Volleyball variations

There are numerous variations of the basic rules of volleyball. The more notable variations include

Beach volleyball

A variation of the game rivaling the original sport of volleyball in popularity, beach volleyball evolved from the recreational games of volleyball played on many beaches around the world. It became an official Olympic sport in 1996. This version, rather than being played on indoor hard courts, is played on sand courts which may either be formed naturally or built specifically for the purpose. Instead of a team of six, each team consists of only two players, but otherwise the rules are almost identical with some exceptions including:

* The size of the court (16 x 8m) (though many recreational players and regional organizations use the old 18 x 9m court)
* The block counts as the first contact
* The banning of the open-hand "dink" or "dump" plays where a player uses his or her finger tips to redirect the ball into the opponent's court instead of a hard spike. A dink may be performed with a closed hand or knuckle
* Stricter rules around double-contacts during hand setting
* The time limit for serve is 5 seconds
* Many recreational players still use the side-out scoring system rather than rally scoring. Side-out scoring is used more often when playing on an 18 x 9m court than on a 16 x 8m one.
* Games are usually played to 25 points, rather than 21 as common in indoor volleyball. The first team to win two sets wins the match. If a third deciding set is required, it is played to 15.

Indoor sand volleyball

This is a newer variation of beach volleyball. As beach volleyball took volleyball outdoors, indoor sand volleyball takes beach volleyball indoors. In the United States, a growing number of colleges are now considering switching from hard court indoor volleyball to sand court indoor volleyball. The biggest reason for the possible change is the reduced rate of injury of players. Secondary reasons are: 1) bad weather doesn't cancel play, something that commonly happens with beach volleyball; 2) it is thought to make the game more appealing to spectators since sand courts do not require players to wear knee pads or shoes.

Indoor sand volleyball teams vary from two to six members, college teams having six. Normally, rather than using a purpose-built hall, an indoor basketball court is converted. A protective tarpaulin covers the floor of the basketball court and "soft" sand is laid a foot deep over it. The boundaries are commonly marked off with lines in the sand. However, a recent innovation uses colored lasers that illuminate the lines in the sand.

In some venues, there exist sand courts that are used as usual during the spring, summer, and fall months, but during the winter months, a large tent (usually dome-shaped) is erected over the courts.

Footbag net

Footbag net is similar to sepak takraw and footvolley. It's played with feet instead of hands. Footbag net combines elements of tennis, badminton, and volleyball. Specifically, the court dimensions and layout are similar to those of badminton; the scoring is similar to the old scoring system in volleyball (you must be serving to score); and serves must be diagonal, as in tennis. It is played one on one or in teams of two. Footbag net games can be played to eleven or fifteen points, although the winners must win by at least two points.

Newcomb ball

A simplified form used to teach the fundamentals of volleyball, Newcomb [cite book | title = A Guide to Volleyball Basics | url = http://www.usavolleyball.org/Media/education/guidetovbbasics.pdf | format = PDF | accessdate = 2006-08-23 | publisher = USA Volleyball | pages = 5 | quote = Perhaps the least known but simplest version of volleyball is Newcomb.] (occasionally referred to as "Nuke 'em") is generally taught to school-aged children but is also popular among adults of limited athletic ability. Its main differences from regular volleyball are that the ball can be caught before passing on to a team-mate or over the net, and each pass or serve is a throw rather than a hit. While most other volleyball rules apply, variations on the numbers of players per team and the numbers of 'catches' per side are common, and players holding the ball are sometimes allowed a limited number of steps.

Newcomb (or Newcomb Ball) was invented in 1895 by Clara Gregory Baer, a physical education instructor at Newcomb College in Louisiana. [http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1996/JSH2302/jsh2302f.pdf Paul, Joan, A Lost Sport: Clara Gregory Baer and Newcomb Ball, Journal of Sport History, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Summer 1996)] ]

Volleyball was independently invented in the same year. Newcomb was a popular competitive sport in the early 1900s, but it is now seen as a variation of volleyball and is played mostly by school children.

Newcomb can be also played in a way similar to dodgeball. The main and only difference in the less played version is that instead of scoring points, a teammate is eliminated if he or she makes a mistake. The game continues until all of the players on one team are eliminated.

