Overhand passes on serves and hits

[wildcatksu]

Let me start off my saying I am a middle school/jr high coach. Our state follows NFHS rules. We have been called several times this season for illegal passes when we try to return serves or attacks with an overhand pass. Of course these were not "clean" sets meaning that the ball might have hit their palms or the hands did not make contact with the ball together. I understand these calls if they were on the second hit but these were hard serves or hits just coming over the net. Am I wrong on my interpretation? We always have a mixed bag of officials, some really great ones and ones that I'm not sure even read the rules. I had one that allowed play off of the back wall. I had to take a time out and point it out in the rule book for her.

I along with the players are starting to get confused since a call is made one night but not the next of legal and illegal hits.

[TimTaylor]

wildcatksu -

Without being able to see the actual hits, it's difficult to say.

On the first ball over the net multiple hits are legal, but prolonged contact is not. In judging prolonged contact there are a number of things I look at, including the type and duration of contact, did the wrist(s) bend in a "throwing" motion, and on an overhead hit, if the ball was carried across the plane of the body. At the MS/JH & even freshman/JVII level we are trained to open up the tolerances a little, as the goal is to let the kids play as much as possible. That said, we have to call the obvious stuff. I also call both teams to the level of the better team, as to do otherwise would be unfair.

Keep in mind that at the MS/JH level you also may be getting some new or less experienced officials. Believe it or not, some of these matches can be harder to call than a high level varsity match.

Finally, remember that volleyball is a game of angles. What you see from the bench may be very different than what the R1 sees from the stand, and in the end, it's his judgement that counts.