1-
History & Object
2- The
Essentials (Offense & Defense,
Scoring, Etc.)
3- Court Diagram and
Positions
4- Fouls
5- Glossary
of Volleyball Terms
Positions
Players
are usually specialists in one
of the following positions:
Setter:
Passing specialist who usually
hits the second ball of the
rally to set up a spike for
a teammate. The setter is always
close to the net, faces the
left sideline, and can set the
ball forward or backward to
the hitter that is ready to
attack.
Outside
hitter: Attacker who spikes
the ball over the net from the
front left position. Also blocks
spikes from the other team.
Middle
blocker: Defensive specialist
who assists the other two front-row
players in blocking all shots
from the opposing team. Also
spikes ball from the middle
of the court.
Opposite:
Attacker who plays in the front
right of the court when the
setter is in the back row.
Libero:
Back-row defensive specialist
who has fast reaction time and
is an excellent passer. Specializes
in receiving serves and attacks
by bumping or digging the ball.
Wears a different colored jersey,
does not serve or block, and
can substitute unlimited times
in and out of the back row without
waiting for the referee’s
approval. This position was
created in 1998 and will be
implemented at the high school
level by the 2006-2007 season.
There
are six players on each team,
and there are six rotational
spots on the court that must
be taken during each serve—three
in the “front row”:
Left-Front (LF), Center-Front
(CF), and Right-Front (RF);
and three in the “back
row”: Left-Back (LB),
Center-Back (CB), and Right-Back
(RB). The player in the Right-Back
(RB) spot serves. The optimal
positions in the front row are
an outside hitter on the left
side, a middle blocker playing
in the middle, and a setter
(or opposite if the setter is
in back row) on the right. Every
time a team wins back the serve,
the players on that team rotate
one spot in a clockwise direction.
This rotation forces players
into spots that are away from
their optimal position, so they
switch,
or run, to the ideal spots once
the ball is served. For example,
when an outside hitter is in
the center-front rotational
spot, he will run to the left-front
of the court after the ball
has been served. Typically,
there are two sets of players
in the rotation [outside hitter,
middle blocker, setter] and
[outside hitter, middle blocker,
opposite]. Players of the same
position are three spots away
from their counterparts to ensure
that there is always an outside
hitter, a middle blocker, and
a setter or opposite in the
front row. The front row usually
consists of taller players that
can jump the highest to block
and spike. The back row is where
the strongest defenders play;
these players receive the serve.
Coaches may strategically substitute
defensive specialists into the
game when an offensive player
rotates to the back row, and
substitute offensive specialists
into the game once the defensive
player rotates to the front
row.
Field
of Play
Indoor
volleyball courts have common
characteristics:
Boundary
lines: Mark the court’s
perimeter and include the end
lines to mark the length, and
the sidelines to mark the width,
of the court.
Net:
The ball must be hit over a
net placed approximately seven
and a half feet above the ground
for girls and eight feet for
boys.
Antennae:
Poles sticking up from each
side of the net that signify
the court sidelines. Any ball
contacting or hit outside the
antennae is considered out of
bounds.
Attack
lines: Separates the frontcourt
from the backcourt. Back-row
players may only jump from behind
this line (must jump before
line, but may land on other
side). Also called 3-meter line.
Frontcourt:
Area between net and attack
line where front-row players
are positioned.
Backcourt:
Area between the attack line
and the end line where back-row
players are positioned.
Center
line: Line directly below
the net that divides the court
in half. A fault is called if
a player crosses this line with
any part of the body (a player
may touch line, but not cross
it).
Service
area: Space beyond either
end line where a player stands
while serving.
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