ISSUE 09 - Sport 4 All
Volleyball for all
Getting children into the early stages of this Olympic and Paralympic sport is easier than you think, writes Stewart Thorpe of Volleyball England.
D
on’t let the balloon touch the floor! Whose children haven’t played that ridiculously fun game? I bet there aren’t many. The balloon lava game, as it is known by some, is easy to set up and adaptable to the space you have and the skill level of the players. It can begin with little more than a balloon left over from a birthday party and will really get the body moving and the heart rate up. And, best of all, it can lead to hours and hours of fun.
You might not think it at first, but this straightforward game is the ideal stepping stone for getting young children into one of the world’s most popular Olympic sports: volleyball.
FROM LAVA TO GRASS, RUBBER, SAND OR SNOW! In volleyball, two teams of six players are separated by a net and try to score points by hitting a volleyball over a net and grounding the ball on the other team’s side of the court. Instead of imagining the floor is
covered in lava, players set up matches in leisure centres and school sports halls or outside on grass in local parks. Different versions of the game have also been created, meaning the game is played on sandy beaches and, in recent years, snow too! In short, from the balloon lava game to the full team sport of volleyball, the aim of the game shifts from don’t let the balloon touch the floor to don’t let the ball touch the floor. Such is volleyball’s versatility that a special version of the game called sitting volleyball has been developed for disabled and nondisabled players. As the name suggests, players are sat down (they must have always at least one butt cheek on the floor), but despite what the name suggests, this Paralympic sport is far from stationary. Volleyball is played all over the world and is one of the most popular participation sports in Europe and East Asia. While it may not be as big as football and cricket in England, because volleyball is a non-contact sport that sees boys and girls from different backgrounds playing together on the court, it’s so diverse and inclusive and has huge potential. We very much believe it is a sleeping giant in this country.
Did you know that top volleyball players can hit the ball as fast as 80mph?
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