Proposition why the "Double Hite" Must Die

[OmniSpiker]

Originally Posted by source:

http://www.avca.org/newsletter/doublehit10-24-07.asp

Why the "Double Hit" Must Die

By Mark Massey
University of Puget Sound

We all love volleyball. Sadly, we must still arise each morning and face the cold, hard truth that in the USA, volleyball is a second-tier sport.

Or maybe not.

We have an opportunity in the coming months to remake our sport dramatically, to finish the job that the switch to rally scoring started.

Regardless of whether or not you liked the initial switch to rally scoring, there is no question that along with the addition of the Libero position and a more lenient first contact rule, we have added an exciting new dimension to our sport that fans and players love.

When these changes originally occurred, we felt uncomfortable. But we adapted. I believe they made our game more interesting. This next change is likely to push many of us to the edge of -- or even out of -- our current comfort zone as well. But it is necessary.

If we really love our sport, and want it to have a chance to ever move beyond its second-tier status, we must now take the next step in the evolution of the sport of volleyball.

The “double hit” must die.

In January 2008, the NCAA Rules Committee is considering a rule change which would eliminate the double hit fault on the second team contact, and potentially an all team contacts. The viability of our sport as a popular choice for future sports fans rests on the decision we collectively support in January.

What we will really be deciding is not whether we “like” the new rule interpretation, but instead whether our beloved sport will ever have a chance to succeed as a first-tier sport in America.

We can choose to say, “We don’t care what sports fans think,” keep our current rules, and remain in our tiny niche--or we can boldly step forward and offer the channel-flipping recreational sports fan a reason to put down the remote control, and watch a great volleyball match.

Those of us who now count how many birthdays we likely have left came up in the age of volleyball no-spin setting purity (imported from California beach culture, where the traditional ball is heavy, flabby, and you can hold onto it for three days—not at all like the indoor game).

I know we all reflexively groan with all the other “knowledgeable” fans in the stands when a ball is mishandled. But I want to ask you to put on a larger, “for the good of the sport,” volleyball perspective hat for a moment.

What can truly make our sport appealing to the sports viewing masses? (OK, can you tell I teach sport sociology?)

In my mind, traditional volleyball rules and officiating destroy fan interest.

This is not a knock on volleyball officials, who have always done a thankless job in a subjective world that has grown crazier since our most recent rule changes. Players, coaches and officials have all struggled with the increasing difficulty of calling a match consistently.

I also mean “fan” in the larger sense of the word: the people who don’t love volleyball, but who love sports. They may not know that much about a particular sport, but they love creative action and athleticism, and if volleyball brings those qualities, they will watch, give it a chance, and maybe even get hooked.

Think about this all-too-common current volleyball game flow ...

“Amazing left-side crushing attack, sports fans, No!! Wait a minute, even more amazing horizontal Libero sprawling hand dig to save the ball, and, wait . . . ohhhhhhhhh, nooooooo, the referee just whistled a violation on a slight setter mishandle no one could even see.”

Amazing, awesome, spine-tingling rally ... over. Done. Finished.

Over what?

The contact that truly defines our game is “holding” or “lifting” the ball, allowing it to come visibly to rest--not the double hit, which is a mere beauty pageant, and which provides no significant advantage. (In fact, poor ball-handling is usually its own punishment.)

Volleyball is a rebound sport, after all. Prettiness should not be the limiting factor to our excitement—that is, unless we want to be relegated permanently to the “also-ran” sport status.

Setters are often the most athletic players on the floor, and they touch the ball more than anyone else. Wouldn’t you--or any sports fan--rather see some really cool mid-air, net-avoiding, twisting, turning, setter gyration and ball delivery? Or a setter magically delivering a near impossible kneeling or sprawling quick set?

Yet, setter athleticism (and match excitement) is routinely neutered at most levels of the game because of some mystical requirement for perfect touches on the second contact, while some defender has just done everything but tuck the ball under her shirt on the first contact.

While you may not agree with that rule change, either, the game will never go back on the new liberal first contact rule. Just look at how much the game has changed with the Libero and use of hands on the first contact. Talented Liberos are now dominating at every level. They are athletic. Bold. Creative. Exciting. Fun!

Kids now want to be the Libero.

Here’s an idea.

