Which Sport is More Challenging: Basketball or Volleyball

When kids get interested in sports, they ask what the difference between basketball and volleyball is.

They are two different sports played under different rules and requiring different athletic skills.

Read on for information to help you decide which game fits you.

What Does it Take to Play Basketball?

Playing basketball is fun, and getting paid for what you love is great, whether in the NBA or other professional leagues abroad. However, the journey from pickup ball to the professional ranks requires hard work, sacrifice, discipline, and patience. It takes time to develop skills.

The NBA has 30 teams with 12 players on each roster. You must go through the needle’s eye to be counted as one of the 360 players in the league.

The elite basketball players started playing in grade school, challenging players who were bigger and better than them. They became well-rounded players who were good at dribbling, passing, shooting, and rebounding.

Dribbling

Ball handling is an offensive weapon that can confuse the defensive player. He is in a position to get to the rim or dish to an open teammate. 

Kyrie Irving has one of the best handles in the NBA. He controls the ball like a yo-yo, bringing it wherever he wants. Irving’s precision ball handling creates ankle breakers, step-backs, reverse, or change-of-pace, making him valuable to the team.

Passing

Passing requires accuracy and basketball smarts to deliver the ball to an open teammate under pressure for a certain two points.

Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic averages 8.8 assists per game, equivalent to 18 points for his team.

Shooting

Basketball is a scoring game, and scorers light up the scoreboard. In today’s games, it’s hard to get a shot off. You need to develop the shooting ability to match the tenacious defense.

Steph Curry’s crazy shooting drill pays off during game time. Give him some shooting space, and Curry will release the ball, look at the crowd, and the ball swishes the net.

Rebounding

Points from the opponents from putbacks are trimmed with defensive rebounds. The Bigs have an advantage in this department. But it’s more than size; you must anticipate where the ball bounces, be good at positioning and know when to jump.

Defense

A good offense starts with a good defense. The purpose of defense is to minimize the point production of the offensive team. Breaking the offensive play results in a turnover and an opportunity for your team to score.

What Does it Take to Play Volleyball?

Volleyball players should have strong fundamentals. Successful teams are highly skilled, well-conditioned, and fundamentally sound. Here are the six skills volleyball players must be good at.

Passing

Passing is hitting the ball at the upper body level to contain it and pass it to the setter. Effective passing plays can result in multiple offensive maneuvers.

Hands together, thumbs and wrists are tight, and shoulders pressing forward to soften the ball’s impact and control the direction during a rally.

Serving

Serving is an opportunity to score an immediate point. Aggressive players put power behind the service to keep the opposition off balance.

A good server surveys the opponent’s formation and directs the ball to the weakest point. A server’s mindset should be to score points and not just get the ball over to the other side.

Setting

A setter usually gets the second touch in a rally and runs the team’s offensive plays. Setters are like point guards in a basketball game running the plays for the team.

They have high volleyball smarts reading the opponent’s game for the best attack approach. Setters pass the ball to hitters confusing the opponent’s blockers for the kill.

Attack

An attack or spike in Volleyball is hitting the ball with force at an angle directed toward an unguarded spot at the opponent’s side. Or the hitter aims the ball at the blockers’ arms, so it goes out of the play zone.

A spiker must contact the ball at its highest point and hit it down over the net into the opponent’s side.

Blocking

Front-row players are allowed to block the ball and may be performed by one or three blockers. The goal is to prevent the opponent’s attack and send the ball back.

A part of the blocker’s body should be extended at the top of the net when the ball comes in contact. Your hands and arms are extended beyond the net, but touching the ball is permitted only if the attack hit is completed.

Defense

Any player on the court can perform defense. Usually, the team relies on the libero, a defensive specialist. Any body part, including the feet, can be used in defending.

Players slide or roll to keep the ball alive, send it back to the other side, and thwart the opponent’s attack.

Is it Easier to Learn Volleyball vs. Basketball?

Kids starting in sports ask whether basketball or volleyball is easy to learn. It depends on your size, skills, and passion for the game. 

The NBA has 12 rules while the Federation Internationale De Volleyball (FIVB) has 30. It’s easier to learn a game with fewer rules, and Basketball is less technical.

NBA players’ average height is 6’6,” and volleyball players’ average height is 6’4″. Both sports have players with a game standing six feet and below. The NBA has point guards Chris Paul (6’0″) and Isiah Thomas (5’9″), and FIVB has libero Taichirō Koga standing 5′ 6″. Basketball offers more opportunities for shorter players; Volleyball needs tall players with extended reach.

Basketball courts are all over, and you can practice your drills alone. Volleyball requires more people to play, and courts are few and far between. 

Volleyball requires learning more techniques to play; basketball players can have their personalized way of dribbling, shooting, or passing.

Given the discussions presented, basketball is easier to learn than volleyball.

Is Basketball Harder than Volleyball? Which Sport is More Challenging?

Comparing basketball vs. volleyball, basketball is more challenging for many reasons, mainly because it is a contact sport.

Getting into contact with the opponent is unavoidable. Players hit each other, and there are flagrant fouls that will knock you to the ground and sustain injuries. Defenders tend to get in contact with their opponent when trying to steal the ball or stop a shooter.

During the Michael Jordan era, the Detroit Pistons’ goal was to stop Jordan from scoring at any cost. His Airness was black-and-blue after every game.

A volleyball net separates players; there are rare instances when players come into contact at the net.

Basketball is physically demanding; a basketball player is in constant motion, whether playing offense or defense. They must negotiate the entire length of the court (91.86 feet) many times.

Six volleyball players have 30 feet of playing area to cover during a game. Players are standing still while waiting for the ball to be volleyed.

Wrapping Things Up: Which Sport is More Challenging: Basketball or Volleyball?

Comparing basketball vs. volleyball many choose volleyball, while most go for basketball as a challenging sport

Fans love the games because both sports are hard to play, fun to watch, and athletes exhibit extraordinary abilities.

People will come up with various reasons to justify their sport. Ultimately, you will decide which sport is more challenging and tickles your fancy.

We hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, be sure to check out our other basketball FAQ articles here.