Position with ball in the air

[DaveASA/FED]

Ok, I have had conversation with several people but was wondering what you all think. Where do you stand as the down official when the ball is in play? I know when the team is about to serve you are on the recieving side. But when play is going where do you stand? I have always been on the side with the ball so I can observe the attack and make sure it is clean (no contact with the net, but feel like I might miss an aggressive block that is in the net. You can't be two places at once so what are all your thoughts??

[Andy]

I start on the defensive side of the net, then move back and forth as the ball is in play, staying on the defensive side of the net. Your responsibility is basically attack line to attack line. The up official (R1) has responsibility for watching the ball. As a down official (R2), during the attack at the net, I am primarily watching the blocker(s) and the net for net fouls. This is not a complete list of R2 responsibilities, but in my experience, it's the biggest piece.

[PaREF]

You are correct that you start on the receiving team's side of the net. During rallies, you are to move from side to side, staying on the blocking team's side of the net. It is much easier to see and there is much less movement if you position yourself near the scorer's table during the rally. Hugging the net support will cause you to miss more of the action than if you are back away from the play.

Don't get so hung up on moving from side to side that you miss some crucial action. If the ball is passed over the net several times quickly from one side to the other, sometmes it is best to just stay put until one side is in control or until the play ends.

The prevailing theory is that the umpire (R2 or down ref) can see a block better from the blocking team's side of the net. I don't happen to agree with that theory but that is just my opinion. I follow standard procedure and get on the blocker's side.

Regardless of where you stand, the most important thing for the R2 is to watch the action at the net. The referee (or R1) will be following the flight of the ball and it is up to the R2 to catch the net violations.

[OmniSpiker]

Being the R2
My gut feeling is to stand on the side of the blockers so I can see the spikers touch the tape. Also for blockers who are pentrating the net and interferes with the third contact before it's made.

As instructed, I stand on the side of the spiker. A lot of the time I'm not sure if I can really see tight plays and who touched the net. However the advantage of standing on the side of the spiker is that my view is not obstructed when there's team blocking. Also I can see if there's a lift attempted by the blockers when the ball falls in between two blockers. From the side of the spiker, I've also find it easier to see if the blockers are in the net in fast plays. I can usually tell this by where the spiker lands, becuase I scrutinize the spiker more than the blockers.

I still find myself sometimes just standing on the side of the blockers...force of habit.

[Brian Watson]

Contrary to popular belief, you should be positioned so that you can see the three team hits and have a view of the net. If you see a questionable handling call, you can discreetly signal your partner.

Basically, after the ball crosses the net you should be transitioning to the opposite side and be in position to see the 2nd team hit through the net.

First, this allows you to have some ownership of handling (i.e you cannot bail on the coach with “sorry, I don’t watch the ball)

2nd, it allows you to know where the ball is in anticipation for where it is going to go. Based on where the set is, you know what part of the net to watch. Tis much easier to anticipate where the attack/block is going to be, rather than wait for it to to come into view and hope you catch a violation.