‘Mintonette’ does this ring a bell? Do you know that Volleyball was earlier called as ‘Mintonette’.Volleyball was invented by William G Morgan, an American in the year 1895. It was specially designed as an indoor game. Today it is one of the most popular sport in the world. Brazil is the number one country in volleyball. Russia is second, Serbia and Cuba is next. It’s a team sport of six players. So many variant of volleyball sport has been developed over the years in different parts of the world. Let us see the different forms of volleyball –
Snow Volleyball
It is a different variant of volleyball that is played on snow. It originated in Europe in the 1900s. The rules are the same as beach volleyball.
Indoor Volleyball
Indoor volleyball is the common variety of volleyball that is played today all around the world. It’s called the traditional type of volleyball as the game was meant to be indoor.
Beach Volleyball
This variant of volleyball was supposed to have originated in Hawaii. It is one of the most common variety of volleyball. It’s more of the recreational and fun variety of the game. It involves 2 players per team. The volleyballs used in this variant are more flexible and water resistant. The volleyball ball is slightly larger with rougher exterior and less internal air pressure.
Sepak Takraw
This is a common game in Thailand. The game is played in a rectangular court with a net in the middle. Here the ball cannot be touched by hand. All other body parts can be used to make contact with the ball.
Footvolley
This variant of volleyball is a mix of soccer and beach volley. It originated in Brazil in the 1960s. Here again players cannot use arms and hand to touch the volleyball. All other rules are similar to beach volleyball.
Wallyball
Wallyball is a fast paced sport that is very similarly to volleyball, where it is legal to hit the ball off of the wall. In some places, this sport is known as the rebound volleyball. This sport was invented in Calabasas, by Joe Garcia in the year 1979.
Bossaball
Just like volleyball, it is team sport where the players try to hit the ball into the opponent’s court to score. This game originated in Brazil by Belgian Filip Eyckmans in 2005. It’s a sport that is integrated with volleyball, football and gymnastics along with music.
Jokgu
It is a game that combines football and volleyball. It’s very popular in Korea. The main goal is to drop the ball in the opponent’s side of the court. The same rules of volleyball is followed here, only feet and sometimes head is used to kick the ball over the net, that is placed in the middle of the court.
Volleyball ball has three parts.
- The outer covering
- The core(bladder)
- Panels
- Cover materials:
Cover material is usually made of leather. It is considered ideal for professional players, suitable for indoor courts and wooden courts.
- The core:
The core of the ball is called its bladder. It is usually made of rubber so that they are light on the hand and easily move through the air.
- The panels:
The volleyballs are round and traditionally consists of 18 rectangular panels that may be either glued to the inner lining or it may be secured to the inner lining by stitching it.
Volleyball size
Volleyball usually comes in two sizes. Youth and adult.
Youth and adult volleyball are slightly different.
Number of players – 6 players on the court during play.
Size of volleyball –
| Volleyball size | Circumference of the volleyball | Weight of the volleyball | Air pressure |
| Youth | 25 – 26 inches 63 – 65 cm | 260 – 280 g | 0.30 kgf/cm square |
| Adult | 25.5 – 26.5 inches 25.5 – 26.5 cm | 260 – 280 g | 0.30 – 0.325 kg/cm square |
The type of volleyball used for the sport also depends on the age of the players. So take care of the age factor, for purchasing the right Volleyball.
| Players | Volleyball |
| Below the age of 8 years | Light weight and oversized volleyball |
| 8 – 12 years | Light weight official size volleyball |
| 13 years and above | Official size volleyball |
Players under 8 years of age, should preferably use light weight and oversized volleyball.
Children are just developing their skill and need to use light weight ball. This would also avoid injuries and make learning fun.
Players of 8 – 12 years, should preferably use official size and light weight volleyball.
They need to develop the hand eye coordination and all the basic skills for playing volleyball games. They need to develop the strength and stamina for hitting the serve.
Players who are 13 and above should use official size and regular weight volleyball.
By thirteen children would have acquired the necessary basic skill. They would need to just hone their skills and master some basic skills and put them into regular practice.
| Volleyball | Circumference | Weight |
| Standard indoor | 65 – 67 cm 25.5 – 26.5 inches | 260 – 280 g |
| Youth indoor | 63 – 65 cm 25 – 26 inches | 260 – 280 g |
| Outdoor/Beach | 66 – 68 cm 26 – 27 inches | 260 – 280 g |
Best is Wilson soft play volleyball,
Mikasa squish volleyball is the softest volleyball and light weight. It’s good for warm up games. It is suitable for indoor, outdoor and swimming pool as well.
When learning the basics of volleyball, beginners learn the underhand serve first, then the overhand serve, then topspin and then the jump serve.
Volleyball of Size 4, is about 18 – 20 cm in diameter. It is specially used for training,
Volleyball of size 5, is about 20 – 22 cm in diameter and used for official matches.
Nivia, Cosco Acclaim, Cosco Hi Power volleyball are best for beginners. Nivia Sports is an Indian sports equipment manufacturing company based in Jalandhar, Punjab, India, under the banner of Freewill Sports Private Ltd.
Mikasa MVA 200 is used in Olympics and for FIVB’s professional matches. Mikasa VUL 500 is light weight and used for official training and indoor play. They have soft exterior.
Net height for Volleyball
Men and women volleyball’s net is of different size. Men’s Volleyball’s net height is 7’11 5/8 whereas women’s volleyball’s net is 7’4 1/8’.
In general the volleyball’s ball should be hard and pressurized well so that it bounces off the hand well at a good speed so that basic skills can be executed with better flight stability.
Volleyball maybe washed with water. If the dirt is not removed a mild detergent may be used with water. It needs to be later dried with a dry cloth.
Indoor volleyball is a game of power and those balls that are heavier move faster. Beach volleyballs are soft, lighter and a bit bigger than indoor ones. Light weight allows them to float in air and make good use of the wind to their advantage.
Women official size is 20.7 – 21.3 cm in diameter and 65 – 67 cm in circumference and weight is 260 – 280 g with an air pressure of 29.4 – 31.8 kpa( 4.26 – 4.61 psi).
The volleyball that is right for you would depend on your age, gender, and playing level. Depending on the. Basic volleyball skills are volleyball passing, serving and setting, hit, block and dig. These skills can be practiced on your own, at home or on the ground. So buy the right product for the best price. Check out the best one for your budget.
These are some of the best Volleyballs that you will find at our Shop page
Take your pick :
- Cosco Acclaim Volleyball size 4
- Cosco Super Volleyball size 4
- Nivia Air Strike Volleyball size 4
- Nivia Classic Volleyball size 4
- Nivia G – 2020 Volleyball size 4
- Nivia Kross World Volleyball size 4
- Nivia Spikester Volleyball size 4
- Nivia Spot Volleyball
- Spartan Super Volleyball
- Spartan India King 32 Volleyball
- Spartan Lotus Volleyball
All sports equipment related to cricket, football, basketball, Carom boards, chess boards, yoga mats and skipping ropes are also available with ‘THE TIDKES’. Do visit our retail store, TT SPORTS, at Akola, Maharashtra to find a wide range of sports products and accessories. We are authorized distributors of Cosco, Yonex, Nivia, Spartan, SS, Tennex, Konex and many more Indian and global brands.
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