Sepak Takraw

Sepak Takraw is a variant of volleyball popular in Asia, similar to footvolley. The rules are very similar to those in volleyball, with the following four important exceptions: The use of hands is not permitted, each player may only touch the ball once before it is kicked back over the net, there is no rotation in the defence position, players use their feet to get the ball over the net, and it becomes a score even if the ball touches the net before falling into the companion court. The game is played on a badminton doubles court.

Footvolley

Footvolley is an entirely new sport which combines beach volleyball and soccer skills where the difference is that the players may not contact the ball with their hands or arms; instead they can use all other body parts including their feet, head and chest, etc. Sport originated in Brazil; but is quickly becoming popular in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Sitting volleyball

Sitting volleyball for locomotor-disabled individuals was first introduced in 1956 by the Dutch Sports Committee. International competition began in 1967, but it would be 1978 before the International Sports Organisation for the Disabled (ISOD) sanctioned the sport and sponsored an official international tournament in 1979 at Haarlem, Netherlands.

The game is played on a smaller 10 x 6 meter court and with a 0.8 meter-wide net set to a height of 1.15 meters for men and 1.05 meters for women. When hitting or attacking the ball, the player must have one "buttock" or an extension of the torso still in contact with the floor. Traditionally the sport has been played not only by amputees and people with polio, but people who have orthopedic problems in their knees or ankles. Often able-bodied players are on the club teams. Because of the game's quick pace, the use of your hands to move and play the ball, good balance and a sturdy bottom are a necessity. Consequently, it is not the ideal sport for most paraplegics.

Men's sitting volleyball was introduced to the Paralympic Games in 1980 and has grown to be one of the more popular Paralympic sports due to the fast and exciting action. Women's sitting volleyball was added to the program for the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece. The international governing body for the sport is The World Organisation Volleyball for Disabled (WOVD). The WOVD was founded in 1980 in the Netherlands, by the Dutchman, Mr. Pieter Joon.

Blind volleyball

Also known as 'ghost volleyball', it is another variation that tries to remove height of players as a determining factor in team success is blind volleyball. Ad-hoc blind volleyball is where sheets are draped over the net so one side cannot see the other side. A more formal type of blind volleyball removes the traditional volleyball net and replaces it with a tarp thick enough that shadows cast on it cannot be seen from the other side. Blocks are almost impossible to do since it is difficult to know where the ball is going to come over the net. Spikes and overhand serves are prohibited because it is already very difficult for the receiving team to react to any incoming ball without the increased speed of a ball struck in such a manner.

Blind volleyball additionally creates a higher level of suspense for spectators, who, unlike the players, can see what is taking place on both sides.

Another unique feature of blind volleyball is how it can make the back row the row that hits the ball over the net. In regular volleyball, the back row tends to receive the volleyball and then move it to the front row. In blind volleyball, moving the ball to the back row makes it harder for the other team to see where the ball is and by hitting the ball on a flatter trajectory, the back-row players can more easily surprise the receiving team on where the ball will be coming over the net.

Nine-man volleyball

Nine-man volleyball is a variation of volleyball utilizing nine players and a slightly larger court (10 by 20 meters) originated in Asia in the 1920s when American missionaries introduced the game in China. The variant became popular within the Chinese-American communities in large US and Canadian cities, and continues to grow with a rotating popular tournament called the North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament. Aside from the larger court and additional players, major differences from indoor volleyball include:
*A lower net (235 cm rather than 243).
*Players don't rotate--front players stay in front (and thus never serve), and back players in back.
*If the ball touches the net between two contacts by the same team, those two contacts only count as one of the three allowed before the ball must be sent over the net. The same player may legally make both contacts.
*It is permitted to briefly carry the ball during a spiking motion.
*Players may not penetrate the plane of the net while blocking.
*If a player touches the ball while blocking, it counts as one of the three allowed contacts.
*Jump serving is illegal.
*It is illegal to touch the ball with any body part besides the hands and arms.
*A served ball which hits the top of the net and falls inside the boundaries of the opponents' court entitles the server to a second chance (like tennis).
*There is no "ten foot line": any player may attack the ball from anywhere on the court.

