Volleyball in Hawaii in 1920’s
Volleyball was born on February 9, 1895. So, since all time zones took their turns, it is time to officially say Happy Birthday to this beautiful sport that was founded in the city where the International Hall of Fame is located – in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA. Volleyball was created by William G. Morgan, a YMCA (The Young Men’s Christian Association) physical education director.
Here are some facts about volleyball:
- It was called „mintonette“ until 1896.
- At first, the net was 1.98 m high, while court dimensions were 7.6 m × 15.2 m, with various number of players involved in a game and unlimited number of touches.
- A match was played to 21 points (until 1917 when it started to be played to 15 points), composed of 9 innings with 3 serves for each team in each inning.
- At first, it was played only at the U.S. and Canadian YMCA’s before the United States Armed Forces, sent to Europe to help fight World War I, spread it to the allied countries.
- It took today’s playing rules (set, spike, three hits, back-row hit…) in the Philippines between 1916-1920.
- It was created as a pastime and took the highly competitive form only after the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) was established, in 1947.
- Premiere World Championship was held in 1949 (Men) and 1952 (Women).
- It was officially included in the Olympics program for the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
- Current rally point system that replaced side-out scoring system was introduced in 1999.
- Libero position (a player specialized in defense, wearing a different jersey that the rest of the team) was established in 1998.
Watch other interesting old videos by visiting section Vintage Volleyball.
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