played school volleyball for five years, and club volleyball for four. Throughout my years of playing, I have recognized a significant difference between club volleyball and school volleyball. I have played for two clubs in my four years of playing club. The first two years, I played for a club named Platform Elite. The last two years, I have played for Iowa Select, and this year I am playing my club season with Infinity X. Personally, I prefer club volleyball over school volleyball. Club volleyball and school volleyball can be compared in three different categories: price, competition, and “politics” within the sport and its’ players.
Volleyball represents my most meaningful commitment not just because I have invested so much into it, but also because it it’s a passion of mine and has been a part of my life since elementary school. The impact my coaches and teammates have had on my life has helped make me the confident and determined individual I am today. Volleyball also takes up a lot of time and there are many sacrifices that come with the sport and playing on a team. To keep up my skills, I have had to give up a lot of my free time and parts of my summer. Balancing school with practices was also a challenge, but participating in one of my passions made it worthwhile. I have persevered through difficult times and learned new lessons along the way, so there is nothing that could make this sport less meaningful to me. (148)
William G. Morgan has created a game that will continue to evolve and change. He has not only created a wonderful game that everyone enjoys, but a wonderful game that everyone can enjoy together. Works Cited Blain, Rebecca. “What Started It All: The History of Volleyball”. Everything about Volleyball.
Papageōrgiou, A., & Spitzley, W. (2003). Handbook for competitive volleyball (1st ed.). Oxford: Meyer & Meyer Sport.
As I walked onto the volleyball court, I noticed people were screaming and cheering all around me. They were all around me, and yet they all sounded strangely distant. I was nervous. I was worried that we might lose, but worst of all, I was worried that I might end up letting my teammates down. Negative thoughts continued filled my head and I drew closer and closer to my position. Once again, I found myself asking whether or not I truly belonged on this team. Now, this certainly was not the first time I questioned my place on the team, but little did I know that it would be the last.
It all began as a lawn game similar to the croquet played sometime during the 15th century in Northern Europe and probably in France and has evolved from that point into present day's style of billiard/pool table and rules. Playing the game moved indoors to a wooden table with green cloth to simulate grass, and a simple border was placed around the edges. The balls were shoved, rather than struck, with wooden sticks called "maces." The term "billiard" is derived from the French language, either from the word "billiart", one of the wooden sticks, or "bille", a ball” (Pool Tables). The story of how billiards came to be has unique qualities such as the way the term “billiards” came to be.
Next to the court, under the shade of a large oak tree, sits Ali. Ali is a man of about 55 who attends the gathering every week. He used to be a professional volleyball player, and now spends his time watching the game at a youth level, and giving advice to novices and experienced players alike. He watches pensively from under the shade of the large branches, quietly munching on his turkey sub-sandwich. Every few minutes Ali yells wisely to a young player. He says, “Keep your jump approach in stride,” and “Remember to cup your hand before you make contact, then follow through.”
Badminton originated thousands of years ago in India, before many of the other sports were commercialized. It is believed to have evolved from a children’s game known as battledore and shuttlecock, the battledore being a paddle and the shuttlecock a small-feathered cork, now called a “bird” or “birdie.” The objective was simply to keep the bird in the air for as long as possible. Eventually a net was added and the game became a competitive sport called “poona.” In the 1860’s it was adopted by British army officers stationed in India and was brought back to ...
Sports, a very popular past time today, have been around since ancient times. Greek Olympic Games featured events from chariot races, javelin throws, to wrestling. In addition, a game similar to soccer was played in China by the second century BC. In England, a violent rugby type game was even played to settle feuds between villages. With the development of the industrial revolution and the creation of the first public schools, sports decreased in violence and were played more recreationally and constructively. Basketball was invented to help the youth in New England spend their energy in the winter months. Since the early 1900’s sports have been a key experience in the United States (“History of Sports”). I have played sports for many years, and the experience has helped me grow significantly as an individual.
It seems strange that a simple sport can do so much to a person, but it is not just a simple sport. To an outsider it is just volleyball, but to a player it is love, commitment, and family. It is a way to connect with people who become people in your life that are unforgettable. I have spent the past five years playing this sport with many different girls and I watched them as they grew up and went on to college and other things in life, and now I am that girl. I am now a senior in high school playing volleyball for the last year and I could not imagine what my life would be like if I had never tried this