Volleyball has changed significantly since its invention in 1895. The sport, originally called "mintonette" by its inventor, William G. Morgan, has evolved from a recreational sport played at YMCAs to an internationally popular competitive sport. Volleyball made its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 1964. Spectators familiar with volleyball today might not recognize the sport in its earlier incarnations.
Invention
Volleyball was invented only four years after basketball, and both sports were invented in Massachusetts. Dr. James Naismith invented basketball while working at the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA in 1891. Morgan had met Naismith when he was a student at the Springfield YMCA. Morgan then went on to invent volleyball at a YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Naismith and Morgan went to the Spalding & Bros. firm to request the development of a new ball specific to their sport.
Early Scoring System
A match consisted of nine innings, like a baseball game, according to Morgan's original volleyball rules. Every player got to serve at least once in each inning. After nine innings, the team with the most points won the match. The innings system only lasted until 1900, when players began to use the side-out scoring system that remained the standard in volleyball until the 1990s. In side-out scoring, teams could only win points on their own serve. In 1998, FIVB, the International Volleyball Federation, adopted rally scoring, in which teams could win points on their own serve and on the opponent's serve. The NCAA followed suit and adopted rally scoring in 2001.
Early Rules
Morgan's original volleyball rules allowed an unlimited number of players to participate. The server had two chances to make a good serve, like in tennis. The original rules also allowed players to dribble the ball within 4 feet of the net. Many of the sport's most important rules did not appear until decades after its invention. The National Collegiate Athletic Association limited the number of players on a team to six in 1918, and limited the number of hits a team could make to three in 1922.
Modern Contact Rules
Volleyball rules used to prohibit players from contacting the ball with any part of the body below the waist. Modern USAV and NCAA rules now permit players to hit the ball with any part of the body, including the foot, as long as they do not catch or throw the ball.
References
- International Volleyball Federation: The Volleyball Story
- International Volleyball Federation: Olympic Volleyball
- Todd's Volleyball: Original Volleyball Rules
- Notre Dame Sports Observer: Volleyball -- NCAA Enacts Scoring Change
- Volleyball: History of Volleyball
- USAV: Domestic Competition Regulations
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