Birmingham

Birmingham is twinned with:. Some common jargon used in modern volleyball:. Among the city's notable scientists and inventors are:. While most other volleyball rules apply, variations on the numbers of players per team and the numbers of 'catches' per side are common. Local inventions and notable firsts include: gas lighting, roller skate wheels, the Baskerville Font, questionnaires, Custard powder, foam rubber, the magnetron (the core component in the development of radar and microwave ovens), the UK electroplating industry, the first ever use of radiography in an operation, and the UK's first ever hole-in-the-heart operation, at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Its main differences from regular volleyball are that the ball can be caught before passing on to a team-mate or over the net, and each pass or serve is a throw rather than a hit. Birmingham is also the hub for various national ethnic media, including The Voice, The Sikh Times, Desi Xpress, The Asian Today and Raja TV (based in the Mailbox). A simplified form used to teach the fundamentals of volleyball, Newcomb is generally taught to school-aged children but is also popular among adults of limited athletic ability.

Local radio stations include BRMB, Galaxy, BBC WM and Heart FM, and Kerrang, Birmingham's first dedicated rock station. A variation with 3-player teams on clay courts with a higher net. The Central TV and BBC studios are famous for many shows, including Tiswas, Crossroads, Dalziel & Pascoe, Midlands Today, the BBC Asian Network,. Players may not contact the ball with their hands. The BBC has its regional headquarters, BBC Birmingham, in the Mailbox, in the Convention Quarter (where they relocated from Pebble Mill), and many television and radio programes are produced in the city, including the world's longest running radio soap opera, The Archers. A mound of sand serves as a serving platform, from which the ball is kicked into play. StarCity is said to be Europe's largest leisure and cinema complex and is not far from the Britain's only permanent drive-in cinema maintained by T-Mobile; both are in Nechells. A variation combining volleyball and soccer skills, most commonly played on Brazilian beaches.

The Birmingham Film Festival takes place annually, and the Birmingham School of Acting won a Royal Television Society award for their short film 'Soul Boy'. Based on this rule, strategically, the setter on a co-ed team is usually a female player. The Electric Cinema on Station Street is the oldest working cinema in the UK, and Oscar Deutsch opened his first Odeon cinema in Perry Barr during the 1920s. (Other variants include reverse co-ed, with a women's-height net and men prohibited from spiking inside the three-meter line, and co-ed on a men's-height net, in which one man may come from the back row to block, but not hit.) Additionally, in many leagues at least one contact of a team's possible three contacts must be made by a female player. Birmingham is unusual in supporting two local newspapers - the Birmingham Post and the Evening Mail - as well as the Sunday Mercury, all owned by the Trinity Mirror, who also produce The Birmingham News, a weekly freesheet distributed to homes in the leafy surburbs along with Forward, the Birmingham City Council's free newspaper distributed to homes and via community centres and public buildings. The net is at a height halfway between men's and women's height. Patrick's Day parade (Europe's second largest, after the one in Dublin). Mixed teams for indoor play with both male and female players operate under co-ed rules requiring alternating male and female players in the rotation or service order.

The city's largest single-day event is its St. Most competitive volleyball is played with same-sex teams (exclusively so at the elite levels). The city also hosts an annual arts festival (Artsfest) during September, where people can enjoy many of the regions' arts, free. The pace of the game is generally fast, as the confined quarters encourage quick action and the walls often keep the ball conveniently in play. Birmingham Pride takes place in the 'gay village' and attracts up to 100,000 visitors each year. If a ball played over the net contacts the ceiling, the opponent's back wall, or both side walls without being touched by an opponent, the ball is ruled out of bounds. The currently biennial Caribbean- style Birmingham International Carnival was originally the Handsworth Carnival, held in Handsworth Park from 1984, but now takes place in the August of odd- numbered years, parading through the streets of Handsworth to Perry Barr Park. The game is played like volleyball, with the added complexity that players may carom the ball off a side wall when playing it into the opponents' court.

The Birmingham Tattoo is a military show that has taken place in the city for several years. Wallyball is played in a racquetball court, which is divided into two halves by a net. George's Day party. The variant became popular within the Chinese-American communities in large US and Canadian cities, and continues to grow with a rotating popular tournament called the North American Chinese Invitational Tournament. Birmingham is home to many national, religious and spiritual festivals including a St. A variation of volleyball utilizing nine players and a slightly larger court originated in Asia in the 1920s when American missionaries introduced the game in China. Graffiti (or "spraycan art") culture appeared in the early 1980s, and graffiti art competitions are still regularly held. However, this variation of volleyball is unknown to most people.

Other famous Birmingham artists include David Cox, David Bomberg, and various Afro-Caribbean artists including Pogus Caesar, Keith Piper and Donald Rodney. In blind volleyball, moving the ball to the back row makes it harder for the other team to see where the ball is and by hitting the ball on a flatter trajectory, the back-row players can more easily surprise the receiving team on where the ball will be coming over the net. For a fuller list of art galleries in Birmingham, see Arts in Birmingham. In regular volleyball, the back row tends to receive the volleyball and then move it to the front row. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts was declared 'Gallery of the Year' by the 2004 Good Britain Guide. Another unique feature of blind volleyball is how it can make the back row the row that hits the ball over the net. Edward Burne-Jones was born in Birmingham, spent his first twenty years in the city, and later became the president of the Birmingham Society of Artists. Blind volleyball additionally creates a higher level of suspense for spectators, who, unlike the players, can see what is taking place on both sides.

Birmingham has one of the largest collections of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world at The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Spikes and overhand serves are prohibited because it is already very difficult for the receiving team to react to any incoming ball without the increased speed of a ball struck in such a manner. Auden and Benjamin Zephaniah. Blocks are almost impossible to do since it is difficult to know where the ball is going to come over the net. H. Blocks, spikes, and overhand serves are prohibited. Tolkien, Arthur Conan Doyle, Louis MacNeice, Washington Irving, David Lodge, W. A more formal type of blind volleyball removes the traditional volleyball net and replaces it with a tarp thick enough that shadows cast on it cannot be seen from the other side.

