How about some volleyball? Volleyball is my favorite sport. I really enjoy playing on a team but also enjoy playing with my family and friends. At the beach, at a park, or even in your yard, it’s never really difficult to get a match going. All you need is a net, a ball, and some people ready for some fun.

A decent net can be found in most sports stores or department stores for $15-$50 depending on the season and the quality.  The ball itself can be found in the same stores, usually for around $10. If you don’t want a real volleyball, a beach ball is a very easy and safe alternative; it’s great for family events.

The rules of volleyball are fairly simple. One team starts with the ball and serves the ball over the net and into the boundary lines of the other side. The other team is allowed three touches in order to get the ball back over to the serving team’s side. (The basic idea of calling it a “touch” is that you’re never allowed to actually catch a the ball.) If they are successful with that, the serving team has three touches to return it to the other team, and so on and so forth. The most common way to utilize the three touches is to bump, set, spike. The same person is not allowed to hit a ball twice in a row. You can play defense in volleyball by blocking a hit (if you do touch the ball it does not count as one of the three touches). For every fallen ball (even from a serve) or illegal move, a point is rewarded to the team that didn’t make the mistake.

Even though summer’s almost over, volleyball is still an option for everyone until there’s no more grass to play on. (That’s when I play indoors!)

Terminology:

• Overhand Serve – The ball must be tossed in the air by a player who then swings at it ideally with an open hand and while the ball is still above his or her head.
• Pass/Bump/Dig – When a player allows the ball to bounce off of his/her extended forearms.
• Set – When a player passes a ball by pushing it upward with her hands above her forehead.
• Hit/Spike/Kill – When a player sends a ball downward over the net by striking it overhead with an open hand.