In 1897, volleyball’s first rules were published in the first Official Handbook of the Athletic League of the Young Men’s Christian Associations (YMCA) of North America. As a result, many physical directors introduced the game at their YMCAs across the country. However, the first 15 years of volleyball’s history are known for being the time that the sport was shared with the world abroad. While attempting to spread the religion of Christianity, YMCA workers, were sent to U.S. Missionaries in other parts of the world.
They took the game from Holyoke, Massachusetts to US missions in Asia. Volleyball also caught on in Russia. By 1900, volleyball had spread to Canada, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, South America and Cuba. A new set of rules, as revised by A. E. Day, was published. Match length was set at 21 points, the use of innings was discarded, and the net was raised to 7 feet, 6 inches.
Hyozo Omori, a graduate of the YMCA’s International Training Institute in Springfield, Massachusetts introduced the sport to Tokyo, Japan in 1908. Max Exner and Howard Crokner brought it to China and Elwood Brown introduced it to the Philippines at the YMCA in Manila in 1910. The game became very popular in the Far East and was played in the Oriental Games as early as 1913. The rules were revised again in 1912. The skill and power of the set and spike had been introduced. The number of players was set at six per team, the size of the court was increased to 35 by 60 feet, and rotation of players before service was established.
Volleyball was added to the recreation program of the U. S. armed forces in 1914 and American soldiers introduced the sport to France and Italy during World War I. The sport also became popular at many colleges at this time, although college rules were not adopted at first.
