Service
A serve begins each rally. A player must hit the ball with his or
her hand over the net to land inside the lines of the court. Players may
serve underarm or overarm (hardly anyone at elite level would offer an
underarm serve). A popular serve is the 'jump' or 'spike' serve: the
player jumps and serves the ball while airborne. Players such as Italy's
Andrea Santoretti are devastating jump servers, able to serve at great
speed with tremendous spin.
Each player gets only one chance to serve. A new rule means the
serve can now touch the net and continue into the opponent's court. Before,
a net touch on service ended the rally and the point was awarded to the
receiving team.
When the serving team loses a rally, it loses the right to serve.
The receiving team then rotates one position on the court.
Dig
The 'dig' is a forearm pass that is used to control the ball and
pass it to the setter at the net. It is usually the first contact by the
team and an effective shot to use in defence, such as when receiving a
spike. Nowadays, a specialist receiver called a 'libero' handles much of
the team's serve reception and is pivotal in backcourt defence.
Set
The 'set' is an overhead pass used to change the direction of the
dig and put the ball in a good position for the spiker.
It is usually the team's second contact. Setting is the tactical
centre of volleyball. A setter must be good enough to keep the big
blockers from dominating the net. The setter must feed his or her best
hitters while also looking for opponent's blocking weaknesses (such as a
short player on the front line or a slow centre blocker).
Spike
Crack! The 'spike' is when the ball is hit or smashed across the net.
It is the most powerful shot in volleyball - and the most effective way to
win a rally.
Block
This is the first line of defence in volleyball. The objective of
the 'block' is to stop the spiked ball from crossing the net or to channel
the spike to defenders. The three front-court players share blocking.
Teams usually opt for a 'read and react' block (whereby they try to react
to the ball leaving the setter's hands) or for a 'commit' block (whereby
they decide before the point whether to jump on the quick middle balls).
The key to good blocking is penetration - the best blockers reach well
over the net and into the opponent's court rather than reaching straight
up, where they can be easily 'tooled' by quality hitters.
The Ball
After testing many colours, the FIVB introduced a ball with yellow,
blue and white panels at the World Championships in Japan in 1998. It
replaced the traditional all-white ball.
The Rally Point System
In 1998 the FIVB also tried some different scoring systems. At its
World Congress in October 1998, the FIVB ratified the 'rally point' system.
Every rally would now earn a point. The first four sets are played to 25,
but the winning team must be ahead by at least two points. The fifth set
is played to 15 - and again the winner must have a two-point margin. The
new system is designed to make the scoring system easier to follow and
games faster and more exciting.
The Libero
Since Atlanta 1996, the FIVB has also introduced a new specialised
defensive player: the 'libero'. The libero can perform only as a backcourt
player and may not play an attacking shot (when the ball is hit back
across the net), serve or block. If the libero makes an overhead set of
the ball in front of the 3m attack line, the ball may not be spiked over
by the team. If the libero makes the same action behind the front zone,
the ball may be freely attacked. The libero must wear a jersey with a
different colour or design than those of other team members.
Rotate!
Each of the six players on an indoor team rotates a position after
winning back service from the opponent. This is the key to the tactics of
indoor volleyball - you cannot simply keep your best blockers and spikers
at the net or your best defenders in backcourt.
After serving from position one, players rotate to position six (middle
back), then position five (left back), position four (left front),
position three (middle front) and position two (right front) before
returning to serve.
A team must be in correct rotation order before the serve is put
into play. Once the ball is served, the players can move positions but
backcourt players cannot move to the net to block or spike. They must make
all attacking actions from behind the attack line (hence the advent of the
backcourt attack to have great spikers participating in all six rotations).
The rotation rule explains why a setter often appears to be 'hiding'
behind his or her players before a point. The setter must be in proper
rotation order before sprinting to the net or a point is given to the
opposition.
