Sitting Volleyball
"Considerably faster than the standing equivalent..."
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Because the net is lower and the court smaller, Sitting Volleyball is considerably faster than the standing equivalent and therefore requires quick reactions, agility and power.
Sitting Volleyball has been part of the Paralympic Games since Arnhem 1980, and is now played in over 48 countries worldwide.
Open to all athletes with an impairment – other than meeting a minimal qualification criteria, athletes are practically not classified separately. Sitting Volleyball is played on smaller courts and with a lower net than the non-disabled game. Teams are made up of six players, and each team is allowed three touches of the ball before it must be returned.
At all times during play, the players must have at least one buttock or an extension of the torso in contact with the floor. However, athletes may kick or head the ball if necessary.
The game consists of five sets – each is won by the first team to reach 25 points. In the event of a 24-24 tie, there must be a clear two-point lead over the opposing team to win.
Additional information and useful links
History of Sitting Volleyball
History of Sitting Volleyball
Volleyball, or Mintonette as it was first known, was developed as an indoor sport by William G Morgan, a YMCA physical education director from Massachusetts, America in 1895.
Mintonette, combining attributes from tennis and handball, was created as a less aggressive indoor game that could be played by the older members at the gym.
Originally any number of players could take part in the Game and a match comprised of nine innings with three serves for each team in every innings.
In 1896, a spectator of the sport, Alfred Halstead, noticed the volleying nature of the game and the name volleyball was adopted.
The international federation, Federation Nationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was created in 1947 before the first world championships for men took place two years later in 1949 and for women in 1952.
Volleyball has been an Olympic sport since the 1964 Games, and Beach volleyball was introduced to the program in 1996.
Sitting Volleyball was developed during the 1950s in Holland as a combination of the German game Sitzball and Volleyball. International Sitting Volleyball competitions have taken place since 1967 and the sport was then accepted into the program of the International Sports Organisation for the Disabled (ISOD) in 1978.
Sitting Volleyball was introduced as a Paralympic sport at the Games in Arnhem in 1980, when seven teams took part.
