Volleyball For Kids

Volleyball is a team sport in which players use their hands or arms to knock a ball over a net. Two teams, usually with six players each, compete in a volleyball game. Volleyball can be played inside, in a gym, or outside, on a beach, or in a park.

Volleyball is played on a court that is 30 feet (9 meters) wide by 60 feet (18 meters) long. A centreline divides the court into two equal areas. A net run along the centreline. Each team defends one side of the net. A volleyball is filled with air and weighs 9 to 10 ounces (260 to 280 grams).

Volleyball for kids begins when one player serves. A player serves by hitting the ball over to the receiving team’s side of the net. The receiving team tries to return the serve or hit the ball back over the net. The receiving team can return the serve with a single hit. More often, though, the receiving team tries to set the ball. To do this, players hit the ball into the air on their side of the net. A good set allows a teammate to drive the ball over the net with great force. This makes it harder for the other team to hit it back.

The teams hit the ball back and forth over the net until one team scores a point. A team scores a point when it lands the ball on the floor inside the other team’s playing area. A team also scores a point if the other team hits the ball out of bounds or makes some other error. Scoring 15 points win a game. A team must win by at least two points.

Volleyball is for girls and boys as early as 6 years old, however, most leagues start at fifth grade or age 9.Summer camps are a great introduction to organized volleyball, as are local YMCA or in-town community programs. The largest sponsoring organization for volleyball is USA Volleyball, which oversees what is commonly referred to as “club volleyball” and hosts a Junior Olympic Championship each year.In club volleyball, junior players develop their skills and knowledge of the game, usually to play for high school teams.

Once your child reaches middle school age you will find that most schools have a volleyball team. Volleyball teams continue through high school and college. In most high schools the Volleyball program is available for both girls or boys in grades 9 -12. High school volleyball is a fall sport for girls and spring sport for boys (except in a few states) so the club season works around the high school schedules. The teams are usually broken into Varsity, Junior Varsity, Sophomore, and Freshman.

There are many different levels of college volleyball from junior colleges to Division One colleges. College volleyball is available to men and women in most colleges. Players are usually recruited from high school based on their abilities.