Volleyball

In the second half of 1895, a game called Mintonette was developed by William G. Morgan, a gentle alternative to basketball. In early 1896 the game was introduced and the name Volley Ball suggested and accepted. Volleyball then spread all over the world.

Volleyball is a competitive racquet game played indoors by 2 teams, each with 6 players. The ball is played over the net, which bisects the playing field. This is done in such a way that the opponent cannot legally continue the rally. Each mistake is counted as a point and results in task changes and line-up changes. A set counts up to 25 points, three won sets result in victory.

The volleyball field is 18 m long and 9 m wide, so that each team plays on a 9 x 9 m field. At a distance of three meters from the net, the lines of attack are parallel to the center line. Normally, the tasks in a team are divided between 2 middle blockers, 2 outside attackers and (depending on the tactical game system) 2 players or 1 player and 1 diagonal player.

The leading nations are currently Brazil, Italy, Serbia, China and Russia. The international federation, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was founded in 1947. The European association, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV), has existed since 1963. The German Association (DVV) has existed since 1955.

The German champions have been determined in the Bundesliga since 1957. World championships have been held since 1949 for men and since 1952 for women. Volleyball has been an Olympic discipline since 1964. The variant of beach volleyball was officially recognized by the FIVB in 1986 and has been part of the Olympic program since 1996.