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Volleyball court diagram and positions

volleyball player1- 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 Playvolleyball court diagram

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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