Volleyball
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men's
World Championships
The
first men's World Championship, held on a re-purposed outdoor tennis court
in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1949, was for all practical purposes, a
European Championship with all ten teams from within Europe.
From
these meagre beginnings started one of the great competitions and
traditions in international sport - the Men's Volleyball World
Championship.
It also started a great era of
domination for the eventual winners, the USSR, which is still felt today.
First World Championship in
Prague, 1949
The
Soviets won six of the first twelve World titles, finishing in the first
three places in all but one championship (1970) over the next forty-one
years. They also won the three Olympic gold medals, in Tokyo 1964, Mexico
1968 and Moscow 1980.
Czechoslovakia was the other
great volleyball power in the early years. They hold the distinction, with
the USSR/Russia, of being the only team to have competed in every men's
World Championship, winning the World title in 1956 and 1966, and
finishing second in 1949, 1952, 1960 and 1962.
The Soviets won six of the first twelve World titles, finishing in
the first three places in all but one championship (1970) over the
next forty-one years. They also won the three Olympic gold medals,
in Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1968 and Moscow 1980.
Czechoslovakia was the other great volleyball power in the early
years. They hold the distinction, with the USSR/Russia, of being the
only team to have competed in every men's World Championship,
winning the World title in 1956 and 1966, and finishing second in
1949, 1952, 1960 and 1962.
Germany (GDR - 1979), Poland (1974) and the USA (1986) took
individual wins, but neither team maintained its World Championship
dominance.
The late eighties and nineties saw the fall of the Berlin Wall,
the break-up of the Soviet Union, and the start of a new chapter in
Volleyball's history - the Italian domination. The 'Squadra Azzurra'
owned the last decade, winning won all three World Championships
(1990, 1994, 1998), as well as eight of the twelve World League
titles.
The next men's World Championship will be held in Argentina from
28 September to 13 October, 2002.
The 24 teams for Argentina 2002 - Argentina, Australia, Brazil,
Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt,
France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Netherlands,
Portugal, Russia, Spain, Tunisia, U.S.A., Venezuela, Yugoslavia.
Women's World Championships
Volleyball's history can be defined by its World Championships,
and its world champions.
The first women's World Championship, held in Moscow in 1952, was
won by the great USSR team. They dominated women's volleyball for
the next ten years, winning three consecutive world titles - a
record yet to be equalled.
Japan then took over the reigns. Its battles over the decade with
the USSR became legendary, the media calling them the 'Typhoons of
the Orient against the Red Witches'. The Japanese won Volleyball's
first Olympic gold medal in 1964, and three of the four World
Championships from 1962 to 1974.
The late seventies saw Cuba enter the World Championship winners
list, but only briefly, as the eighties was to belong to the Chinese
and the great Lang Ping, arguably volleyball's first superstar.
With three Olympic gold medals and the last two World Championship
titles, the nineties belonged to Cuba and the dynamism of two of the
games all-time greats in Regla Torres and Mireya Luis.
The next women's World Championship is to be held in Germany from
30 August to 15 September, 2002.
The 24 teams for Germany 2002 are:- Germany, Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican
Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mexico,
Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Thailand, USA.
VOLLEYBALL
- The Olympic Sport
Volleyball
has always been a sport prepared to change with the times. The
International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has regularly altered and
updated the rules of the game to encourage exciting play and improve
spectator and television interest. Possibly volleyball's biggest change
occurred in 1986 when the FIVB endorsed beach volleyball as an official
discipline. Suddenly, volleyball fans could have their choice: two-a-side
beach volleyball on sand or six-a-side volleyball in the gym. Both
disciplines are now played at the Olympic Games.
Traditional six-a-side indoor volleyball is referred to at the
Olympic Games as Volleyball. So the Olympic sport of Volleyball has two
disciplines - beach volleyball and volleyball.