R. Ad-hoc blind volleyball is where sheets are draped over the net so one side cannot see the other side. R. Another variation that tries to remove height of players as a determining factor in team success is blind volleyball. Literary figures associated with Birmingham include Samuel Johnson , J. The international governing body for the sport is The World Organisation Volleyball for Disabled (WOVD). The Fierce Festival teams with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre annually to present an series of quirky performances from local and national companies. Women's sitting volleyball was added to the program for the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece.

The Mac and Drum arts centres also host many professional plays. Men's sitting volleyball was introduced to the Paralympic Games in 1980 and has grown to be one of the more popular Paralympic sports due to the fast and exciting action. The four largest professional theatres are the Alexandra Theatre ("the Alex"), Birmingham Repertory Theatre ("The Rep"), the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Old Rep. Consequently, it is not the ideal sport for most paraplegics. There are many theatres in Birmingham. Because of the game's quick pace, the use of your hands to move and play the ball, good balance and a sturdy butt are a necessity. Birmingham's other city-centre music venues include The National Indoor Arena (NIA), the CBSO Centre, Adrian Boult Hall at Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham Town Hall (currently closed for refurbishment). Often able-bodied players are on the club teams.

Albert William Ketèlbey was born in Alma Street, Aston in 1875. Traditionally the sport has been played not only by amputees and people with polio, but people who have orthopedic problems in their knees or ankles. Music was written for the festival by Mendelssohn, Gounod, Sullivan, Dvorak, Bantock and most notably Elgar, who wrote four of his most famous choral pieces for Birmingham. When hitting or attacking the ball, the player must have one "buttock" or an extension of the torso still in contact with the floor. The Birmingham Triennial Music Festival took place from 1784 - 1912 and was considered the grandest of its kind throughout Britain. The game is played on a smaller 10 x 6 meter court and with a 0.8 meter-wide net set to a height of 1.15 meters for men and 1.05 meters for women. The equally world-renowned Birmingham Royal Ballet also resides in the city as does the world's oldest vocational dance school, Elmhurst School for Dance. International competition began in 1967, but it would be 1978 before the International Sports Organisation for the Disabled (ISOD) sanctioned the sport and sponsored an official international tournament in 1979 at Haarlem, Netherlands.

The internationally-renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's home venue is Symphony Hall, where it gives frequent performances. Sitting volleyball for locomotor-disabled individuals was first introduced in 1956 by the Dutch Sports Committee. Digbeth, near the city centre, features some of the country`s top dance clubs, and the nearby National Exhibition Centre has played host to the biggest indoor dance events in the country. However, a recent innovation uses colored lasers that illuminate the lines in the sand. Birmingham has also been synonymous in the development of the British electronic music scene. The boundaries are commonly marked off with lines in the sand. Party in the Park, a popular chart music event, is Birmingham's largest music festival. A protective tarpaulin covers the floor of the basketball court and "soft" sand is laid a foot deep over it.

Jazz is popular in the city, and the annual Birmingham International Jazz Festival is the largest of its kind in the UK. Normally, rather than using a purpose-built hall, an indoor basketball court is converted. The Streets), R&B singer Jamelia and Editors. Indoor sand volleyball teams vary from two to six members, college teams having six. Recent chart success has come from Mike Skinner (a.k.a. Secondary reasons are: 1) bad weather doesn't cancel play, something that commonly happens with beach volleyball; 2) it is thought to make the game more appealing to spectators since sand courts do not require players to wear elbow and knee pads or shoes. The 1980s brought Duran Duran, possibly the most successful new romantic group, and Dexy's Midnight Runners, and the 1990s the Charlatans, Dodgy and Ocean Colour Scene. The biggest reason for the possible change is the reduced rate of injury of players.

Singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading had many hits during this decade. In the United States, a growing number of colleges are now considering switching from hard court indoor volleyball to sand court indoor volleyball. The 1970s also saw the rise of reggae and ska in the city, with Steel Pulse and later on UB40, The Beat and Musical Youth. As beach volleyball took volleyball outdoors, indoor sand volleyball takes beach volleyball indoors. In the 1970s members of The Move and The Idle Race formed the Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. This is an even newer variation than beach volleyball. Robert Plant and John Bonham came from nearby towns, and played in local Brum Beat bands before forming two thirds of Led Zeppelin. Instead of a team of six, each team consists of only two players, but otherwise the rules are almost identical with some exceptions including:.

The city is often described as the birthplace of heavy metal music, with Judas Priest and Black Sabbath coming from Birmingham. This version, rather than played on indoor hard courts, is played on sand courts which may either be formed naturally or built specifically for the purpose. In the 1960s, the "Brum Beat" era featured blues and early progressive rock bands such as The Fortunes, Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, The Move and The Moody Blues. A newer variation of the game, beach volleyball, has evolved from the popular social games of volleyball played on many beaches around the world. Although its music scene is not as renowned as those of Liverpool or Manchester, Birmingham has had a vibrant and varied musical history over the last half-century. The 5-1 offense is actually a mix of 6-2 and 4-2: when the setter is in the front row, the offense is a 4-2; when the setter is in the back row, the offense is a 6-2. The BBC Good Food Show takes place at The National Exhibition Centre, and is Britain's biggest food event. The clear disadvantage to this offensive formation is that there are only two attackers, leaving a team with fewer offensive weapons.

The city boasts two Michelin starred restaurants: Simpson's and Jessica's, both in Edgbaston. Alternatively, the setter moves into the right front and has both a middle and an outside attacker; the disadvantage here lies in the lack of an offside hitter, allowing one of the other team's blockers to "cheat in" on a middle block. The Balti was invented in the city and has since received much gastronomic acclaim for the 'Balti Belt' of restaurants in the Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath and Ladywood areas. After service, the players in the front row move into their assigned positions, so that the setter is always in middle front. This later became The Darjeeling, the first Indian restaurant in Birmingham. By aligning like positions opposite themselves in the rotation, there will always be one of each position in the front and back rows. In 1945, Abdul Aziz opened a cafe shop selling curry and rice in Steelhouse Lane. The typical lineup has two outside hitters.

The Wing Yip food empire first began in the city and now has its headquarters in the Chinese Quarter. The setters line up opposite each other in the rotation. Ladypool Road, Sparkhill contains the largest concentration of restaurants in Birmingham and possibly the UK. (In the rare competitive 4-2, the setters more often set from the right front position.) The team will therefore have two front-row attackers at all times. Alum Rock Road, Alum Rock, contains the largest concentration of take-away businesses in Birmingham. The setters usually set from the middle front position. Famous food brands from Birmingham include Typhoo tea, Birds custard, Blue Bird Toffee, Bournville cocoa, Cadbury chocolate, and HP Sauce. The 4-2 formation has four hitters and two setters.