Traditional Volleyball

Traditional volleyball has its roots in East Africa, India, and Pakistan. The game is usually played within the Ithnashari muslim, Bohra muslim, Ismaili muslim, punjabi, and hindu communities worldwide. The game varies from indoor gymnasium play, outdoor play on sand, grass, or clay, as well as street volleyball for recreation. In the U.S.A, the game made its way here as early as the '60's, and flourishes today throughout several American cities. Albuquerque, Houston, Dallas, NY, Miami, San Antonio, Allentown, PA., L.A., and Orlando are among the active cities with teams that practice weekly. There is a 3 touch system like International volleyball, however, traditional volleyball does not require the bump-set-spike scenario. Instead, traditional volleyball is based on a consistent volley of the ball, only the serving side can score, and players play a style which is considered "closed hand/fist" play. The game can be played with up to 9 participants per side (similar to Asian 9 man volleyball, but with variations to the game), or as little as 5. There is no rotation in traditional volleyball, however, in certain east indian and southeast asian communities, they do allow rotating as the rules tend to vary from team to team. The court can vary from 30' to 30' to as large as '35 by '35. Some of the best traditional volleyball teams are centered in Canada, from Toronto East, Toronto North, and The Jaffery's, to Calgary, Edmonton, Brittania-Vancouver, and Port Moody. The weight of the ball varies as well, in North America they play with a lighter ball-around 10.5-11 lbs. of pressure, however, in East Africa, India, and Pakistan-they play with a heavier ball-anywhere from 12 to 14 lbs. of pressure. Spiking is usually allowed on first contacts with the ball, they no longer allow the ball to be spiked on a third touch in North America. Some of the key positions on the team are Net Center (or nettie), he is responsible for lifting and/or digging the ball out of the net on a second touch. In the old days, the nettie was encouraged to lift the ball up and over the net to the opposing team. As the years went by, and the variant styles of the game were changing, the nettie was encouraged to lift the ball back to his team so that they could strike the ball (third touch) to the opposing side, and keep the volley going. There was usually 1 nettie per team, today, teams are allowed to play with up to 2 netties simultaneously, or even a third nettie on the far right or left corners of the net-thus preventing an advantage of the opposing team to drop or 'dink' the ball. The short center position, which is relatively new, is a position that was previously called the 'sweeper' position. This position was put into fruition in Canada some years ago, and the object of the short center is to strike the ball into the net as much as he can, so that the nettie can give a nice, high, clean lift to his team to strike back to the opposing side. The third and probably most important position is the Long Center (formerly third line), he controls the pace, tempo, and speed of the game, and is instrumental in taking points by a method called flights or shooting. Everyone else on the team, from the front line wings to the back line wings, as well as the serviceman also play pivotal roles on the team. The serviceman is not allowed to serve overhand though. Traditional Volleyball teams play in local, state, regional, national, and even international tournaments every year. From Dar Es Salaam and Nairobi, to Karachi and centers in Western Europe, the game is growing, more youth are now playing traditional volleyball, and the hope is that one day, this version of volleyball could be played at the Asian Games or even the Olympics. Unlike the FIVB, there is no governing body for traditional volleyball. There was an attempt back in the mid to late '90's and into the millennium, to form a North American league called TVANA-Traditional Volleyball Association of North America. This league had 3 successful tournaments in Houston, then sadly it folded. Perhaps in the near future, a similar league can be formed or recreated, and teams from all over the globe can compete in brotherhood and sportsmanship.

Wallyball

Wallyball is played in a racquetball court, which is divided into two halves by a net. The game is played like volleyball, with the added complexity that players may carom the ball off a side wall when playing it into the opponents' court. If a ball played over the net contacts the ceiling, the opponent's back wall, or both side walls without being touched by an opponent, the ball is ruled out of bounds. The pace of the game is generally fast, as the confined quarters encourage quick action and the walls often keep the ball conveniently in play.

Bossaball

Bossaball is a mix of volleyball, football (soccer), gymnastics and capoeira. The court is a combination of inflatables and trampolines, divided by a net.