Both beach volleyball and volleyball use the same court size and
same net height, despite the differences in playing surface and numbers of
players on a team. The court on both sides of the net is nine metres by
nine metres. The net height is set at 2.43m for men and 2.24m for women. Note
Dec 2001: Beach volleyball is currently testing a smaller 8m x 16m court
size for possible introduction of the World Tour and Athens 2004 Olympic
Games).
In volleyball, a team can touch the ball three times on their side of the
net, the usual pattern being a dig (an underarm pass made with the
forearms), a set (an overhead pass made with the hands) and a spike (the
overhead attacking shot). The ball is served into play. Teams can also try
to block the opponent's spike as it crosses the net. A block into your own
court counts as one of your three touches in beach volleyball, but not in
volleyball.
Volleyball
Volleyball made its Olympic Games debut in Tokyo in 1964, with the
Soviet Union winning the men's gold medal and the Japanese women being
crowned as champions in front of their home crowd. Since then, volleyball
has continued to witness the rise and fall of great international teams,
with countries as diverse as Cuba, Brazil, the Soviet Union, China, the
United States, the Netherlands, Poland and Japan collecting gold medals.
While power and height have become vital components of international teams,
the ability of teams and coaches to devise new tactics, strategies and
skills have been crucial for success at the Olympic Games.
· Volleyball was
invented in 1895 in Massachusetts, the United States, by William Morgan.
He was a friend of James Naismith, who had invented basketball at a nearby
gym only four years previously. Volleyball was originally called
mintonette.
· There are six
players on court in a volleyball team, who each must rotate 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.
· Volleyball has
developed into a very specialised sport. Most teams will include in their
starting line-up a setter, two centre blockers, two receiver-hitters and a
universal spiker. Only certain players will be involved with service
reception. Players will also have specialist positions for attack and
defence. Substitutions are allowed during the game.
· In 2000,
volleyball used a new scoring system. Teams scored a point on every rally,
regardless of which team served. Formerly, a team could only win a point
if it served the ball. Winning the serve back from the opposition was
known as a side-out.
· 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 team must win a set by two
points. There is no ceiling, so a set continues until one of the teams
gains a two-point advantage. Previously, all sets were to 15 points, with
the first four sets having a ceiling of 17 and the final set requiring at
least a two-point winning advantage.
· Prior to Sydney
2000, the FIVB introduced a new specialist role: the libero. This player
wears a different coloured uniform from the rest of the team and can be
substituted in backcourt for any player on the team. The libero cannot
serve, spike the ball over the net or rotate into the front-line positions,
but plays a vital role for the team in serve reception and backcourt
defence. There must be at least one point played between a libero
substituting off for a player and going back on the court for another
player - hence he/she cannot be on the court for the whole game. The
libero added an extra dimension to backcourt defence in 2000, improving
the reception of teams, lengthening the rallies and giving a vital role to
shorter players.
Beach Volleyball
Beach Volleyball has a brief but exciting history. The two-a-side
sport emerged on the beaches of California in the 1920s, developing a
loyal and athletic following of men and women. As the sun, sand and surf
culture became popular in the United States and abroad, beach volleyball
continued to increase its support base. By the 1980s, the sport had become
a major participation and promotional event, leading the International
Volleyball Federation to recognise the game as an official discipline of
volleyball in 1986. Ten years later, beach volleyball made its Olympic
Games debut in Atlanta - completing its rapid rise from social recreation
to elite sport status.
· Because of the
many difficulties of playing outdoors, such as the sand, the sun and the
wind, beach volleyball players must have outstanding ball skills and court
speed. Partners must be well matched or opponents will win easy points by
exploiting the weaker player.
· At the Atlanta
Olympic Games, the United States' Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes and Brazil's
Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires won the first Olympic gold medals awarded in
beach volleyball. Kiraly, regarded as the greatest volleyballer ever, had
previously won two Olympic Games gold medals as a six-a-side volleyballer
in Los Angeles in 1984 and in Seoul in 1988.