The Anchor Inn (1797), is also nearby in Digbeth. The so-called 5-1 is the formation most often favored in today's high-level volleyball. The oldest inn in Birmingham is the Old Crown in Deritend (circa 1450). Normally backrow attacks come from the back-right position, even though backrow attacks are increasingly performed by hitters also from back-center. Many fine Victorian pubs and bars can still be found across the city. Normally the opposite hitter is the most powerful hitter of the team. Aston Manor Brewery is currently the only brewery of any significant size. The opposite hitter may be used as a third attack option (backrow attack) when the setter is in the front row: this is the normal option used to increase the attack capabilities of modern volleyball teams.

Birmingham based Breweries included Ansells, Davenports and Mitchells & Butlers. In general, opposite hitters do not pass; they stand behind their teammates when the opponent is serving. Birmingham has been awarded the title National City of Sport by the Sports Council. The player opposite the setter in a 5-1 rotation is called the opposite hitter. Birmingham also has a professional Rugby Union side, Moseley RFC, and there is professional basketball, boxing, hockey, skateboarding, and greyhound racing in the city. The team will therefore have three front-row attackers when the setter is in the back row, and only two when the setter is in the front row. The world's first professional football league was founded at a meeting in Aston on March 22, 1885 under the auspices of William McGregor, a director of Aston Villa. The 5-1 formation has only one setter, who assumes setting responsibilities regardless of his position in the rotation.

The city is home to two of the UK's oldest professional football teams: Aston Villa (1874) and Birmingham City (1875), both of whom currently play in the Premier League. After service, the players in the front row move into their assigned positions. The first ever game of lawn tennis was played in Edgbaston in 1859; international tennis is still played at Edgbaston's Priory Club. By aligning like positions opposite themselves in the rotation, there will always be one of each position in the front and back rows. The NIA also hosts events in many other sports, such as the World Indoor Badminton Championships. In addition to the setters, a typical lineup will have two middle hitters and two outside hitters. The National Indoor Arena (NIA) meanwhile is a major indoor athletics stadium and in 2003 hosted the 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics. A 6-2 lineup must therefore have two setters, who line up opposite to each other in the rotation.

International athletics meetings take place at the open-air Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, the home of Birchfield Harriers athletic club, which numbers many Olympic medallists among its past and present members. The three front row players are all in attacking positions. A cricket club was in existence in Birmingham as early as 1745, and today the city is home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club whose ground at Edgbaston is also a venue for international test matches. In the 6-2 formation, a player always comes forward from the back row to set. King Edward's School is perhaps the most prestigious independent school in the city. The 4-2 formation is a more basic formation used in less competitive volleyball. A minority of the city's children receive private education. The 6-2 and 5-1 are commonly used formations in competitive volleyball.

It also runs the library service, with 4 million visitors annually [6], and provides around 4000 adult education courses throughout the year [7]. Generally, taller players with the ability to jump high are utilized as attackers/blockers, where they attempt to block or spike opponents' initial hits and return the ball at high speed on steep trajectories so that the ball lands before the other team has time to react. The city council is England's largest local education authority, directly or indirectly responsible for 25 nursery schools, 328 primary schools, 77 secondary schools [4] and 29 special schools [5]. The most common specialization comprises three positions: attacker/blocker (also differentiated in "outside" and "middle"), setter and liberos (defensive specialist). The Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham School of Acting, both now part of UCE, offer higher education in the arts. Players do not usually master all six skills, but rather focus on one or more of them in connection with the tactics employed by each team. It also has two other higher education colleges (Newman College and the Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies). At the various stages of a player's career, a coach will tailor drills to meet the strategic requirements of the team.

Birmingham has three universities: the University of Birmingham, Aston University and the University of Central England (UCE). A coach will construct drills that simulate match situations thereby encouraging speed of movement, anticipation, timing, and team-work. Birmingham's canals are comparatively shallow artificial channels, while those in Venice are primarily reinforced natural channels between islands of the lagoon on which the city stands. Drills promote repetition and refinement of volleyball movements, particularly in footwork patterns, body positioning relative to others, and ball contact. Although this is in some sense correct (Venice has 26 miles), Birmingham is far larger [3], and the types of waterway are very different. Developmental coaching emphasises player development through the re-enforcement of basic skills during exercises known as "drills". The abundance of canals has led to the frequently made claim that "Birmingham has more canals than Venice". The objective of match coaching is to win a match by managing a team's strategy.

There are 35 miles (60 km) of canals in the city, most remaining navigable. Coaching for volleyball can be classified under two main categories: match coaching and developmental coaching. Birmingham is also notable for its canal system; formerly the lifeblood of the city's industries, their use is now mainly for pleasure. In this situation, he makes use of a specific rolling technique to minimize the chances of injuries. The city's main station, Birmingham New Street, is at the centre of the national rail network, whilst Birmingham International railway station serves Birmingham International Airport which has flights to cities across Europe and several Asian and North American destinations. Sometimes a player may also be forced to drop his body quickly to the floor in order to save the ball. The number 11A and 11C outer circle bus routes are the longest urban bus routes in Europe. When he also slides his hand under a ball that is almost touching the court, this is called a "pancake".

Local public transport is by bus, local train and tram (the Midland Metro light railway system between the city centre and Wolverhampton). A player may sometimes perform a "dive", i.e., he throws his body in the air with a forward movement in an attempt to save the ball, and lands on his chest. Junction 6 of the M6 is also one of Birmingham's most famous landmarks, and probably the most famous motorway junction in the UK: Spaghetti Junction, officially called the Gravelly Hill Interchange. Some specific techniques are more common in digging than in passing. It is served by a number of major roads, including the M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40, and M42 motorways. In many aspects, this skill is similar to passing: overhand dig and bump are also used to distinguish between defensive actions taken with fingertips or with joined arms. Due in part to its central location in England, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway, rail, and canal networks. Digging is the ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike.

