Okay, here’s my blog post about the history of volleyball, written from a personal practice perspective:
So, I got curious about where volleyball came from. I mean, we all play it, or at least see it played, but how did it all start? I decided to dig in and find out for myself.
My Deep Dive into Volleyball’s Past
First, I hit the internet, of course. Gotta start somewhere, right? I started with a basic search, just “history of volleyball.” That gave me a ton of results, some helpful, some… not so much.
I found that a guy named William G. Morgan invented the game in 1895. He was a YMCA physical education director in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Apparently, he wanted a sport that was less rough-and-tumble than basketball, which was also pretty new at the time.
I learned that Morgan called it “mintonette” at first. Sounds kinda funny, doesn’t it? The name “volleyball” came later, when someone noticed the ball being volleyed back and forth over the net.
- I was surprised to find out the first net was actually a tennis net, raised to about 6 feet 6 inches. They really improvised back then!
- The first volleyball game. I found out that first game was played at Springfield College.
- And early rulebook. I also discovered the first rules were pretty basic. Morgan wrote them himself, and they evolved over time.
Then, I went down a rabbit hole of old articles and even some old rulebooks. Okay, maybe I got a little carried away, but it was fascinating! It’s amazing how much the game has changed, from those simple beginnings to the fast-paced, high-flying sport we know today.
I even tried to visualize playing with those early rules. No spiking? Unlimited players? It must have been a totally different experience! I mean, try to block that
So, that’s my little journey into the history of volleyball. It was a fun exploration, and I definitely learned a lot. I recommend anyone with even a passing interest in the sport to do a little digging themselves. You might be surprised by what you find!
