Volleyball
Volleyball is not an easy sport to play. It's not just hitting a ball over a net. Like most other sports it has different rules, moves, positions and plays. I'm going to tell you some of them now.

First of all I'm going to explain the rules. The most important thing is not to catch the ball or let it drop on the floor. That would be a totally different sport. If the other team hits the ball out of bounds or lets it drop it's a point for you. It used to be that you can only get a point if it is your serve but they changed it so you get a point even if it isn't. The ball can touch the net during the game and when you serve. You can't touch the net yourself though. Another thing is if the ball lands on the line it's in bounds so it's a point for the other team.

The main moves in volleyball are bumping, volleying and spiking. When you are bumping you are hitting the ball with your arms in between your elbows and your wrists. To be able to control the ball well your arms have to make a flat surface for the ball. You should bend your knees quite a bit so you can get under the ball.When you are volleying, your hands start on top of your head facing upwards. Your index fingers and your thumbs should make a shape of a triangle together. Once you get the ball in your hands, in one quick motion you extend your arms so the ball should go the way you were facing. A spike is a very different move. When you're spiking you're trying to smash the ball down on the other side of the net so it's hard for the other team to hit it back.

In volleyball, there are many different plays. The main thing that you try to do is bump, volley, spike. When the ball comes over the net, you try to bump it to the setter. The setter is one of the most important players in the game. They stand in the right hand corner of the court in front of the net. Their job is to volley the ball either to the person in the middle near the front or the person on the left side near the front. That person either spikes it over the net or if someone tries to block it then they volley it over.

Quiz

1. Can the ball touch the net during a serve? = .........................scorer's comment--->

2. What shape should your fingers make when you are volleying? =
............................scorer's comment--->

3. Who are you supposed to hit the ball to when it first comes over the net? : ........your answer is--->

Here are links to volleyball.org andvolleyball.tan.com where you can find more useful information on volleyball.
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Created and last updated April 7, 2000 by Julie S.