For a larger list see List of famous residents of Birmingham. Moreover, positions where defenders place themselves while opponent hitters are spiking depend from the block position. Tolkien, and Ozzy Osbourne are a few of the many famous names associated with Birmingham. While it’s obvious that a block was a success when the attacker is roofed, a block that consistantly forces the attacker away from their 'power' or preferred spike into a more easily controlled shot by the defense is also a highly successful block. R. Successful blocking does not always result in a "roof" and many times does not even touch the ball. R. Thus, one may speak of single (or solo), double, or triple block.

Neville Chamberlain, J. Blocking is also classified according to the number of players involved. See also Places of interest in Birmingham. A well-executed soft-block is performed by jumping and placing one's hands above the net with no penetration into the opponent's court and with the palms up and fingers pointing backward. Birmingham is also the seat of the Government Office for the West Midlands region. By contrast, it is called a defensive, or "soft" block if the goal is to control and deflect the hard-driven ball up so that it slows down and becomes more easy to be defended. Birmingham's eleven constituencies are represented in the House of Commons by one Conservative, one Liberal Democrat, and 9 Labour MPs. A "roof" is a spectacular offensive block that redirects the power and speed of the attack straight down to the attacker's floor, as if the attacker hit the ball into the underside of a peaked house roof.

There is a Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition, with Conservative group leader Mike Whitby as Leader of the council and Lib-Dem group leader Paul Tilsley as Deputy Leader. Palms are held deflected downward about 45-60 degrees toward the interior of the opponents court. After the election of 10 June 2004, there is no overall control, with the 120 seats being divided between the Labour, (53 councillors), Conservative (39) and Liberal Democrat ("Lib-Dem", 28) parties. The jump should be timed so as to intercept the ball's trajectory prior to it crossing over the net. Birmingham City Council is the largest local authority in the UK with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 councillors representing just under one million people, in 40 wards. A well-executed offensive block is performed by jumping and reaching to penetrate with one's arms and hands over the net and into the opponent's area. There has been a lot of new building in the city centre in recent years, including the award-winning Future Systems' Selfridges building, an irregularly-shaped structure covered in thousands of reflective discs (see picture), the Brindleyplace development and the Millennium Point science and technology centre. A block that is aimed at completely stopping an attack, thus making the ball remain in the opponent's court, is called offensive.

In more recent years, Birmingham has learnt from what many see as the mistakes of the 1960s and instituted the largest tower block demolition and renovation programmes anywhere in Europe. Blocking refers to the actions taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter an opponent's attack. The planning decisions of the post-war years were to have a profound effect on the image of Birmingham in subsequent decades, with the mix of ring roads, shopping malls and tower blocks often referred to as a 'concrete jungle'. Contemporary volleyball comprises a number of attacking techniques:. In inner-city areas too, much Victorian housing was redeveloped and existing communities were relocated to tower block estates like Castle Vale. A player makes a series of steps (the "approach"), jumps and then projects his body forward, thus transferring its kinetic energy to the ball when contact is made. However, the destruction that took place in post-war Birmingham was also extensive: dozens of fine Victorian buildings like the intricate glass-roofed Birmingham New Street Station, and the old Central Library, were razed in the 1950s and 1960s and replaced with modernist concrete buildings. The object of spiking is to handle the ball so that it lands on the opponent's court and cannot be defended.

Continued population growth in the interwar period, saw vast estates of semi-detached houses being built on greenfield land in outlying parts of the city such as Kingstanding and Weoley Castle, but the coming of World War II and the Blitz claimed many lives and many beautiful buildings too. The spike (or attack) is usually the third contact a team makes with the ball. Across the city, the need to house the industrial workers gave rise to miles of redbrick streets and terraces, many of back-to-back houses, some of which were later to become inner-city slums. This movement is called a "dump". The characteristic materials of Victorian Birmingham are red brick and terracotta, and many fine Victorian buildings have been retained on New Street and Corporation Street in the city centre. Sometimes a setter refrains from raising the ball for a teammate to perform a spike and tries to play it directly onto the opponent's court. Saint Chad's Cathedral, built in 1839 by Augustus Pugin, was the first Roman Catholic Cathederal to be built in the UK since the Reformation. In the case of a set, one also speaks of a front or back set, meaning whether the ball is passed in the direction the setter is facing or not.

Major public buildings such as the Town Hall, the Law Courts, the Council House (see picture) and the Museum & Art Gallery were constructed, many under the auspices of Joseph Chamberlain's reforming mayoralty. Since the former allows for more control over the speed and direction of the ball, the bump is used only when the ball is so low it cannot be properly handled with fingertips, or in beach volleyball where rules regulating overhand setting are more stringent. The Victorian era saw extensive building across the city. As with passing, one may distinguish between an overhand and a bump set. Tolkien). The setter coordinates the offensive movements of a team, and is the player who ultimately decides which player will actually attack the ball. R. The main goal of setting is to put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by a spike into the opponent's court.

R. The set is usually the second contact a team makes with the ball. Among them are St Philip's Cathedral, originally built as a parish church, St Paul's Church in the largely Georgian St Paul's Square, Soho House in Handsworth, the home of Matthew Boulton, and Perrott's Folly in Ladywood (which is said to have later inspired J. The skill of passing involves fundamentally two specific techniques: underarm pass, or bump (“bacher” in European terminology), where the ball touches the inside part of the joined forearms, at waist line; and overhand pass, where it is handled with the fingertips above the head. The city grew rapidly from Georgian times and a number of buildings survive from this period. Proper handling includes not only preventing the ball from touching the court, but also making it reach the position where the setter is standing quickly and precisely. A few other buildings from the medieval and Tudor periods survive, among them The Old Crown public house in Digbeth, the 15th century Saracen's Head public house and Old Grammar School in Kings Norton and Blakesley Hall in Yardley. Also called reception, the pass is the attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve or "free ball".

The current church (begun around 1290) was extensively re-built in the 1870s, retaining some original walls and foundations. In contemporary volleyball, many types of serve are employed:. Traces of medieval Birmingham can be seen in the oldest churches, notably the original parish church, St Martin's in the Bullring, where a church has stood since at least the 12th century. A serve is called an "ace" when the ball lands directly onto the court or travels outside after being touched by an opponent. Consequently, relatively few buildings survive from its earlier history. Their main objective is to make it land inside the court; it is also desirable to set the ball's direction, speed and acceleration so that it becomes difficult for the receiver to handle it properly. Although Birmingham has existed as a settlement for over a thousand years, today's city is overwhelmingly a product of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, as the real growth of the city began with the Industrial Revolution. A player stands behind the baseline and hits the ball, in an attempt to drive it into the opponent's court.