Why don’t we let our setters . . . act like Liberos?

For our sport to grow, it has to become more athletic! It has to become more exciting! It has to showcase every creative and expressive impulse we can muster, recruit, train, and display! Just think how much dynamic play the slide attack has added to our game in recent years.

No fan comes to the game, or flips the station, to watch the referee.

People go to watch Michael Jordan swirl and twirl and throw down some impossible shot over a baffled defender.

Sports fans go to see Sammy Sosa hammer a long ball (“Was that one longer than the last one?”)

Fanatics drool over Peyton Manning lofting a 50-yard touchdown pass over the outstretched arms of a defender while deftly dodging a fire-breathing rusher.

The venerable sport of baseball eliminated the spitball, lowered the pitcher’s mound, shrunk the strike zone, and added the designated hitter to enhance excitement.

Basketball added dribbling (yes, dribbling,) the three-second lane violation, the shot clock, and the three-point line to increase scoring.

Football eliminated the infamous “flying wedge” formations, and added the forward pass, two-point conversion opportunities, and instant replay to minimize critical officiating errors.

What makes us think that volleyball should somehow be immune to the need to shape our sport to create excitement and fan interest?

There is much more I could say about why it makes sense to go this new and “impure” route--not the least of which is what a nightmare it is to now officiate a game with inconsistent, subjective ball contact rules, based on whether it is contact #1 or #2, in a rally scoring setting, where every point counts, and when it is almost impossible for an official TO be consistent ....

NBA basketball officials don’t call a foul because you have the wrong kind of spin on your 25-foot jump shot. How many fans would sit in those $200 seats if they did?

The most important detail here is that if we really love volleyball, and want to see it have a chance to grow up and compete with the established major sports in our country, then we will decide to do everything we can to allow our athletes to be athletic, to be creative, and to show off these components in an exciting, regular fashion without hearing that *!@##$%!! rally-ending “Tweeeeet” all the time on second contacts—for no reason other than sport purity.

We need to unleash setters and allow them to be magical—while at the same time removing the badge of shame from talented middle and right-side hitters unfortunate enough to need to set transition balls without the protective foundation of three quadzillion setting reps. (How many times have we seen a right side—or occasionally even a setter—become so afraid of the official’s whistle that they stop using their hands completely?)

There is a simple solution to all of this:

- Let setters be more creative and aggressive.

- Allow exciting match flow to continue.

- Reduce the stress on officials saddled with a near impossible task. (Hey, could officiating volleyball even become fun?)

- Excite young grassroots players with the creative and expressive potential of our sport.

- Give potential sports fans the best possible reasons to want to watch our sport—incredible defense and offense, longer rallies, and more creative play.

The solution? Eliminate the second contact double hit.

Yes, we may still flinch in the future when the second contact is impure—and even snicker and say, “Remember when ...?”

But we (or our successors) may be smiling and routinely doing on it on TV or in front of thousands of screaming, drooling, bleacher-pounding spectators, instead of a few close friends and family members on the pass list.

To me, every other argument is secondary, and insignificant. We either want volleyball to grow up, or we don’t.

The “double hit” must die. Now.

PS. There is a logical argument as to why this change should not be extended to the third contact. Who wants a hitter double whacking a ball across the net? Regardless of which side one comes down on regarding extending this rule to include the third hit, the major impact resides with its implications for the second hit.

To contact the author, email him at [email protected].

I'm curious, what's in the ref's point of view when it comes to differentiating leniency in the call? Are setter's given more leniency?

[Back In The Saddle]

Worked a meet with a guy last week who was a setter when he played. In his opinion, and perhaps experience, setters usually get called tighter. He made an impassioned plea not to call the setter any differently. And since he was telling me this, you can guess how he viewed the way I called the match.

I've been musing over why. Perhaps it's because we see the setter so many times during the match. I know that if I see something I think I should have called, but didn't, I'll make a mental note to get it next time. Whereas with a the rest of the players, if I miss it, it just stays missed. But that's surely just a rookie perspective.

[OmniSpiker]

I generally get the concensus that there's more leniency towards a setter. As we know that some judge the quality of the contact based on the release of the ball, it's been that way for a while. There's just more boyuancy in the setter's touch vs that of their fellow teammates.