Introduction to Volleyball

From Beach Volleyball at the Olympics to the European Nations League and the FIVB World Grand Prix, there’s a lot of variety in the lively, competitive sport. One of the best sights in volleyball is the extended rallies, with players digging out miraculous saves before firing a spectacular hit to score.

Volleyball is played on a court split on the halfway line by a net that stands around 7 feet off the ground. This creates an important element of the game, with players having to jump to get above it for scoring attempts.

The objective of volleyball is to get the ball to hit the floor in bounds on the opposition’s side of the court, as that grounding earns a point. Volleyball, at its core, is a very accessible sport for all ages, right from the recreational level in local communities to the pro leagues and top international levels both on indoor and beach courts worldwide.

History of Volleyball

Volleyball originated in the USA by William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Taking some inspiration from the competitive and physical world of basketball, volleyball was designed out of a want for a gentler activity, which was something welcomed by the YMCA, who helped spread the activity across the country.

The game rapidly seeped north of the border into Canada and in 1907, as the first official rules of volleyball were published, volleyball spread to places like Asia and South America. The current governing body for the sport, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was formed in 1947 and standardised the sport’s rules.

This helped with the organisation of international tournaments, boosting the sport’s popularity. Volleyball made its way into the Olympics for the first time in 1964 at the Tokyo Games, and in 1996, Beach volleyball made its way to the Games for the first time. 

Basic Rules of Volleyball

Volleyball rules have changed throughout its long history, from varying net heights to blocking rules. However, the concept of the sport has stayed much the same – the chase for points by grounding the ball on the other side of the net.

Each point begins with the serve, which has to come from behind the baseline. This allows players to take running jumps to generate extra speed and spin on the ball. The team receiving the ball has up to three touches to get the ball back over the net. 

Any part of the body can be used, but it’s usually arms and hands used for control. Players can’t catch the ball, and the point is over when the ball hits the ground, goes out of bounds or into the net.

The usual order of play for a team receiving the ball starts with a ‘bump’, which is the initial contact keeping the ball alive. Then comes the ‘set’, which positions the ball for an attack, and then the ‘spike’, which is the scoring attempt. 

Volleyball is played in a rally-style format. This means that every point scores, regardless of which side is serving. A typical volleyball match is played over the best of five sets, and to win a set, 25 points have to be reached by at least two clear points. 

There are six players per team (two in beach volleyball), and only forward players can attack from the net. While the Libero (a defensive specialist) is important for receiving serves and digging, they can’t attack or block at the net and wear a different-coloured shirt to their teammates. 

Violations in volleyball are called for things like touching the net, contacting the ball more than once in succession, reaching over the net to perform a block or not striking the ball cleanly. 

Popularity of Volleyball in Different Countries

Volleyball has some hot spots worldwide, where its following is huge, like the USA. The sport is massive there and played competitively at the college level. The USA was one of the founding members of the FIVB, and the sport is particularly strong among female players.

Brazil is another country which carries strong volleyball support and the South American country continuously produces quality teams. Volleyball was something of a late bloomer there, not taking off until the 1980s, but it’s a popular recreational sport in coastal areas by the beach.

Japan and China have big volleyball scores as well, with the latter consistently producing very strong women’s teams at the Olympic Games. In Europe, among the biggest countries for volleyball popularity are Italy, Poland and Serbia. 

The Olympic Games are the pinnacle, featuring both indoor and beach volleyball tournaments for men and women. The FIVB World Championships, founded in 1949, is another major tournament that brings the best players in the world together and drives up interest.

Popular Bets in Volleyball

A good range of betting options can be found for volleyball betting. A selection on the Match Winner market is one of the most popular options to grab, as it’s a straight win single focused on which team will win. There are no drawn matches in volleyball.

Where there is a match with a strong favourite, handicaps are often the way to go. Giving a team a virtual advantage or disadvantage levels the playing field from a betting point of view, producing more evenly balanced odds.

An option like Brazil -1.5 would mean they would need to win by at least two sets for the bet to be successful. Here are some of the other popular volleyball betting markets: 

• Set Betting – A prediction of the exact score in sets, with options of 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 correct score for a winning side.
• Totals – Backing an over/under line on the total points within the match, or more commonly a set. The number of sets in a completed match can also be bet on.
• Correct Set Score – Selecting the exact points score within a set is another option, but us riskier than most.
• First Set Winner – This shortens the view of a volleyball match down just to which team will win the first set, regardless of the final match outcome. 
• Live betting – The dynamic action on the court can also be followed with live betting options, such as the correct score for the current set, as well as options like the match result or set totals.