About the Volleyball Court

This article discusses the history of the volleyball court, the dimensions of the court and net, and the differences between an indoor volleyball court and a beach volleyball court.

  1. Invented

    • Volleyball was first invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a gym instructor at a YMCA. After meeting James Naismith, who invented basketball, Morgan was inspired to invent his own sport. Incorporating aspects of basketball, handball, and tennis, he invented volleyball, which he first called "mintonette."

    History of

    • The dimensions of a volleyball court are much different now than when Morgan first created them in 1895. The first court was 25 feet by 50 feet, and the first net was 6 feet 6 inches tall.

    Size

    • The rules of volleyball have changed over the years, as has the size of the athletes. Eventually the size of the volleyball court had to change as well. A court is now 60 feet by 30 feet. The court is split into two sides giving each team a playing area of 30 feet by 30 feet. The height of the net is 8 feet for men and 7 feet 4 inches for women. The net is 30 feet wide and the poles holding it upright are 36 feet apart.

      Attached to both sides of the net are antennae that reach 32 inches above it. These antennae are similar to foul poles in baseball. If an attacker chases a ball out of bounds, then his return must stay in between the two antennae to be in play. Any hit outside the antennae is considered illegal.

    Features

    • The center line that divides the two sides of the court is 2 inches wide. On both sides of the court is a line 10 feet behind the center line. The area between this line and the net is called the attack zone. The front row, or front line, are the players positioned in the attack zone. Only those players are allowed to spike the ball from inside the attack zone or block a shot by the opposing team's front line.

      Located on both sides of the court is a serving zone, which is behind the back line or the out-of-bounds line. If you are facing the net, the serving zone is on the right side of the court. There are two lines 10 feet apart extending from the back line that form the serving zone.

    Type

    • Beach volleyball is slightly different than indoor volleyball. Indoor volleyball has six players on each side while beach volleyball only has two. The beach volleyball court is smaller at 26 feet by 52 feet; this makes it easier for two players to cover the whole court. The height of the net and the areas of the serving and attack zones are the same in beach volleyball as they are in indoor volleyball.