Volleyball FAQ in Cornwall
1: Volleyball is that game played by half naked supermodels on the beach isn't it?
3: I vaguely remember playing it at school, remind me of the basic rules again
5: And you just whack it over with your hands, right?
6: You have to be tall to play Volleyball though, don't you?
7: But surely you have to be young and fit, what with all that jumping around?
8: Does it hurt, hitting the ball with your hands all the time?
9: Is Volleyball in the Olympics?
10: It will always be a minority sport won't it?
11: What about here in Cornwall, is it popular?
12: It all sounds a bit serious! I just want to have a laugh, get fit and maybe make new friends.
13: Do you have to have any special expensive gear?
14: OK, I'll give it a go. What's the best way to find out where to play?
1: Volleyball is that game played by half naked supermodels on the beach isn't it?
A: If only it was always like that! In fact Volleyball is more often played indoors than on the beach and is reckoned to be the third most participated in sport in the world.
A: In 'proper' indoor volleyball there are six per team, and on the beach you play in pairs. In official competitions teams are divided into Mens and Ladies, with the net height lowered for women, but at local level it's very normal to have mixed teams.
3: I vaguely remember playing it at school, remind me of the basic rules again
A: Each team gets three 'hits' per side to get the ball back over the net with the aim of grounding the ball in their opponents court. You're not allowed to hit the ball twice in a row.. Although mostly played with the hands you can actually hit it with any part of the body. A match is the best of five sets with each set going up to 25 points, except the fifth set which goes up to 15. Scoring is determined by the 'rally point' system ie if you win the rally you get a point. If you win a point your team gets the serve. When you win the serve back you positionally rotate clockwise around the court. There are officially three front court players and three backcourt players at any one time on your team. You must be in your “rotational position” at the moment the ball is served but can move freely about the court after that, although backcourt players are essentially not allowed to hit the ball above net height..
A: It's 18m x 9m
5: And you just whack it over with your hands, right?
A: There are four basic skills in Volleyball: the “volley” - an overhead pass made by two hands that you'll see most often as the ball is 'set' to be hit by a team mate; the “dig” - essentially a defensive action made by letting the ball hit the upturned wrists of your stretched, straight arms that will normally be the first of your teams three 'hits' as you defend an opponents attack; the “spike” - the one handed glory shot that you hope will win your team the point, as you hit the ball as hard as you can from above the height of the net down towards your opponents court; and the “block” - the equally glorious way of stopping your opponents attack by raising two hands over net height and preventing one of your opponents 'spikes' from getting through. Confusingly, a block doesn't count as one of your teams three 'hits'.
6: You have to be tall to play Volleyball though, don't you?
A: No, not at all. Obviously it helps if your tall with the men's net at 2.43m and it's doubtful whether there will be many players below six and a half foot competing at the next Olympics but if your ambitions are lower than that it really is a game that can be enjoyed by anyone. Like in many sports there are different positions in Volleyball that will suit different people.
7: But surely you have to be young and fit, what with all that jumping around?
A: Again, obviously that would help but not necessary. Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G Morgan, a YMCA gym instructor from New York as a sporting alternative to Basketball. He came to realise that he needed a certain type of competitive recreational game in order to vary his programme. Basketball, a newly invented sport that was beginning to develop, seemed to suit young people, but it was necessary to find a less violent and less intense alternative for the older members.
Describing his first experiments he said: "In search of an appropriate game, tennis occurred to me, but this required rackets, balls, a net and other equipment, so it was eliminated - but the idea of a net seemed a good one. We raised it to a height of about 6 feet 6 inches (lm.98) from the ground, just above the head of an average man. We needed a ball, and among those we tried was a basketball bladder, but this was too light and too slow, we therefore tried the basketball itself, which was too big and too heavy"
In the two leagues in Cornwall there are men and women players ranging in age from 14 to 70.
8: Does it hurt, hitting the ball with your hands all the time?
A: Not really and you soon get used to it.
9: Is Volleyball in the Olympics?
A: It's actually one of the most popular sports at the Olympics. Brazil, Russia, Bulgaria, Egypt
Serbia, USA, Venezuela and China as hosts have already qualified for the Mens' competition at Beijing with the last four spots to be decided in qualifying tournaments in June. Team GB qualifies as hosts for the London 2012 games and preparations are in full swing. The Mens GB team are currently playing under the guise of 'Martinus' in the Dutch pro league and will do so until the London games: assembling the first ever professional British Volleyball squad, living and breathing the sport incessantly for the next four years, playing in one of the top leagues in the world in an effort to achieve the status of “not embarrasing” as host nation!!!
10: It will always be a minority sport won't it?
A: It's only a minority sport in the UK!! In the the rest of the world it enjoys vast support and television coverage. Poland even has it's own Volleyball TV Channel! Italy, France, Spain and Holland have particularly strong pro leagues in Europe. The Elite event (apart from Olympics) is the FIVB “World League” for Men and “Grand Prix” for Women. Brazil are currently the champions and have been for the last five years. Sixteen teams will play in the 2008 World League: Brazil, Bulgaria, Venezuela, China, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Russia and U.S.A. The Finals will be hosted by Brazil on July 23-27.
The total attendance for the 2007 World League was 637,000 fans, with 2,244 hours of TV coverage and more than 1.1 billion TV viewers in 110 countries watched the Gold Medal match!
You can watch World League and European Champions League Volleyball on the satellite channel Eurosport but sadly I think we'll have to wait until 2012 before any of the terrestrial channels picks up the sport.
11: What about here in Cornwall, is it popular?
A: The Cornwall Volleyball Association was formed in 1981 and has been going strong ever since. There is a first and second division so a standard can be found whatever your level. There is also a Cornwall team that enters the South West Regional League. There are clubs based at Ludgvan, Helston, St Austell and St Mawgan and Culdrose. In a recently launched development programme clubs at Carn Brea, Falmouth and Truro are starting too. The Countrymen Volleyball Club hosts an annual Beach Tournament in June at Perranporth which is open to one and all, and also a weekly Friday night beach competition outside the Sloop Inn at St Ives. It is also played and taught in a number of schools by qualified coaches. Contact details for all clubs and competitions can be found on this website.
12: It all sounds a bit serious! I just want to have a laugh, get fit and maybe make new friends.
A: Seriously, Vollyball is ideal for all three. There's not a better sport for the social side of things and at local level, especially, clubs are very family orientated. Most people, once bitten by the bug, will enjoy playing volleyball for the rest of their life.
13: Do you have to have any special expensive gear?
A: Nope, just a normal pair of trainers, shorts or jogging trousers, and t-shirt will do. (And of course on the beach even less!) Some people wear knee pads but you can get them for about £20 at the most.
14: OK, I'll give it a go. What's the best way to find out where to play?
A: Easy! Just go to our handy map on the homepage and see where the nearest club is to you.