[MCBear]

Felix, your acquired dyslexia kicked in again!!! As you said, the R2 will not have the cards, BUT the R1 will ALWAYS (well, almost always unless you're a ding-ding like I tend to be sometimes and forget to get them out of my kit!!!) have red and yellow cards with them.

Scrapper, at the moment, it may seem to you that the R2 (umpire) doesn't have very much to do, but as you gain experience, you will find that you are working harder to do an adequate job as the R2 (umpire) than you do when you are the R1 (referee). During play, as the umpire, your concentration begins by observing the receiving team for out-of-alignments and then continues by focusing on action between the attack lines. DO NOT FOLLOW THE BALL - that is the referee's job! Concentrate on the blocker's side of the net, looking through the net to see the attacker's and blocker's approach to, take-off and landing at and exit from the net area. Your focus is on the centerline, up the net, back down the net and the players leaving the net area. Then, you shift to the other blocker's side and do it all over again. There is an art and a system to being an outstanding umpire (R2) and it takes time to learn what you are doing, what works and what doesn't.