Until the early 1930s, volleyball was not given due attention to leisure and recreation on the world stage. The history of the volleyball game on different continents is not the same, because different rules of the game existed in different parts of the world. However, national championships were played in many countries (for example, in Eastern Europe, where the level was quite high). Thus, volleyball became an increasingly competitive sport, characterized by high physical and technical activities. How did it all begin?
Volleyball Father William G. Morgan
The ancestor of the now popular game was born in 1870 in the city of Lockport, New York, where he spent his childhood years attending a public school and working on his father’s boat on the banks of the Erie Old Canal. In 1891, fate brought the young Morgan with James A. Naismith, who was destined to become the ancestor of basketball. After graduating from a preparatory school in Northfield, Morgan continued his education at the International Young Male Christian Association (YMCA) in Springfield (now Springfield College). In Springfield, a young talent, honing his athletic skills, took part in the college’s famous football team led by Alonzo A. Stagg, one of the Grand Masters of Football. In 1894, after graduating from school, Morgan agreed with the proposal of the director of the association and assumed a similar trainer position in Holyoke , Massachusetts. It was at this time that the story of volleyball was laid. Briefly, it is thanks to James A. Naismith that Morgan got a chance to light his star in the sports field.
A game for middle-aged people?
In 1895, before the director William. G. Morgan faced a dilemma: people of any age should receive sports skills and training in the required volume, but the newly-found basketball game has become popular only among children. For local middle-aged businessmen, she was too tense, as she took up a lot of energy and did not allow her to relax. Morgan faced the challenge - you need to come up with such physical exercises that you can play with pleasure after work, and during the lunch break. As Morgan himself defined the problem statement: “The game must be with a strong athletic impulse, but without physical aggressive contact.”
Then he decided to create a symbiosis of several games, take the best and do something new; it is this development path that the game’s history has passed. Volleyball includes elements of basketball (ball), tennis (net), handball (using manual ball feed from a long distance), baseball (pitch concept). All skills were successfully embodied in the Mintonet game, as it was then called by the creator himself. And although at first the recognition of the game was incomplete, it was nevertheless successful enough to win an audience at the YMCA sports conference of directors held in Springfield.
The history of volleyball states that it was at this conference that Dr. Alfred Halstead, a professor at Sprinfield College, proposed the word “volleyball” as the name of the game.
Amendments and revisions to the rules
A lot of changes went through the history of volleyball, so that the game reaches us in the way we know it now. As already mentioned, first of all, the original name of the game itself has changed. Agree, it would be difficult to imagine Karcha Kirali (American volleyball player, 3-time Olympic champion in classic and beach volleyball) playing a minton on the beach! The number of players was also changed: initially, the team was allowed to have as many players as could fit on a half of a 10x5 meter platform, namely nine people. However, after innovations, the number decreased to 6 people in the team.
Early games at the Morgan gym were played with a rubberized ball. But already in 1896, the sports company "Spalding" released the first official volleyball, and by 1900 the standard shape and weight of the ball were almost identical to the dimensions that are used today.
The grid was significantly higher than in modern games to make volleyball a more difficult task . The rules of the game and the history of development have since changed significantly. Today, the height of the net is 2.43 m and a little over 2.24 m for women. In accordance with the original rules of volleyball, the team had to score 21 points in order to win, and in 1917 this number was reduced to 15. Also in 1922 the number of allowed touches of the ball was limited to three.
Volleyball outside the USA
Despite the fact that the history of the emergence of volleyball formed rather slowly during the first few years, it quickly spread beyond America thanks to representatives of the sports association, who often attended missionary schools in Asia. The game in a short time took pride of place among the oriental games, and already in 1913, volleyball took root in Russia. During the international competition that began in 1950, Russia was the dominant team and showed excellent results. In Europe, everywhere became interested in volleyball during the First World War.
In 1913, the history of volleyball developed productively on the Asian continent, it was in this year that the game was included in the program of the first Far Eastern games organized in Manila. It should be noted that for a long time in Asia they played according to outdated rules, which implied a team of 16 players (for more people and to popularize the game).
Sports gained the most popularity after the official governing bodies and representative offices were created. In 1928, the United States Volleyball Association arose, in 1947. it was renamed the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). In 1949, the first men's championship was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Popularity metrics
Volleyball player growth rates have steadily increased, as described in a 1916 article written by Robert K. Kabbun with the participation of Spalding. According to Kabbun, the number of players reached a total of 200,000, of which youth groups are distributed as follows: in the YMCA (boys, boys and seniors) - 70,000 people, in the YWCA (girls and women) - 50,000 people. in schools (boys and girls) - 25,000 people. and in colleges (young men) 10,000 people.
In 1916, the YMCA was able to trigger a massive increase in the popularity of the game among students at the National University Sports Association (NCAA) by publishing a code of practice and a series of articles on volleyball.