Attractions for visitors include Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Millennium Point, Bull Ring, Selfridges Building, Cadbury World, Tolkien Trail [2], Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the National Sea Life Centre.
. Millions of people visit Birmingham every year, and in 2004 the city was named the second best place to shop in England after the West End of London [1]. Each of these skills comprise a number of specific techniques that have been introduced along the years and are now considered standard practice in high-level volleyball. In recent years Birmingham's economy has diversified into service industries, retailing, tourism and conference hosting, which are now the main employers in the city. At international level, competitive teams are supposed to master six basic skills: serve, pass, set, spike, block and dig. Lloyds Bank (now Lloyds TSB) began in 1765 and the Midland Bank (now part of HSBC) opened in Union Street in August 1836. From 2006 there are plans for trying new rule changes, such as having a second serve option when failing the first (as in tennis) or a second alternative libero in the team.

Two of Britain's "big four" banks were founded there. Other changes were made to lighten up calls on faults for carries and double-touches, such as allowing a "hard-driven ball" to be slightly carried. The city attracts over 40% of the UK's total conference trade. Also, the service area was expanded to allow players to serve from anywhere behind the end line but still within the theoretical extension of the sidelines. Birmingham has over 500 law firms, and is Europe's second largest insurance market. Other rule changes enacted in 2000 include the introduction of the net serve which allows play to continue even if a served ball touches the net as long as it continues into the opponents' court. Other famous brands from the city include Bakelite, Bird's Custard, Brylcreem, BSA, Cadbury's chocolate, Chad Valley toys, Halfords, HP Sauce, Typhoo Tea and Valor. An exception is the NCAA women's volleyball competition, where a 2004 rule change does allow the libero to serve.

Scientific research (including research into nanotechnology at the University of Birmingham) is expanding in the city. Furthermore, a libero is not allowed to serve, according to the official rules. The city's present day products include motor vehicles, vehicle components and accessories, weapons, electrical equipment, plastics, machine tools, chemicals, food, jewellery and glass. A bump set is allowed from any part of the court. However, the future for the former looks bleak, as MG Rover went into administration in 2005, resulting in the plant being mothballed and the loss of 6,000 jobs at the site, plus more in the supply chain. If he makes an overhand set, he must be standing behind (and not stepping on) the 3-meter line; otherwise, the ball cannot be attacked above the net in front of the 3-meter line. Birmingham was home to two major car factories: MG Rover in Longbridge and Jaguar in Castle Bromwich. The libero may function as a setter only under certain restrictions.

The city's workers designed and constructed railway carriages, steam engines, bicycles, automobiles and even – unusually for somewhere so far from the sea – ships, which were made as pre-fabricated sections, then assembled at the coast. His substitutions also do not count against the 6-substitution limit each team is allowed per set. James Watt improved the Steam Engine while working in the city, and historically the largest manufacturers in the city have been associated with the steam, electric and petrol transport and power industries. When the ball is not in play, the libero can replace any back-row player, without prior notice to the referees. Until 2003, coins for circulation were manufactured in the Jewellery Quarter at the Birmingham Mint, the oldest independent mint in the world, which continues to produce commemorative coins and medals. The libero is a player specialized in defensive skills: they must wear a different coloured jersey and cannot block or attack. The Jewellery Quarter is still the largest concentration of dedicated jewellers in Europe, and one third of the jewellery manufactured in the UK is made within one mile of Birmingham city centre. In 1998 the libero player was introduced, the term meaning free in Italian.

Pen manufacture in Birmingham helped revolutionise writing across the world with many companies based in and around the Jewellery Quarter. The FIVB changed the rules in 1999 (with the changes being compulsory in 2000) to use the current scoring system (formerly known as rally point system), primarily to make the length of the match more predictable and to make the game more spectator- and television-friendly. During the Industrial Revolution many factories, foundries and businesses prospered in the city, including the areas known as the Gun Quarter and Jewellery Quarter. Before 1999, points could be scored only when a team had the service (side-out scoring) and all sets went up to only 15 points. Birmingham's industrial heritage predates the Industrial Revolution, and up until the 20th Century the city maintained a tradition of individual craftsmen, sometimes working independently in their own back yards or on piecework rates in rented workshops, alongside larger factories. (Scoring differs between leagues, tournaments, and levels; high schools sometimes play best-of-three to 30; in the NCAA games are played best-of-five to 30.). Over a quarter of the UK's exports originate in the greater Birmingham area. Matches are best-of-five sets and the fifth set (if necessary) is usually played to 15 points.

Birmingham is an important manufacturing and engineering centre, employing over 100,000 people in industry and contributing billions of pounds to the national economy. The game continues, with the first team to score 25 points (and be two points ahead) awarded the set. To the south west of the city lie the Clent Hills and Walton Hill, which reach 315 m and have good views over the city. If the team that won the point did not serve the previous point, the players of the team rotate their position on the court in a clockwise manner. The watershed of the River Severn and River Trent can clearly be seen along the Perry Barr area of Birmingham and areas near Erdington where the level and gradient of the land changes significantly. If the team that won the point served the previous point, the same player serves again. This high ground makes Birmingham prone to tornadoes which were witnessed in mid-2005. The team that won the point is awarded the right to serve for the next point.

The main north-south watershed of Britain actually passes through Birmingham. When the ball contacts the floor within the court boundaries or an error is made, the team that did not make the error is awarded a point, whether or not it served the ball. The city of Birmingham is situated on an area of high ground, around 150-200 metres above sea level. He generally will only take action after the opposite team has notified him that they are being screened, and will almost always give out a warning - often multiple warnings - before sanctioning the team for screening.). Birmingham's transition from an industrial centre to a tourism and services economy is best illustrated by the hosting of the first official summit of the G8 at the International Convention Centre (May 15 to May 17, 1998). (This is a judgement call by the referee. In the decades following World War II, the face of Birmingham changed dramatically, with large scale immigration from the Commonwealth of Nations and beyond. ⁵ Screening is only a fault if the players stand directly next to each other in a way that clearly impedes vision, and the serve is a low line drive over their heads.

