{"id":6875,"date":"2026-10-24T09:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T01:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/?p=6875"},"modified":"2026-10-27T14:58:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T06:58:06","slug":"what-is-volleyball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arenaplus.ph\/insider\/volleyball\/what-is-volleyball\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Volleyball? A Beginner’s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players, separated by a net, try to ground the ball on the other side’s court while keeping it off their own. Each team gets up to three touches to send the ball back over, and every rally wins someone a point.<\/p>\n

That simple idea has made volleyball one of the world’s biggest sports and, in the Philippines, one of the most watched. This guide explains how a match works, where the game came from, the different formats, and where Filipino fans can follow it.<\/p>\n

How a volleyball match works<\/h2>\n

Every rally starts with a serve from behind the end line. The receiving team usually passes, sets and attacks with its three touches, while the other side tries to block or dig the ball.<\/p>\n

Under FIVB rules<\/a>, a point is scored on every rally. Sets are played to 25, and a team must win by two. The first team to win three sets takes the match, and if it reaches 2-2, a deciding fifth set is played to 15.<\/p>\n

Our full guide to volleyball rules covers serving, faults and rotation in detail.<\/p>\n

A short history of volleyball<\/h2>\n

Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a physical education director at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He wanted a less intense alternative to basketball for older members and first called the game “Mintonette.” After a demonstration in 1896, it was renamed “Volley Ball” (FIVB<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Philippines was part of the story early. The YMCA’s Elwood S. Brown introduced the game here in 1910, and volleyball was on the programme of the first Far Eastern Games, held in Manila in 1913. For years, Asian volleyball was played under Brown’s rules, which used 16 players a side (FIVB<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The modern game took shape in the decades that followed. Teams were limited to six players in 1918, and the three-touch limit came in 1922. Indoor volleyball made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 1964 (Olympics.com<\/a>), and beach volleyball joined at Atlanta 1996 (FIVB<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Types of volleyball<\/h2>\n

Volleyball is played in three main formats, all of which are on the Olympic or Paralympic programme (Olympics.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Format<\/td>\nPlayers per side<\/td>\nSurface<\/td>\nWhere you will see it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indoor<\/td>\n6<\/td>\nWooden or synthetic court<\/td>\nPVL, UAAP, NCAA, Olympics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beach<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nSand<\/td>\nBeach tours, SEA Games, Olympics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sitting<\/td>\n6, seated on the floor<\/td>\nIndoor court with a lower net<\/td>\nParalympics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Indoor volleyball is the format most Filipino fans follow week to week, and it is what this guide covers.<\/p>\n

The court and equipment<\/h2>\n

An indoor court measures 18 by 9 metres, split by the net into two 9-by-9-metre halves. An attack line 3 metres from the net marks each team’s front zone (FIVB rule 1<\/a>).<\/p>\n