1st year VB official. We are already starting scrimmages this upcoming weekend, so I would like some real basic help here till I gain some knowledge and then i can terrorize everybody with my little knowledge.

i will be working the Down, R2. What are say the three main violations that occur that i would have to call ?

Also what are three most common mechanics that a R2 uses ?

Yes I know I should know it all but it ain't gonna happen by Saturday so I figured start with a little bite and i will go from there.

For example in basketball the most common mechanic I used was hand up ,open/closed fist.

Also I found out that travelling was a violation/ mechanic that I would usee over and over.
Thanks for any and all feedback

PS whats up with the Felix Unger outfits out here in California ?

I would guess the three things you, as the U, would be looking for are:

* Overlapping
* Net Violations
* & Back Row Attacks

There are other responsibilities you have, but these three seem to be the most " popular ". Others may offer different ideas here, but I know one that we were given this year to really be efficient with ( and I am guessing will still be in EVERYONE"S top three ) is alignment ( overlapping ). Many coaches and a lot of officials feel this is an area where most volleyball officials lack expertise - and where most of the violations occur repeatedly! I will offer that I still need work on reading this, but I am getting better.
Others will give their wisdom I am sure.

As the Umpire (R2), it is not your job to blow the whistle on Back-Row attacks. You can give informational signals to the Referee (R1), but he/she is the one to make that call.

I'd say your three main calls are Net Fouls, Centerline Violations, and Illegal Allignment (Overlaps) on serve-receive. As previously stated, seeing overlaps will be your most difficult call. It usually takes a new official two to three seasons before he/she gets even halfway comfortable with tracking setters and hitters.

The main thing is to keep your eyes on the players at the net. Most new volleyball referees have the tendency to watch the ball as it moves away from the net. Your job as Umpire is to 'stay with the net' and blow your whistle whenever the attacker or blocker touches the net or completely crosses the centerline. Missing obvious net fouls will irratate a coach more than missing an overlap.

By the way, are your schools required to supply line judges? Here in Virginia, the use of students as line judges has been prohibited and thus line judges in regular season matches have been deemed 'optional'. As a result, we rarely (less than 5% of the time) have line judges at our disposal. That causes many new officials to try and help the referee with line calls, but at the expense of possibly missing net violations.

As I posted on the other discussion board -

#1 (and most important, IMHO) - during play, keep your focus between the attack lines, on the net and centerline. The tendency you will have is to want to follow the ball so that the net and centerline are left uncovered. Remember, you are not the referee and, therefore, not responsible for ball-handling calls.

#2 - Stay back away from the pole. Try to be as close to the scorer's table as you can get. That position should allow you to see the benches either with your peripheral vision or by just turning your head slightly.

#3 - Learn the proper signals so that you are showing your partner, coaches, players and spectators that you know what you are calling.

#4 - When you are making a call, make sure that the pole is NOT between you and your parnter. Ditto when you are mirroring your parnter's signals. Take a step to the side where the violation occurred and make your signal - avoid having the pole hide or bisect you.

Sorry, Chess Ref, I had to add the 4th one.

#1 - Illegal alignment by the receiving team. You will begin to recognize this as you become familiar with serve-receive patterns.

#2 - Net violations.

#3 - Centerline violations.

And, as Felix posted, become familiar with the proper terminology for the particular rules set that you are using. In NFHS, we play games, USAV calls them sets; you are an umpire, in USAV or NCAA you would be an R2.

Best of luck as you get acquainted with the great game of volleyball.


varefump, I believe that you are in error on one point when you say . Per NFHS Rule 5-4-3b(7), one of the umpire's responsibilities is to determine back-row player fouls. This is one of those situations where I will talk about this with my partner in the prematch conference so that we both know what the other is going to do if the situation arises. If I have definite knowledge that there is a back-row attack, I will discretely signal it to my partner and, if they do not show me a signal or acknowledgment that they had the player behind the attack line or below the top of the net, I will whistle the fault because it is within my jurisdiction.

Jan,

I think your cut and paste is getting ahead of you. I didn't post anything here. ;)

Felix, I know you didn't, but I was too lazy to edit it out of the post I copied from the other board! LOL

I do basketball, too, so I can say this. Don't do what many of my BB partners who do also officiate VB do. When you're on the floor don't get caught wacthing the serve instead of the receiving team or the flight of the ball instead of the net, center line, etc. It's sooooo easy to do -- but sooner or later it will get you in trouble.

refnrev,

What I do when my partner is busy watching the serve and following the ball is to call them over to the stand during the first time-out we have or between games (if I can't do it earlier). Then, I let them know gently that we are both NOT being paid to watch the server and the ball, that the umpire's responsibility is the receiving team during the service and the center line/net during play.

MC Bear,
You sound nicer than some of my partners.