Mixed teams

Most competitive volleyball is played with same-sex teams (exclusively so at the elite levels). Different sets of rules have been drafted to allow for mixed teams, often known as "coed" teams in the United States. The net is at men's height for "regular coed" and women's height for "reverse coed". Several adaptations are common, some of them to compensate for the men's greater reach and strength. The FIVB rules used internationally do not support mixed play, but USA Volleyball, the national governing body for the United States, has specific rules, the main points of which are:
* A minimum number of female players must be on the court (usually 3 males and 3 females)
* Alternating male and female players in the rotation.
* In reverse coed the men are prohibited from attacking a ball above the height of the net from in front of the attack line. Men can attack a ball that is above the height of the net from anywhere on the court, but the ball must take an immediate upward trajectory. Men can jump serve, but are not allowed to block. If there is only one female player on the front row, then one back row female may come from the back row to block, but not hit. If the ball is touched more than once on one side then a male player must make one of the contacts. Strategically, this usually means that a male setter is used.
* In regular coed, if there is only one male player in the front row then one man may come from the back row to block, but not hit. If the ball is touched more than once on one side then a female player must make one of the contacts. Female players have no blocking or attacking restrictions. Strategically, this usually means that a female setter is used.

Ecuadorian volleyball (Ecuavolley)

This is a variation with 3-player teams on clay, cement, or grass courts with a higher net (2.75m - 2.80m) and the use of a soccer ball No. 5. The basics are the same but in this type of volleyball you are allowed to slightly hold the ball in your hands before passing it. The 3 players are the placer, the server, and the flyer in the back because he runs fast from one side to another recovering balls. The placer places the ball in the opposite court trying to fool the other team about where is going to land the ball; and the server places the ball in the air ready for the placer to pass. The referee is called the judge. This game is widely played in Ecuador, and its so popular that it is played even by Colombians and in the United States and Europe.

Nutso volleyball

A variation with an unspecified number of players. It is played indoors using regulation volleyball nets, most commonly in a gymnasium. The ball may bounce two times on each side and may also be bounced off the walls, ceiling, or any other permanent fixture in the gymnasium. It is a registered Physical Education activity under the New York, Maryland and Massachusetts Board of Education standards. Most often played in North American high schools as a less-competitive education tool, promoting bump-passing and spiking, Nutso Volleyball is evidenced to be spreading to the United Kingdom, as evidenced in the Carlton Carr film "Click" starring Adam Sandler.

Jollyball

Jollyball is a cross between juggling and volleyball. A juggling ball is passed between players who must catch it by using the ball, plus the two that they are holding, to perform a juggling pattern.

Volutobol

Volutobol can be played on virtually any surface or location. It usually involes two players, the Volutor and the Quaffer. The Volutor is the dominant position in the game, being able to control the boundaries of the court as well as keeping a dead ball in play. However, the Quaffer has an extremely powerful advantage. Constant conversation must be kept throughout the entire match, and if the Volutor is discourteous or somehow impolite to his/his opponent, then the Quaffer has the ability to call the point and become the volutor. The game takes place in three rounds: the first just being straight out play, the second being each player choosing an advantage based on their environment, and the third and final being the players switching advantages. Each round is played until one player can no longer stand, resulting in their loss of the round. Any vomiting or profanity results in immediate disqualification.

This game has spread rapidly across Europe, originating in an asylum in Venice. It has recently become popular among college students in the United States and is being petitioned to become an Olympic sport.

Soft volleyball

Soft volleyball is played using a larger rubber volleyball, which is designed to absorb initial impact on the arms. Ideally this type of volleyball is used to introduce the game to first time players and adolescents, with a focus on control, fundamentals of the game and just having fun. The Soft Volleyball is commonly used in Japanese Elementary and Junior Highschools for the very purpose mentioned above. A usual game of Soft Volleyball has 4 people per side rather than 6.

Aquatic volleyball

Aquatic volleyball is a team sport similar to volleyball, but adapted for competition in a shallow swimming pool. It is also referred to as "pool volleyball", and sometimes as "aquapolo", not to be confused with water polo.

Jail ball

Volleyball that is played over a large fence instead of a net. Usually played because a lack of sand volleyball courts. Grabbing and scaling the fence are legal because of the difficulty of blocking and spiking.

Volleystars

A version of the game used for primary school students. Underarm serves are used instead of overarm, and players are allowed to hold the ball. This is called a 'carry'. There are 9 players in each team, and rotation is in an inverted 'S' shape. It is often played in Interschool Sport matches.

Informal variations

There are a number of volleyball variations that do not have a standardized set of rules. Mud volleyball, played in mud pits, is one. Mud volleyball tournaments are often organized as fundraisers.

References

External links

* [http://www.bvbinfo.com/ Beach volleyball]
* [http://www.avp.com Professional beach volleyball]
* [http://www.nacivt-sf.com/ Nine Man Chinese Volleyball]