HOW TO PLAY VOLLEYBALL: A GUIDE FOR BILINGUAL SPORTS LESSONS!
Whether you need to prepare a worksheet for a PE lesson, or you just want to learn about volleyball in English, here is a useful guide outlining the history of the sport! (The following text is roughly B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)).
Volleyball is a game played by two teams, which usually have six players on each side. Players use their hands to bat a ball back and forth over a high net and try to make the ball touch the court within the opponents’ playing area before it can be returned. In order to win a game, you must score 25 points, and in order to win the match, a team must win three games out of five. There are two main places volleyball can be played: in an indoor court, and on a beach.
There are two main ways to score points in volleyball. The first (and most obvious) way is called rally scoring, and happens when the ball is hit the ball over the net and the other team fail to return it! The other way is called sideout scoring. Here, a point will be given if a team hit the ball off the court, makes a service error, or breaks the rules.
In order to play, you also need to know the five key moves in volleyball:
Passing: This is where a player receives the ball from the server and passes it to the playmaker. This is usually done with an underhand bump, rather than a hit, in a short, controlled manner.
Setting: The setter is the playmaker in volleyball. They prepare the ball so it’s well-placed for an attacker to shoot and score a point for their team. To do this, the player places both their hands above their forehead, creating a triangle shape with their thumbs and index fingers. They push the ball up with their fingers, with the attacker ready to take their shot.
Spiking: This is one of the hardest moves in the game! Spiking is when a player runs, jumps and hits the ball over the net with a powerful swing. Usually this is a move for an attacker or shooter, as these big hits are usually what wins a team points!
Blocking: A block is a defensive move used at the net. When an attacker moves to shoot, up to three players on the other team come close to the net and jump after the attacker with their arms up in the air. When the ball comes over the net, it is blocked by the players and either move into their side or back towards the opposing team.
Digging: When the ball is heading towards the floor after an attack, a defender from the back row can run or dive forward to bump the ball back up and pass it to another team member.
