Volleyball
Volleyball is another popular team game played with a ball. Similarly to basketball, the ball is played by hands. But that is probably the only similarity. Everything else is different. The ball is not supposed to be thrown in a basket, but over a net. Two teams compete on a special ground divided by a net and try to direct the ball on the opposite side of the ground so that it touches the ground, or so that the rival team's player makes an error. Among other rules, each team has the right to touch the ball only three times (in addition to touching it in a block).
The main international body regulating volleyball matches and rules all over the world is the international volleyball federation, or FIVB. Since 2006 it unites 219 national federations of volleyball. Volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1964, and today, as we know, it is one of the most popular, interesting and spectacular games in the world.
William G Morgan, a YMCA physical education teacher is considered to be the man who invented volleyball. Initially it was simply a game to be played indoors during a winter as a way to entertain children from boring physical exercises. First official rules of volleyball were published in 1916.
Besides classic volleyball, there are also many variations of this fascinating game. The most popular among them so far is beach volleyball, which is almost the same as usual volleyball, but it is played on sand (initially it was simply a type of entertainment on beaches, but later developed in a real sports discipline).