In recent years however, Birmingham has been transformed, the city centre has been extensively renovated and restored with the construction of new squares, the restoration of old streets, buildings and canals, the removal of the pedestrian subways, and the demolition and subsequent redevelopment of the Bull Ring shopping centre, which now includes the architecturally unique Selfridges building. ⁴ Penetration under the net with hands or feet is allowed only if a portion of the penetrating hands or feet remains in contact with the player's court or the center line. As a result, Birmingham gained a reputation for ugliness and was frequently described as a "concrete jungle". ³ At the first hit of the team, the ball may be contact various parts of the body consecutively provided that the contacts occur during one action. Birmingham suffered heavy bomb damage during World War II, and partly as a result of this the city centre was extensively re-developed during the 1950s and 1960s, with many concrete office buildings, ring-roads, and now much-derided pedestrian subways. Also, contacts as part of a block do not count against the three allowed touches. The city absorbed Sutton Coldfield in 1974, and at the same time became part of the new West Midlands county. In such an instance the blocker may play the ball another time without violating the rule against playing the ball twice in succession.

Birmingham was originally part of Warwickshire, however the city expanded in the late 19th and early 20th century, absorbing parts of Worcestershire to the south and Staffordshire to the west. ² Except if a player blocks (touches a ball sent over the net by the opposing team, while reaching above the top of the net) a ball that stays in the blocker's side of the net. The city built it's own university in 1900, The University of Birmingham, which became the first of Britain's Redbrick universities. as the result of a bad pass or dig, a player is allowed to go after the ball if he does not touch the opponent's court and if the ball travels back to his court also outside the antennas. Birmingham's importance led to it being granted city status in 1889 by Queen Victoria. Notes: ¹ If the ball passes outside the antennas at the first hit of team, e.g. It became known as the "City of a thousand trades" due to the wide array of industries located there. The game continues in this manner until the ball touches the court within the boundaries or until an error is made.

During the Victorian era, the population of Birmingham grew rapidly to well over half a million and Birmingham became the second largest population centre in Britain. After a successful dig, the team transitions to offense. And this was soon followed by the Great Western Railway's Snow Hill station. If the ball is hit around, above, or through the block, the defensive players arranged in the rest of the court attempt to control the ball with a dig (a fore-arm pass of a hard-driven ball). New Street Station was opened as a joint station in 1854. The team on defense attempts to prevent the attacker from directing the ball into their court by having players at the net jump and reach above the top (and if possible, across the plane) of the net in order to block the attacked ball. Railways arrived in Birmingham in 1837, with the opening of the Grand Junction Railway and later the London and Birmingham Railway the railways soon linked Birmingham to every corner of Britain. The team with possession of the ball and that is trying to attack the ball as described is said to be on offense.

By the 1820s an extensive canal system had been constructed; Birmingham is often described as having more miles of canals than Venice. These contacts usually consist first of the bump or pass so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards the player designated as the setter; second of the set (an over-hand pass using finger-tip action) by the setter so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards one or more players designated as the attacker and third by the attacker who spikes (jumping, raising one arm above the head and hitting the ball so it will move quickly down to the ground on the opponent's court) to return the ball over the net. From the 1760s onwards, a large network of canals were built across Birmingham and the Black Country, to transport raw materials and finished goods. The opposing team must use a combination of no more than three contacts with the volleyball to return the ball to the opponent's side of the net. Unlike many other English industrial cities such as Manchester, industry in Birmingham was based upon small workshops rather than large factories or mills. A player from the serving team (the server) throws the ball into the air and attempts to hit the ball so it passes over the net on a course such that it will land in the opposing team's court (the serve). During the Industrial Revolution (from the mid 18th century onwards), Birmingham grew rapidly into a major industrial centre. To get play started, a team is chosen to serve by coin toss.

Arms manufacture in Birmingham became a staple trade and was concentrated in the area known as the Gun Quarter. Each of the two teams consists of six players, three located in front of the attack line and three behind. Birmingham manufacturers supplied Oliver Cromwell's forces with much of their weaponry during the English Civil War. It is round and 65-67 cm in circumference. In the 17th century, Birmingham became an important manufacturing town with a reputation for producing small arms. The ball (a volleyball), is made of leather or synthetic leather and inflated with compressed air. By the 16th century, Birmingham's access to supplies of iron ore and coal meant that metalworking industries became established. A ball passing over the net must pass completely between the antennae (or their theoretical extensions to the ceiling) without contacting them.

As a convenient location for trade, Birmingham soon developed into a small but thriving market town. An antenna is placed on each side of the net perpendicular to the sideline and is a vertical extension of the side boundary of the court. In the 12th century, Birmingham was granted a charter to hold a market, which in time became known as the Bull Ring. All lines denoting the boundaries of the team court and the attack zone are drawn or painted within the dimensions of the area and are therefore a part of the court or zone and a ball touching the line is considered in. It was first recorded in written documents by the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small village, worth only 20 shillings. The team courts are surrounded by an area called the free zone which is a minimum of 2 metres wide and which the players may enter and play within after the service of the ball. Birmingham started life as a small Anglo-Saxon hamlet in the Early Middle Ages. After a team gains the serve, its members must rotate in clockwise direction, with the player previously in area "2" moving to area "1" and so on, with the player from area "1" moving to area "6" (see also the Errors and Faults section).

The Birmingham area was occupied in Roman times, with several military roads and a large fort. These are in turn divided into 3 areas each: these are numbered as follows, starting from area "1", which is the position of the serving player:. (paloma). This "3 metre" line divides the court into "back row" and "front row" areas. In this time, it has grown from a tiny Anglo-Saxon farming village into a major industrial and commercial city. There is a line 3 metres from and parallel to the net in each team court termed the "attack line". Birmingham has a recorded history going back 1000 years. The game is played on volleyball courts 18 metres long and 9 metres wide, divided into two 9 x 9 metre "team courts" by a one-metre wide net placed such that its highest point is 2.43 metres above the ground in men's competition, and 2.24 metres for women's competition (these heights are varied for veterans and junior competitions).

