Volleyball – A Popular Sport

Volleyball is a great sport for developing reflexes, endurance and team spirit. It's an exciting game that, like betting at bookmakers, provides a rush of adrenaline and unforgettable emotions. However, a safer form of thrill can be found in games like JetX with its many features. Here, you can play other slots, roulette and blackjack with virtual chips and no risk. But in this article, we will discuss the uniqueness of volleyball in more detail.

Characteristics of the sport

Volleyball is a dynamic team game with a ball that requires agility, speed of reaction,\ and excellent coordination. Two teams of 6 players each toss the ball over the net to the opponents' side, trying not to let it fall on their half of the court. Players can pass the ball to each other a maximum of 3 times. Points can be scored only on serve or on the opponent's attack. The team that scores 25 points first in a set wins. A match consists of several sets.

The strongest volleyball teams in the world:

• Brazil
• Italy
• USA
• Poland
• Serbia

Brazilian volleyball players have achieved the greatest success in recent decades. Their men's team won the Olympics in 2004 and 2016, while the women's team won in 2008 and 2012.

The Italian national team was among the leaders of world volleyball in the 1990s and 2000s. The Italians were three-time World Champions (1990, 1994, 1998) and nine-time European Champions.

In the U.S., volleyball became very popular in the 1980s. The U.S. men's team won the 1988 Olympics, while the women's team dominated in the 2000s, becoming three-time Olympic champions (2008, 2012, 2020).

History of Volleyball

The history of volleyball dates back to 1895 when physical education instructor William G. Morgan from Massachusetts invented a new ball game for his students. He called it "mintonette", meaning "flying bundles" or "leaping stream." The game was created as an alternative to basketball for people with less physical activity.

Initially, the game was played outdoors on grass, with the net suspended at a height of 6 feet 6 inches (about 1.98 m). Teams consisted of 9 players, and the ball could be hit with any part of the body. In 1896, the name of the game was changed to "volleyball" on the suggestion of Professor Alfred T. Halstead. The word "volley" comes from the English verb "to volley," meaning "to strike the ball before it touches the ground."

In the early 20th century, volleyball spread quickly throughout the United States and Canada. In 1913, the first official rules of the game were created. In 1916, the first volleyball club was founded in Brooklyn, and four years later, the first national championship was held. Volleyball became an Olympic sport at the 1964 Tokyo Games. Since then, the popularity of this sport has steadily grown worldwide.