Why You and Your Family Should Become Volleyball Fans

Figure 1. Volleyball can be played just about anywhere

It might not be one of the sports that regularly gets talked about on the nightly highlights shows – or even one that gets a lot of attention even when the big events come around. But volleyball is surprisingly popular and the perfect sport for teamwork and social occasions. And it’s great for all the family too.

Many people get put off some of the major sports when they are still at school and that can have a negative effect on trying to live a healthy lifestyle later on. By choosing a sport that can be just as much fun in an informal setting as in a competitive one, you could find something that brings the whole community together without anyone feeling left out.

You may find that you like the sport so much that you check out your local team and find out how to bet on volleyball matches and tournaments. But even if you want to take things a little slower, this guide to an extremely underrated sport should give you and your family a few good ideas.

The Basics

Volleyball is not a sport that people immediately think of, so let’s assume that your knowledge is fairly minimal. The basics are that volleyball is a game where two teams of six are separated by a net. The aim of the game is to score points by grounding the ball on the opposing team’s side of the net.

There are various types of volleyball (about which we will speak about a little more in a moment) but the basic rules are that each team has three touches of the ball before it needs to go over to the other side. No player can touch the ball twice in a row and the team that wins the point then gets to serve for the next one.

Hit the Beach

Your knowledge and expertise of volleyball may be a little hazy but you will probably have heard – or maybe watched – the beach version of the sport. Thanks to improbably tanned and beautiful competitors at the Summer Olympics since 1996, beach volleyball has enjoyed quite a high profile.

The most common version of beach volleyball is with two players per team. But there are other incarnations with more team members and this is the version of the game that is more regularly seen in the wild. Players all over the world get together to play informally on some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet.

The Big Events

If you are already thinking that you might like to get into volleyball but want to know where you can watch it done by the professionals, then look no further. There are men’s and women’s World Cups that take place every four years and there is also a World Championship for international teams.

The really big tournament is the Summer Olympics though. Both indoor and beach volleyball are popular Olympic sports and the very best compete to win those coveted gold medals. But for a more immediate fix, check out your local high school or college – they probably have volleyball games that you can go to watch too.

Great for Kids

Volleyball is a thrilling sport at the highest level but why should you get your children to give it a go? Well, first of all, it is a great sport that isn’t one of the majors that most kids play. That gives your children a chance to get to enjoy and learn a sport without having to know everything about it first.

Volleyball is also an excellent way to teach your kids valuable lessons about teamwork and socialization. The fact that it is a also perfect for getting your children to get healthy can be treated as something of a bonus – and even the parents can get involved and clean up their lifestyles at the same time.

Volleyball is for Everyone

That last point is very important. If you watch any volleyball at the Olympics you might be forgiven for thinking that you have to be at least 6ft tall to play. Obviously, height can help when it comes to the top tiers of the sport. But we are just talking about a new sport to discover – not to instantly master.

Volleyball can be played by just about anyone. You can hire out a local hall or just take a net and ball down to the beach. There is even a version of the sport where the participants sit down to play. So there really is no valid excuse for not giving volleyball a go.

Figure 2. Volleyball is a hugely popular high school sport

Popularity

We started off by calling volleyball a popular sport – even though it is one that not many people seem to know about. To prove to you its popularity, you should know that it is actually the number one girl’s team sport at high school – in terms of participation – with 440,000 regular players.

It could even fund your kids getting a college degree. Over 10,000 scholarships are available at varsity level for volleyball and that extra practice could turn your child into an Olympic athlete. If they do make it to the Summer Games, you should also know that is in the top three for both ticket sales and TV ratings.

Fun and Safe Too!

Maybe we have gotten ahead of ourselves a little with all this talk of the Olympics and college scholarships. The main reason we think you and your family should give volleyball a go is that it is simply a whole lot of fun. Whether you are playing indoors or at the beach.

Also, in a time when parents are rightly concerned about the potential for injuries playing many sports at school, volleyball is a non-contact sport. It is a fun and fast sport that still seems to be criminally underrated. Why don’t you think about getting a net and a ball and giving it a go for yourself?