The city where the games are held is called the “host city.” Women were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1928. Olympic Sports. The number of sports played at the Olympics changes from year to year. Some of the most popular Summer Olympic sports are swimming, cycling, gymnastics, volleyball and horse riding. Volleyball, game played by two teams, usually of six players on a side, in which the players use their hands to bat a ball back and forth over a high net, trying to make the ball touch the court within the opponents’ playing area before it can be returned. To prevent this a player on the opposing team bats.
![]()
Beach Volleyball is an outdoor sand-based court sport played between two teams of two. The aim of the game is to hit an inflated ball over a net that hangs high at the centre of the court and make it land in the opposition's half.
Beach Volleyball originated in Hawaii around 1915, and began to surface in Europe in the 1930s. Competitions became commonplace over the subsequent decades, and the sport increased in popularity considerably during the eighties.
Beach Volleyball made its first appearance at the Olympics as recently as 1992. It was merely a demonstration event during these games, but was included as an official Olympic sport four years later. It has ever-present in the Olympics since then.
The United States of America and Brazil are the two most successful nations in Olympic volleyball. USA have secured 10 medals overall (6 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) whilst Brazil have picked up 13 (3 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze).
Object of the Game
In Beach Volleyball, the main objective is to hit the ball in a tactical way so that the opposing team cannot return it in a “legal” fashion.
![]()
One team will begin the game by striking the ball over the net, which is known as a “serve”. Both teams will then compete in what is known as a “rally”, where the ball exchanges hands and flies above the net between both sides of the court. A rally finishes when one team cannot return the ball, and a point is marked for the team that forced the error.
The team that reaches 21 points (by two clear points) first is declared the winner of a set, and two set wins are required to emerge victorious in the overall match.
Players & EquipmentCourt
Each Beach Volleyball team consists of two players, and the sport is performed on a sand-based court measuring 26.2 ft square. A net measuring 7 ft 11 inches high is placed at the centre of the court during male matches. In female matches, the net is set at a slightly lower height of 7 ft 4 inches. The posts used on either side of the net are placed an equal distance from each side-line to the post padding.
Ball
The inflated ball used in Beach Volleyball is often a bright colour (white, yellow, orange) and weighs around 9-10 ounces, with 2.5-3.2 lb/sq inches of pressure inside.
Technique
Professional players must practice their serve in order to maximise their chances of winning, learning how to strike the ball hard enough and in the right place so the opposing team cannot return it.
The second most important skill in Beach Volleyball after serving is attacking. Players can “attack” the ball in a variety of different ways, including using different parts of the hand to help the ball land in specific areas of the court (where the opposing team cannot return the ball). The knuckles and fingers are frequently used to help control the speed and direction of the ball.
Defending in Beach Volleyball is all about blocking the ball when it is travelling at distance towards ground in your half of the court. Special “block signals” are used by players as a way to tell their teammates what sort of block they are planning to utilise. These are usually made behind their back, so the other team cannot see what they are about to do. Different types of finger movements are used to indicate different types of blocks. These signals are planned and practiced in advance so communication between teammates is as effective as possible.
Clothing
Since the turn of the millennium, players have been required to wear specific uniforms when participating in a Beach Volleyball match. Females are permitted to wear long-sleeved tops and shorts or a one-piece swimsuit. There remains a high degree of controversy surrounding Beach Volleyball uniforms. Whilst many players prefer shorter, lighter clothing that covers less areas of skin, organisations are hesitant to allow it amid fears that it could be considered “too revealing” by viewers and audiences.
Scoring
In Beach Volleyball, points are scored when a team manages to hit the ball in a certain way so that the opposing team cannot return the ball legally. An illegal return involves hitting the net, hitting the ball too often during one rally (three touches are permitted), or failing to strike the ball at all.
After every 7 points during the first two sets, teams are required to swap ends and move to the other side of the court. They also required to switch to the other side after every 5 points during the third set.
A timeout is held when there is an accumulate total of 21 points scored, like when the score line reads 14-7, for instance.
Winning
In Beach Volleyball, the first team to win two sets is declared the winner. An individual set is won by scoring 21 points – or 15 points in the final set – by two clear points. So, for example, if the score reads 21-20, the set will continue until one team leads by two points (e.g. 24-22)
Rules of Beach Volley Ball
As a court sport, Beach Volleyball involves a number of strict rules, including:
Here is your essay on Volleyball !
Volleyball is a team game which has six players that play on either side of the net. A set of rules decide the score that each team is able to make against the other team. The game begins with a player from one team throwing the ball using hand or arm over the net so that the opposite team can receive it on their court.
The basic rule is to prevent the received ball from hitting the ground so that it can be thrown back to the other team with up to 3 touches from the team. A foul happens if one person from the team touches the ball more than twice (double-hit) while it’s on their side of the net. Also, a team scores a point by throwing the call across the net to the other team’s side such that it hits the ground directly or the player fails to send it back over the net.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Thus there are basically two ways to score a point-a) one is by throwing the ball on the ground of the opponent team passing over the net b) another is if the opponent team is unable to render the ball back into the court of serving team.
Volleyball is played in different variations in different parts. There are some rules for the serve in the game of volleyball. 1) The ball has to be served underhand or overhand. 2) The player who serves the ball must stand behind the end line on his/her side of the court while making the serve.3) the served ball must cross the net and reach the opponent side. 4) The ball has to be clearly visible to the opponent team.
Similarly there are rules for rotation. 1) Teams change sides as the other team wins the serve.2) Clockwise rotation of the players happens
The minimum number of players on each side for a game is 4 while the maximum is 6. Indoor and outdoor are two variations of volleyball game. Outdoor volleyball is also played as beach volleyball on the beach. Indoor volleyball has six players in each team while beach volleyball has even two persons in each team.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Here are some things to avoid when playing the game:
1. Touching the net when playing is counted a foul.
2. Do not place your foot on the back line when serving the ball called as foot fault.
3. One person from the team should not touch the ball more than twice also known as double hit.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
4. Pushing the ball is not allowed.
5. Catching and throwing the ball is not allowed when playing.
6. The ball should not touch the ground on the opponent’s side without crossing over the net.
Spiking, blocking, passing, setting and positions of the players for defense are some techniques used while playing the game of volleyball. There are disputes over the origin of the game. While the game evolved in 1900, the rules were set first in Philippines in 1916. In order to promote this game, the American Expeditionary Forces distributed close to 16000 volleyballs in 1919 amongst their troops and allies. Canada was the first country after United States to adopt this game. Summer Olympics included the Beach Volleyball variation of volleyball played on sand with only two team members in either team in year 1964.
Rules of the game also evolved with time. Score points changed from 21 to 15 and also before 1999 only the team that served the ball could make a score. But later this changed to current scoring system where rally point system was adopted. Also the dimensions of the court are important for someone to know who is interested in the game of volleyball. The court is 18m long with a width of 9m. The net divides the court into two equal squares 9m X 9m in size. The net is placed such that the top of it is 2.43 m above ground. At 3 m on either side of the court a line is drawn which separates the playing area of the team into front row and back row.
Some recent rule changes to the game include the serves to be allowed wherein the ball enters the opponent’s court after touching the net. Expansion of the sidelines so that the player can move and serve from anywhere behind the end lines is another key change in the game rules. Multiple contacts are now allowed for a single player while trying to pass the ball to the opponent’s court instead of the double –hit rule that was followed previously.
![]() Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |