Volleyball is a popular team game. It is also an Olympic sport. Volleyball is played in many countries throughout the world. It was created by an American called William Morgan in the year 1895.

Volleyball is played by two teams consisting of 6 players each. It is played in an area called court. A standard Volleyball court is 9 meters wide and 18 meters long. The court is divided into two equal halves. Both the halves are divided by a net in between. The ball is a round one made of leather. The object of the game is to hit the ball into to opposing team’s half. A point is scored if the opposing team is not able to hit the ball back. The techniques used by Volleyball players include passes, blocks, attacks, digs, and serve. A serve is a very important technique of a Volleyball game. There are many serving techniques in Volleyball.

Object of a good serve is preventing the opponents from returning the ball. Pass is a technique by which the ball is kept in play. Maximum points are won in Volleyball with the use of an Attack. Normally, attacks are initiated by jumps. Volleyball players use various combinations of attacks. Blocking techniques are used to thwart attacks. Physical fitness is of paramount importance for Volleyball players. It is game of stamina and endurance. The attackers need to do a lot of jumping. Volleyball is also a popular recreational sport. It is played all over the world for fun as well as maintaining physical fitness. It is a team sport and a great level of team work is also required to succeed in this sport. Generally, a number of passes within the team set up an effective attack.

Volleyball is also a mind game. Successful Volleyball teams apply strategies. Players are given specializations depending on their skills. Some of them are defenders, some are attackers. Defensive specialists are called Liberos. The task of Middle blockers or Middle hitters is to execute fast attacks to surprise the opponents. The teams also use strategic formations to outsmart the opponents. Formations too can be offensive or defensive. Formations signify the inclinations of the teams.

Volleyball was officially included as an Olympic sport in the 1964 Olympic Games. Since then, this sport has been a regular feature in the Olympic Games. The Soviet Union has been a dominant in this sport for a long time in both Men’s and Women’s Volleyball. Over the years, Japan and Brazil have produced strong teams to compete with the European teams like Poland, Italy etc. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, many new teams emerged and the competition has become more and more stiff. Asian teams like China too have been able to make their presence felt in the International Volleyball scene.