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The Complete Guide to Volleyball
The honest, no-nonsense guide to volleyball for complete beginners—what it really costs, what you really need, and how to actually start playing this week
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Is Volleyball and Why People Love It
Let's be honest about what you're probably picturing when you think about volleyball. You might be seeing the sand courts at a family barbecue, your cousin's friend who is really athletic doing a jump serve that blazes past everyone. Or maybe you're picturing the Olympics on TV, where six massive humans move in perfect sync. You're also, probably, thinking: I could never do that.
Here's the first thing my friend told me when I started playing in a casual Sunday league years ago, and I'll pass it to you now: if you can bump a ball into the air with your forearms, you're already 80% of the way to being a decent recreational player. The other 20% is just showing up, paying attention, and being willing to trip over your own feet occasionally for a few weeks.
The name "volleyball" makes it sound like the whole game is about, well, volleying. But day-to-day, at a beginner level, the game splits into exactly five actions. Once you know these, you can walk into any casual game and fake it long enough to have fun. The five are: the serve (underhand or overhand, you hit the ball to start the point); the pass (you put your forearms together and let the ball bounce off them to send it high into the air); the set (using your fingertips to push the ball exactly to a teammate); the attack (jumping and hitting the ball