Volleyball and Handball: Essential Rules and Game History
Volleyball: History and Origins
Games similar to volleyball have probably been played since the earliest of times. In Greece, 2,000 years ago, young men played episkyros and phaininda, using various types of balls.
Modern volleyball was invented in 1895 in Massachusetts, drawing inspiration from other sports. It originally incorporated:
- The action of batting the ball from baseball.
- Passes hit with the hand from handball.
- The net from tennis.
- The ball’s inner bladder from basketball.
During World War I, U.S. troops spread volleyball throughout Europe. It became an Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games in 1964.
Objective of Volleyball
The object of the game is to ground the ball on the opponent’s side of the net or to force them to hit the ball out of court. Each time this happens, a point is won. Each team has 6 players: 3 front-court players and 3 back-court (defender) players.
Fundamental Volleyball Rules
Rules relating to player position, ball contact, and serving:
Player Position and Rotation
The rotation rule balances the strengths of the teams. When a team recovers the serve, its members rotate one position clockwise.
Playing the Ball
The ball can be touched with any part of the body, provided it is not held or caught in any way.
Serving Rules
It is not a fault if the served ball grazes the upper edge of the net and passes into the opponent’s court (a “let serve”).
Key Volleyball Techniques
Service (Serve)
The serve is used to put the ball in play, sending it to the opponent’s court with speed and precision. It allows a direct point to be scored or aims to hamper the opposing team’s game. The ball is typically given a parabolic trajectory.
Dig or Underarm Pass
This is the pass used to receive the ball coming from a serve or attack. The speed of the ball slows down by being bumped with the forearms. It is used when the trajectory of the ball is tight, low, or sent wide.
The Set (Setting the Ball)
The set is normally used as the second contact when a player sends the ball to a teammate to carry out an attack shot (spike). It is used with balls traveling along a parabolic curve.
Smash (Spike)
Smashing means driving or spiking the ball into the opponent’s court with one hand so that the other team cannot intercept it or finds it difficult to do so.
Defensive Skills: Blocking
The block involves intercepting the trajectory of the smash with your hands to stop the ball or reduce its speed. It is performed at the upper edge of the net, reaching over the net into the opponent’s side of the court.
Handball: History and Gameplay
Many countries lay claim to the origin of handball, as a number of similar games were being played at the end of the 19th century in various European countries. For example, in Czechoslovakia, they played hazena, and in Germany, torball. Modern handball was originally played with 11 players.
Objective of Handball
The objective of the game is to put the ball into the opposing team’s goal. Whenever this happens, a goal is scored, and the team that scores the most goals is the winner.
Key Handball Rules
Duration of the Game
A match is typically played in two periods (30 minutes each) with a 10-minute break. A referee may intervene if a team appears to be deliberately avoiding scoring a goal (passive play).
Playing the Ball
A player commits a fault if they:
- Take more than three steps holding the ball without bouncing it (dribbling).
- Hold the ball in their hands for more than three seconds.
- Touch the ball with their knees or below (except the goalkeeper in the goal area).
Contact and Free Throws
The free throw is awarded for minor fouls and is taken from the spot where the foul was committed. The shot can be taken by any player and in any direction.
Penalty Shots (7-Meter Throw)
A penalty shot is a direct shot at goal taken from the 7-meter line. The penalty is awarded if a defensive player commits a foul in the goal area or deliberately passes the ball to their own goalkeeper in the goal area.