· For beach
volleyball, matches are played best of three sets using the rally point
system. The first two sets are played to 21 points, with the final tie-breaker
set being played to 15 points. A team must win a set by two points. There
is no ceiling, so a set continues until one of the teams gains a two-point
advantage.
· At Sydney 2000,
preliminary matches were one set played to 15 points, with a ceiling of 17
points (i.e. a team could win a set 17-16). The medal games were best of
three sets to 12 points, with the first two sets having a ceiling of 12
points. The third set to 12 was rally-point, whereby teams score a point
for every rally, regardless of which team served. As well, the third set
has no ceiling - a team had to win by a two-point advantage.
· Sydney 2000 -
There was a men's and women's volleyball event and a men's and women's
beach volleyball event. In volleyball, 12 men's teams of 12 players and 12
women's teams of 12 players competed. In beach volleyball, 24 men's and 24
women's pairs competed.
· Athens 2004 -
Volleyball at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games will feature the same
competitions as Sydney 2000 (men's and women's volleyball and beach
volleyball), with the same number of teams participating (12 men's and 12
women's volleyball teams with 24 men's and 24 women's teams for beach
volleyball). The only significant difference in formats will be that
volleyball will be played in one venue with 3 sessions per day. It is
currently proposed that beach volleyball will be played over 12 days (instead
on 11) including one rest day, with two sessions per day. It is also
proposed to run evening sessions under lights.
·
Beijing 2008 - it is proposed to increase the number of beach volleyball
teams from 24 to 32 for men and
About the
sport - MAJOR FIVB EVENTS
Major Volleyball Events (for men and women):
· World
Championships
- Senior
- Junior
- Youth
· Olympic Games
· World Grand
Champions Cup
· World Cup
· World League
- Annual – men
· World Grand Prix
- Annual – women
Major Beach Volleyball Events (for men and
women):
· World Tour
· World
Championships
- Senior
- Under 21
- Under 18
· Olympic Games
· Goodwill Games
· Challengers
·
Satellites
About
the Sport
The basic skills of beach volleyball are the same as for volleyball,
and the flow of play follows similar lines: one team serves, the other
tries to win the rally - or 'side-out' - with a pattern of dig, set, spike
within the requisite three touches.
Having only two players on a team leads to differences in offence
and defence. There is more shot variety (with half-speed, finesse and
placement shots); blockers take more risks (deciding where to block and
when to pull off the net or back-pedal to play defence); there is greater
mobility in the backcourt (players are not so bound by 'positional'
convention - they are free to move to all areas of the court); and players
need to be adept in all the basic skills.
On the beach, there is no such thing as 'calling subs' if you're
having a bad day. And there are no court-side coaches - players decide
tactics during time-outs.
· Because of the
many difficulties of playing outdoors, such as the sand, the sun and the
wind, beach volleyball players must have outstanding ball skills and court
speed. Partners must be well matched or opponents will win easy points by
exploiting the weaker player.
· At the Atlanta
Olympic Games, the United States' Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes and Brazil's
Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires won the first Olympic gold medals awarded in
beach volleyball. Kiraly, regarded as the greatest volleyballer ever, had
previously won two Olympic Games gold medals as a six-a-side volleyballer
in Los Angeles in 1984 and in Seoul in 1988.
· For beach
volleyball, matches are played best of three sets using the rally point
system. The first two sets are played to 21 points, with the final tie-breaker
set being played to 15 points. A team must win a set by two points. There
is no ceiling, so a set continues until one of the teams gains a two-point
advantage.
· At Sydney 2000,
preliminary matches were one set played to 15 points, with a ceiling of 17
points (i.e. a team could win a set 17-16). The medal games were best of
three sets to 12 points, with the first two sets having a ceiling of 12
points. The third set to 12 was rally-point, whereby teams score a point
for every rally, regardless of which team served. As well, the third set
has no ceiling - a team had to win by a two-point advantage.
