Game Characteristics Volleyball.docx

VOLLEYBALL GAME CHARACTERISTICS Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net.To score points,each team tries to ground the ball on the opponents court under proper rules. Since Tokyo 1964, it has been part of the Summer Olympic Games official program. The full rules are extensive, but playing proceeds simply as follows: a player on one of the teams starts a ' rally ' by serving the ball (throwing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm), from behind the court's back boundary line, over the net, and into the court of the receiving team. The receiving team must not allow the ball to be grounded within their court. The team may touch the ball up to 3 times, but the ball may not be touched twice in a row by individual players. The first two touches are typically used to set up an attack, an attempt to direct the ball back over the net in such a way that the serving team cannot prevent it from being grounded in their court. The rally continues, with each team allowing as many as three consecutive touches, until either a team makes a “kill”, grounding the ball on the court of the opponent and winning the rally, or a team is committing a fault and loses the rally. A point is awarded to the team that wins the rally and serves the ball to begin the next rally. Some of the most common faults are making the ball touch the ground or floor outside the courts of the opponents or without passing the net first, Catch and throw the ball ; double hit: two consecutive ball contacts made by the same player, Four consecutive ball contacts made by the same team ; net foul: net touch during play,and foot fault which is where the foot crosses over the boundary line when serving. Usually the ball is played with hands or arms, but players with any part of the body can legally strike or push the ball (short contact). In volleyball, a number of consistent techniques have evolved, including spiking and blocking (because these plays are made above the top of the net, the vertical jump is an athletic skill highlighted in the sport) as well as passing, setting and specializied offensive and defensive structures, and player positions