William G. Morgan might have been a sports innovator, but he wasn't a picky man. After inventing volleyball in 1895, he wrote the first rules in 1897. The size of the court and the number of players were flexible, depending on what was "convenient to the place." There were no rules for substitutions, uniforms or the number of contacts allowed per side. Even the rules that were in place, such as the height of the net, the scoring and the serve, have been rewritten to give us one of the most popular games in the world today.
The Court
As long as space allowed, the first rules called for a volleyball court to be 25 feet wide and 50 feet long. A net, which was 6 feet, 6 inches off the ground, divided the court in half. Other than the out-of-bounds lines, which were to be "plainly marked so as to be visible from all parts of the court," the only other marks on the court were the dribbling lines, which were parallel to the net, and four feet in front of it on both sides.
The Serve
Like today's game, the first volleyball games started with a serve. Unlike today, each server got two chances to put the ball in play. The original rules also allowed for a server's teammate to contact the ball to help get it over the net.
The Scoring
Like baseball, the first volleyball game was scheduled for nine innings. An inning of volleyball consisted of each player getting a serving opportunity. Only the serving team could score a point, and a server continued serving until the receiving team won the rally, called "server out."
The Game
Dribbling, but not how we think of it in basketball or soccer, was a key skill in the 1897 version of the game. Morgan defined "dribbling" as "to carry (the ball) all the time, keeping it bouncing." If a player dribbled the ball over the dribbling line, it was out of play. Players were not allowed to hold the ball or to touch the net. If a ball was hit into the net, it was out of play. Balls hit on or beyond the boundary lines also were considered out of play.
Sportsmanship
Although we may think athletes of the 1800s were more genteel, Morgan felt the need to include a rule about sportsmanship. The penalties for those who didn't obey were harsh. If a player made "slurring remarks" at the umpire or his opponents, he could be disqualified and his team would have to either play without a substitute or forfeit the game.
Impact
From those primitive rules, one of the world's most popular sports evolved. Today, volleyball is played on a court that is 18 meters long and 9 meters wide. The court is divided in half by a net that is 2.43 meters high for men and 2.24 meters for women. Each team can play six players at a time and can contact the ball a maximum of three times. Servers get only one shot at it and there is no dribbling. But if you look closely at those 1897 rules, you can see the basis for the game that today is played by millions throughout the world.
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