· Sydney 2000 -
There was a men's and women's volleyball event and a men's and women's
beach volleyball event. In volleyball, 12 men's teams of 12 players and 12
women's teams of 11 players competed. In beach volleyball, 24 men's and 24
women's pairs competed.
Righty or lefty?
The entire 81sq m of sand is shared by only two players, so teams
tend to divide the court evenly and specialise in playing left or right.
This gives greater consistency in receiving serve and shot selection. It's
also easier to spike a ball that hasn't passed across the line of your
body, which is why left-handers like to play right side and vice versa.
Frontcourt or backcourt?
One player will often take care of all the frontcourt blocking,
while the better defender keeps to the backcourt making digs.
Ways and Means
All players at the elite level carry a 'bag of tricks' to help get
them through every game. Teams that come out and simply blast away at
every ball soon find themselves worn out in the sand and the heat, and
quickly outsmarted by more experienced players. This is why you'll see
such a wide range of shots. Disguised shots, off-speed spikes, 'going on
two' (hitting the second shot over), cut-shots, pokies, chops, rainbows,
loops, jousts - all are part of the beach volleyballer's offensive
repertoire. As for defence: pulling, holding, faking, chasing, diving,
juking … the list goes on. These terms are explained under 'talk the
talk'.
Talk the talk
Ace - Also called a 'spader', this is when a serve hits the sand
without your opponent touching it. Easy to understand; harder to produce.
See also 'hubby wife'.
Block - Beach players must be creative when blocking, often faking one
way and reaching the other to fool their opponents into a poor decision.
Watch for the impressive cat-and-mouse work of Brazil's Jose Loiola, at
the net.
Cut shot
- A soft, spinning shot intended to drop close to the net and the
sideline. An intelligent player has a wide range of cut shots to keep
opponents guessing. Sinjin Smith of the US owed much of his brilliant
career to developing cut shots that looked identical until the moment of
contact, frustrating those who played against him.
Dink or pokey - Since using the fingertips to 'tip' or push the ball is not
allowed in beach volleyball, players use their knuckles instead. This is
usually a soft shot played just over the net or blocker's hands.
Faking or 'Juking'
- A backcourt strategy whereby players show they are heading in one
direction by moving or stepping that way, only to change direction at the
last moment and, hopefully, lure the spiker into playing a shot directly
to them. Sometimes a defender will fake several times before committing to
an area of the court.
Hubby Wife - And you thought your relationship was in trouble! This is a form
of ace that occurs when a ball is served between two players and
indecision causes them both to leave it. As in: "You've got it - I
don't want it - Ace!" Australia's Julien Prosser loves the hubby-wife,
and tells younger players: "When you're in a fiddle … go down the
middle."
Loop or Rainbow - Ideally, this shot will look the same as the cut shot, but at the
last moment is delivered not soft and short, but high and deep to land
just inside - or, preferably, on - the baseline. The idea is to draw the
defenders in short, then 'loop' the ball over their heads.
On Two - When a player unexpectedly hits the ball over the net on the
team's second shot, rather than setting his or her partner as expected. If
well disguised, 'going on two' can be very effective.
Pulling - Sometimes a blocker will elect not to block and will 'pull' back
into court to help play defence instead. This usually occurs when the
spiker is not in a position to spike the ball effectively. All great
blockers must be aware of what's happening through the net to react
quickly.
Roof
- Forming a strong, roof-like block in front of a hard-driven ball
will result in the intended spike being delivered sharply toward the feet
of your opponent. A much sought-after result.
Shank - When forearm passing goes bad. A 'shank' is the act of trying to
pass the ball well, but sending it off into the crowd, instead.
Six-pack - A ball smashing into your opponent's head is a 'six-pack' because,
traditionally, it meant they had to buy you one after the game.
Skyball - A tremendously high (usually underarm) serve that
moves in the wind and hides in the sun, causing difficulty for the
receiving team.
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