REFLECTION JOURNAL 1 - VOLLEYBALL

VOLLEYBALL

In this journal, I want to inform you about my favourite sports- volleyball. Volleyball has a considerably important role in my life, because it is the only connection between me and the sports. Although I do not like sports and anything related to it, I find volleyball very entertaining and useful in terms of social life and athletic improvement. According to me, it is not a sports branch but a passion which makes the world a livable place for me.

Volleyball is one of the most prominent and common team sports in the world. Among the sports branches in championships and Olympic Games, it is the most essential and indispensable element for me. I will inform you about volleyball’s history, basic rules and its place in the world of sports. Volleyball is played by two teams which is separated by a net. Each team has six players, and just as in any other sports, each player has a specific role in the game. We call these roles as positions in the game. These positions are : setter, outside hitter, opposite hitter, middle blocker, and libero. In volleyball, the team which gets 3 sets in the match becomes the winner. Each set consists of 25 points under normal conditions ( the game might be extended if the point difference does not go beyond 1 such as 24-25). The team which manages to ground the ball on the opposing team’s court by conforming the rules scores a point.

Originally, volleyball was created and developed in 1895 by William G. Morgan who was the physical education director of YMCA ( Young Men’s Christian Association). In the beginning, the game was organized as a pastime activity which was convenient to be played indoors and was called “Mintonette”. By the time passed, the game evolved, its rules and name was changed and with the continued developments, it took its modern form. In this process of developments, volleyball has been affected by handball and tennis and its playfield has gone beyond indoor sports hall. Currently, it can be both played on the beach and artificial grass field.

As I stated before, volleyball takes an important place in the sports world. In 1947, FIVB ( Féderation Internationale de Volleyball ) was founded in Paris to regulate the rules of the game and unite all the organizations related to volleyball. Thus, volleyball has become an organized and eminent branch of sports in the world. The first World championships matches were held in 1949 for men. It was in 1952 for women, and this championships goes on being held in each 4 years. America, Brazil, Russia and China are the most successful countries in volleyball. We can regard them as the authorities of the game. All in all, although I had to give up playing volleyball due to my dense exam calendar when I was on the 8th grade , I am still keeping up with it by watching the matches, reading the comments on the matches and following the celebrities in the volleyball world.

( a rudimental volleyball game)