From the gym to the sand
In 1940, a different style of playing volleyball developed. Teams of two or four players competed in improvised competitions on the sandy beaches of California, and soon the best teams began to ride up or down the coast to meet in fights with other teams. The first beach volleyball tournament was held in California in 1948.
The main success for beach volleyball came after television broadcasted the championship at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The game's history was marked by the stunning success of the FIVB Swatch World Tour, and beach volleyball opened up a whole new road to the international level.
Beach volleyball
The Beach Volleyball Association was founded in 1965 with the goal of delimiting and standardizing rules and holding official tournaments. By 1976, the best players competed for the prize pool as recognized athletes; in 1983, the male players formed the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP). The best volleyball players compete for the prize pool as recognized athletes. Women created their own association in 1986.
When the Olympic stars of volleyball began to hold competitions on the beaches, this sport became even more popular. Beach volleyball has spread from California to Florida, and then to other states, even those that do not have beaches. In some areas, they played indoors in sand arenas. By 1993, beach volleyball had become so popular in the United States that tournaments were broadcast on national television.
In 1987, the first international match between two men's teams (volleyball) took place. Women played the first tournament of their kind in 1993.
Gold awards
It quickly became apparent that volleyball fell in love not only with middle-aged men, as originally conceived, but also with young girls. The first American national volleyball championships for women were played in 1949, 54 years after the birth of the game. The first international competition in Moscow for women was held in 1952.
Today, men's and women's competitions in classic and beach volleyball are part of the Olympic Games. For the first time, the Olympic sport became in 1964 in Japan. The host country, Japan and the Soviet Union, met in the finals as leaders, and Soviet athletes took gold in the women's category. The Soviet Union also had an advantage in the men's volleyball category, after winning the first Olympic Games, our athletes won medals in each of the next five games. The US men's volleyball team managed to win in 1984 and 1988.
The history of the emergence and development of volleyball in the sand appeared much later than the classic game. Beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in Atlanta only in 1996 (in a tournament between the USA, Brazil and Australia).
Over the past decade, the game has received a new round of development in the sports arena: international competitions of such tournaments as the FIVB World Championship, World League, World Grand Prix Championship, Olympic Games have been very successful.
Volleyball of Russia
Despite the fact that volleyball was invented in America, in Russia the game quickly took root and fell in love. And so much so that in Germany she was nicknamed Russian folk. And no wonder, because it was the Russian champions who gave the game unique properties: maneuverability, athleticism, speed. Back in the 1920s, with the participation of American coaches, volleyball teams were organized in some Russian cities, and in 1922 they became interested in this sport in Moscow and included it in the training program. Young athletes everywhere began to compete in this sport. In all the republics of the Soviet Union, the game has earned recognition, especially after its inclusion in the sports day. Soviet champions took gold 4 times in world cups, 6 times became winners of international championships and 12 times winners of Europe.
After the collapse of the USSR, the history of volleyball in Russia does not end there. In 1991, the All-Russian Volleyball Federation was created, which retained the knowledge of Soviet instructors. In 1993, the men's team takes part in the World League, where it holds an honorable second place. In the same year, athletes in Turku receive a bronze medal at an intercontinental tournament. This is followed by a streak of failures until 1999, when the team has coach G. Ya. Shipulin, with whom the team receives a silver medal in the European tournament and wins the World Cup. The path to the laurels was very difficult, because the Russian team was opposed by the strongest teams from Holland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Greece, Yugoslavia. Volleyball of Russia bloomed again only in 2002, when the team earned a victory in the World League.
The following competitions - the World Championships and the Beijing Olympics - were marked by good results during the game and defeats in the last decisive tournaments, but nevertheless bronze steadily accompanied the athletes. The years 2012-2013 are marked by new stellar victories for Russia - at the 2012 Olympic Games and the European Championship.
Volleyball history in numbers. The most significant events and dates
1895: William G. Morgan (1870-1942) creates a volleyball game.
1896: A volleyball ball is developed and launched into production.
1922: The first national championships were held in Brooklyn, New York, which was attended by 27 teams from 11 countries.
1928: It becomes clear that tournaments and rules are necessary. The American Volleyball Association is being formed.
1930s: The birth of beach volleyball on the beaches of Santa Monica, California.
1934: Approval and recognition of national volleyball referees.
1947: The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) was founded; The history and rules of volleyball are officially documented .
1948: first beach tournament.
1949: international championships in Prague.
1964: Volleyball is listed at the Tokyo Olympics.
1965: Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) formed.
1983: Creation of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP).
1996: Beach Volleyball debuted as an Olympic sport.
1997: Dane Blanton becomes the first African-American professional beach soccer player to win the Miller Lite / AVP.
2007: Karch Kirali leaves a stellar career, leaving behind an unforgettable mark. Kirali is already the story of volleyball. We can briefly say about his achievements that he won tournaments for 24 years, his team reached the semifinals in more than 75% of all the championships in which he took part.