. See also Volleyball in the United States. Around 30% of Birmingham's population is of non-white ethnicity; at the time of the 2001 census, 70.4% of the population was White (including 3.2% Irish), 19.5% Asian or Asian British, 6.1% Black or Black British, 0.5% Chinese, and 3.5% of mixed or other ethnic heritage. The FIVB estimates that 1 in 6 people in the world participate in or observe indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, or backyard (recreational) volleyball. Birmingham is an ethnically and culturally diverse city. The sport is now popular in Brazil, all of Europe (where especially Italy, Netherlands and Serbia are major forces since late Eighties), Russia, other countries including China and the rest of Asia, as well as the United States. There is a distinctive Brummie dialect and accent. The first foreign country to adopt volleyball was Canada in 1900.

This comes in turn from the city's dialect name, Brummagem. In 1919 American Expeditionary Forces distributed 16,000 volleyballs to their troops and allies: this provided a stimulus for the growth of volleyball outside the United States. The people of Birmingham are known as 'Brummies', a term derived from the city's nickname of Brum. In 1917, the game was changed from 21 to 15 points. It forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation, which has a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census) and includes several neighbouring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country. It took until 1916 for the skill and power of the set and spike to be introduced, and four years later a "three hits" rule and back row hitting guidelines were established. The City of Birmingham has a population of 992,400 (2004 estimate). It was not until 1900 that a ball was made specifically for the new game, and the rules were not how we know them today.

To this day over a quarter of the UK's exports originate in the greater Birmingham area. Beach volleyball became a FIVB-endorsed variation in 1986 and was added to the Olympic program at the 1996 Summer Olympics. The city's reputation was forged as the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, a fact which led to Birmingham being known as "the workshop of the world". Volleyball was added to the program of the Olympic Games in 1964, and has been part ever since. It is England's "second city" and is the largest of England's core cities. An international federation, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was founded in 1947, and the first World Championships were held in 1949 (men) and 1952 (women). Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands. Volleyball rules, along with rules for basketball, were slightly modified by the Springfield YMCA and spread around the country to other YMCA locations.

See also the Black Country. After an observer noticed the volleying nature of the game at its first exhibition match in 1896 played at the Springfield YMCA, the game quickly became known as volleyball (originally spelled as two words). Towns: Bedworth, Cannock, Kenilworth, Kidderminster, Nuneaton, Redditch, Royal Leamington Spa, Rugby, Solihull, Stafford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Tamworth, Warwick,. To protect the fingers of the ladies, they were allowed to catch the ball and then throw it again. Cities: Coventry, Leicester, Wolverhampton, Worcester. In case of a serving error, a second try was allowed (as in tennis) while a ball hitting the net was to be considered a foul (with loss of the point or a side-out) — except in the case of the first-try serve (as in tennis). John Wright, inventor of a type of electroplating. Morgan himself, called for a net 6 feet 6 inches high; a 25 × 50 foot court; any number of players; a match composed of 9 innings with 3 serves for each team in each inning; and no limit to the number of ball contacts allowed each team before sending the ball to the opponents’ court.

James Watt, engineer and inventor; associated with the steam engine. The first rules, written down by William G. Joseph Priestley, chemist and radical. Mintonette (as volleyball was then known) was designed to be an indoor sport less rough than basketball for older members of the YMCA, while still requiring a bit of athletic effort. Alexander Parkes, inventor of celluloid, the first synthetic plastic. Another indoor sport, basketball, was catching on in the area, having been invented just ten miles away in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts only four years before. Sir Francis Galton, originator of eugenics and important techniques in statistics. The game took some of its characteristics from tennis and handball.

Matthew Boulton, proprietor of the Soho engineering works. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director, created a new game called Mintonette as a pastime to be played preferably indoors and by any number of players. Victoria Square. On February 9, 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, William G. Town Hall. . Sutton Park. It also helps players in their hand-eye coordination and the ability to override the instinctive desire to dodge a fast-moving object such as a ball.

St Philip's Cathedral. Volleyball is a very active sport that provides an excellent level of aerobic exercise. Sarehole Mill. A point is scored if the ball hits the ground in the opponents' court, if the opponents commit a fault, or if they fail to return the ball properly. National Sealife Centre. Each team is allowed three hits to get the ball over the net to the other team. National Indoor Arena. Two teams, separated by a high net, hit a ball back and forth over the net between the teams.

The Mailbox. Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world. mac. "Stuff" - When a defensive player jumps above the height of the net, blocks the ball, and the ball goes back at the person who attacked (spiked) the ball. Jewellery Quarter - The largest concentration of dedicated jewellers in Europe. "Six-Pak or Pak" - When a spiker spikes the ball over the net and hits one of the opposing players in the chest or stomach. Gun Quarter - Once the foremost gun manufacturing community in the UK. "Sideout" - When the team that served the ball loses the point, causing the other team to serve the next point.

Convention Quarter. "Pancake" - When a player digs the ball by putting their hand flat on the floor, allowing the ball to bounce on the back of the hand as opposed to the ground. Chamberlain Square featuring a BBC Big Screen. "Kill" - When a team spikes the ball and the defending team is unable to play the ball successfully. Central Mosque. "Facial" - When a spiker spikes the ball over the net and hits one of the opposing players in the face. Centenary Square. Much more rare since rally scoring has been adopted for most games, but the term is still used by players who played under side-out scoring.

Cannon Hill Park. "Bagel" - When a team wins a game without allowing the opposite team to score any points. Cadbury World. "Ace" - When the ball is served to the other team, and it lands in court with no one touching it; can also be used to refer to a serve which is played by the receiving team, but in a way that it is not possible for them to get a second touch on the ball. The Bullring. Whether side-out or rally scoring is used will generally match up with whether or not the old or new court size is being used. Brindleyplace - Canalside development. Many recreational players still use the side-out scoring system rather than rally scoring.

Blakesley Hall. The time limit for serve is 5 seconds. Birmingham Thinktank - Science Museum. a set). Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. The disallowance of the first contact being an open-hand contact (i.e. Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Stricter rules around double-contacts during hand setting.

Barber Institute of Fine Arts. A dink may be performed with a closed hand or knuckle. The Back to Back houses. The disallowance of the open-hand dink or dump plays where a player uses their finger tips to redirect the ball into the opponent's court instead of a hard spike. Aston Hall. The block always counts as the first contact. The size of the court (16 x 8m) (though many recreational players and regional organizations use the old 18 x 9m court).

