by Nick Frontera

Created on: July 07, 2009   Last Updated: July 08, 2009

For one-hundred-fourteen years the world grew older as we watched the game of volleyball transform from youthfulness to a blossomed activity. From the beginning of this beloved game, it grew from mintonette to volleyball, simplicity to complexity, a six foot net to an eight foot net, unknown to popular. Volleyball, however, was a very different game in 1895 as it is now, for it has changed since its origin. But what exactly was volleyball like in the beginning of its life?

The game was created, as stated before, in 1895, and by a man of the name of William Morgan who was an instructor at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He visualized a game combining elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball, in order to ensure the minimal of physical contact. With this, he devised a game called mintonette, obviously later to be changed. The original net was about six feet and the idea of the game was to hit the ball back and forth. When men realized they were volleying the ball, the name was switched then to volleyball.

Morgan got the net idea from tennis, the hitting of the ball from basketball, the passing of the ball from handball. However, the baseball undertone established to the game was actually the nine innings. Volleyball originally had nine innings. In every inning, each team was allowed three serves, and the game eventually ended after fifty-four serves. The game changed from that to what we know today. If a team ends the volleying, the other team serves and you must serve to score. The first to twenty-one points wins. That was quickly changed from twenty-one point to fifteen in the year of 1917, but again changed back to twenty-one, as it is known today.

Also, the skills of athletes have also changed. Needless to say, at the start of the sport, players were very unprofessional in how they played the game. As they became more experienced, though, they would learn and think of new ways to trick the other team. They would think of techniques to become offensively better. The competition of being the best lead to new ways in winning. The famous bump, set, spike started because of this. It was first used by the Philippines in 1916. They realized that setting the ball at a high trajectory would in turn lead another player to hit it with immense force at an awkward angle (spiking). In later years, also, serving styles would also increase the effectiveness of a team.

Volleyball has grown not only in rules and techniques, but also at a global perspective. Championships started, which demanded referees. It was also taking on a new look. The more popular form of volleyball took off in 1930; beach volleyball. It occurred in a sandy court occupied by four men, two on each team. This would eventually lead to millions of Americans each day hitting the beach and playing the most frequently played summer game. Volleyball also was looked at at the highest recognition of sports. In 1964, the sport was introduced to the Olympic games, held in Tokyo. Since this point, volleyball has been one of the most watched sports in the Olympics.

Every sport has minute origins, as volleyball did, but that doesn't mean it can't pick up momentum. Quickly, volleyball gained worldwide recognition and has become one of the most loved sports of all time. And to think that at the very root of this culture-changing sport was only an idea in the brain, that transformed to a simple game, to a popular sport.

Learn more about this author, Nick Frontera.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.