Since the set is coming from his left, a right-handed hitter in the weak-side position will have to swing across his body to attack. Conversely, the attacker in the front-right position is the weak-side hitter. This hitting position is advantageous for a right-handed hitter, because the set will come from the right, and can therefore be delivered efficiently to the hitting arm. A strong-side hitter is an outside hitter that specializes in attacking from the front-left position.

Outside hitters must also master passing, since they generally help the libero in receiving the opponent's serve. An outside hitter generally relies on a powerful swing to score, but some offensive plays may call for an angled approach and/or quick spikes to confound the defense. Since most sets to the outside are high, the outside hitter may take a longer approach, sometimes even starting from outside the court sideline. Outside hitters, also known as power hitters, attack from near the antennas.

In general they are the tallest players, but are often less skillful defensive players. They are specialized in blocking, since they must attempt to stop equally fast plays from their opponents and then quickly set up a double block at the sides of the court. Middle blockers or Middle hitters are players that can perform very fast spikes that usually take place near the setter. A player designated as a libero for a match may not play other roles during that match.

Liberos do not necessarily need to be tall, as they never play at the net, allowing shorter players with strong passing skills to excel. Liberos are defensive specialists, who are responsible for receiving the attack or serve (the dig) and are usually the players on the court with the quickest reaction time and best passing skills. Setters need to have swift and skilful appraisal and tactical accuracy, and must be quick at moving around the court. They have to be able to operate with the hitters with variety and break up the enemy's block.

They aim for second touch and their main responsibility is to place the ball in the air where the attackers can hit the ball into the opponents' court in the easiest way as possible. Setters have the task for orchestrating the offense of the team. It can be used to deceive opposite blockers and free a fourth hitter attacking from backcourt, maybe without block at all. Double quick hit/"Stack"/"Tandem": a variation of quick hit where two hitters, one in front and one behind the setter, jump to perform a quick hit at the same time.

The middle hitter steps around the setter and hits from behind him. Slide: a variation of the quick hit that uses a low back set. The set (called a "quick set") is placed only slightly above the net and the ball is struck by the hitter almost immediately after leaving the setter's hands. Quick hit/"One": an attack (usually by the middle blocker) where the approach and swing begin before the setter contacts the ball.

Off-speed hit: the player does not hit the ball hard, reducing its acceleration and thus confusing the opponent's defense. Tool/Wipe/Block-abuse: the player does not try to make a hard spike, but hits the ball so that it touches the opponent's block and then bounces off-court. Dip/Dink/Tip/Cheat: the player does not try to make a spike, but touches the ball lightly, so that it lands on an area of the opponent's court that is not being covered by the defense. A cross-court shot with a very pronounced angle, resulting in the ball landing near the 3-meter line, is called a cut shot.

Line and Cross-court Shot: refers to whether the ball flies in a straight trajectory parallel to the side lines, or crosses through the court in an angle. The player cannot take off on or beyond the 3-meter line before making contact with the ball, but may land in front of the 3-meter line. Backcourt attack: an attack performed by a player not standing at the net. The ball is hit with the palm of the hand, creating a lot of spin.

The motion is much like in a tennis swing. Usage of this serve in indoor volleyball is today restricted to a few Asian women's teams. Round-House Serve: the player stands with one shoulder facing the net, tosses the ball high and hits it with a fast circular movement of the arm. This is the most popular serve amongst college and professional teams.

There is usually much topspin imparted on the ball. Jump Serve: an overhand serve where the ball is first tossed high in the air, then the player makes a timed approach and jumps to make contact with the ball. Can be administered while jumping or standing. Floater: an overhand serve where the ball is hit with no spin so that its path becomes unpredictable.

Spin Serve: an overhand serve where the ball gains topspin through wrist snapping. Line and Cross-Court Serve: refers to whether the balls flies in a straight trajectory parallel to the side lines, or crosses through the court in an angle. It is now considered outdated. This serve was invented and employed almost exclusively by the Brazilian team in the early 1980s.

Sky Ball Serve: a specific type of underhand serve, where the ball is hit so high it comes down almost in a straight line. Underhand serve is considered very easy to receive and is not generally employed in international competitions. Underhand and Overhand Serve: refers to whether the player strikes the ball from below, at waist level, or first tosses the ball in the air and then hits it above shoulder level. At the moment of serve, one or more players jump, raise their arms or stand together at the net in an attempt to block the sight of the ball from the opponent (screening)⁵.

A player takes more than 8 seconds to serve. When serving, a player steps on the court or the endline before making contact with the ball. A player touches the opponent's court below the center line with any part of his body except their feet or hands⁴. When hitting, a player makes contact with the ball in the space above the opponent's court (in blocking this is allowed).

The same rules must be respected by the front-row players (those in areas "2", "3" and "4"). The area "5" player must be behind the area "4" player and to the left of the area "6" player. The area "6" player must be behind area "3" player, to the left of area "1" player and to the right of area "5". a "backrow" player can be close to the net) so long as they obey the following rules: The area "1" player must be behind the area "2" player and to the right of the area "6" player.

When ball is served, players can place themselves freely on the field (e.g. This type of foul is related to the position currently occupied by the players (see the table in the Equipment section). A player is not in his right position at the moment of serve, or serves out of turn. A player completes an attack hit from higher than the top of the net when the ball is coming from an overhand finger pass (set) by a libero in the front zone.

The libero, a defensive specialist who can only play in the back row, makes an "attacking hit", defined as any shot struck while the ball is entirely above the top of the net. A back-row player attempts to block an opposing teams attack by reaching above the top of the net. A back-row player spikes the ball while it is completely above the top of the net, unless he or she jumped from behind the attack line (the player is however allowed to land in front of the attack line). The players of one team do not manage to touch the ball before the ball lands in their half of the court.

A player touches the net with any part of the body or clothing while making a play on the ball (with the exception of the hair). A player "lifts" or "carries" the ball (the ball remains in contact with the player's body for too long). The same player touches the ball twice in succession³. The ball is touched more than three times before being returned to the other team's court².

The ball also may not pass over or outside the antennas even if it lands in the opponents court¹. The ball lands out of the court, in the same court as the team that touched it last, or the ball touches the net "antennas".