Identifying illegal back row attacks

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by Retrozetti

he is failing at his duties, cheating the players of a fairly officiated match, and defying his officiating oath.

Did you really take an officiating oath?!?! Did they ask you to raise your right hand and place your left hand on a rule book that's been passed down through 5 generations of your family? Was it a chief justice or merely a justice of the peace who administered your oath?

If you didn't have your name in your signature line, I'd say you were a drama queen. Relax a little bit and don't be so quick to pile on a fellow official.

I'm primarily a college basketball official. I work damn hard at being as good as I can be. I understand that an official gives his best effort every time out, regardless of the level of the competition.

However, this is my SECOND year of officiating volleyball. I have a total of about 40 matches under my belt. So my best effort falls well short of most people's.

So take that information for what it's worth. You can dial down your rhetoric, or I can put you on my ignore list. I couldn't care less which one happens.

[Back In The Saddle]

What would the game look like if there were no front row/back row distinction? 5-6 hitters v. 5-6 blockers? Or would it naturally evolve such that you need a variety of different skill positions to counter different kinds of attacks?

And why exactly do we have this distinction? Is it just historical accident? Or is there a deliberate reason for it? Not that I'm dissing the game for how it has evolved, just asking. I realize it would change the game, but would it make the game worse, or just different?

Coming from a basketball background, it seems natural to me for any player who is able to make any kind of play anywhere on the court.

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by Retrozetti

Ouch ! It hurts to even read this. Scrapper, you definitely don't want me as a coach on your match, because if you allow an opponent's back row player to make an illegal back-row attack, I will blow a gasket, and you will be fully deserving of it.

And I'll toss you from the gym faster than you can say "back row attack". And you'll be fully deserving of it.

as an official, you're not supposed to "choose to call the faults that you want, and allow other faults because you don't even try and you find it unnecessary."

If you read my post again, you'll notice that I am not "choosing" not to call it. I freely and fully admit that I am not capable of keeping track of the necessary information. It is not a case of seeing the violation but ignoring because I disagree with the rule. I simply don't see it. And I'm afraid that if I put the necessary effort into trying to see it, that I will miss other more obvious calls.

1. On the contrary, allowing faults to occur causes serious coach, team and spectator pandemonium and outrage against the officiating crew,

Cats and dogs living together! Mass hysteria!! How many spectators even know what a back row attack is? Let alone, see it when it happens. Again, that's not WHY I'm not calling it. Just pointing out a little over-the-top emotion in your post.

2. You severely tarnish the trust given to the officials by the sporting administration and schools/clubs.

Do you think I'm doing the Olympics or something? The NCAA tournament? I'm learning with 7th and 8th graders, for crying out loud. Dial it down a little. You think JV basketball officials get every travel or illegal screen?

YOUR lack of desire to enforce the printed rules makes ALL OF US look bad.

What a ridiculous comment. It makes me look bad. It might make my partner look bad. Possibly it makes my local board look bad, if the coach is a real idiot. But how does me not recognizing a back row attack make you or MCBear, or BITS look bad? Come down off the high horse.

Where does it end? - Why not allow back-row blockers and Libero blockers?

1) If there's no front-row or back-row, then there is no Libero. 2) Answer your own question. Why not allow back-row blockers or attackers? Why not allow any player on the court to make any play that he or she can? What is the real problem with that?

To be fair to both teams, inform them that you will not be looking for illegal back-row attacks because you find it unnecessary. I definitely want to be in the audience at that match.

You need to take a deep breath and re-read my original post.

[refnrev]

Originally Posted by Retrozetti

Ouch ! It hurts to even read this. Scrapper, you definitely don't want me as a coach on your match, because if you allow an opponent's back row player to make an illegal back-row attack, I will blow a gasket, and you will be fully deserving of it. And I'll say it point blank... as an official, you're not supposed to "choose to call the faults that you want, and allow other faults because you don't even try and you find it unnecessary." It is necessary on so many levels that conradict your reasoning:
1. It makes administration of the game unnecessarily complicated - On the contrary, allowing faults to occur causes serious coach, team and spectator pandemonium and outrage against the officiating crew, and you create the possibility of complete loss of control of the match.
2. You severely tarnish the trust given to the officials by the sporting administration and schools/clubs. YOUR lack of desire to enforce the printed rules makes ALL OF US look bad. Can you think of a basketball official in the news lately?
3. Does it make the playing of the game any better? - More to the point, if you don't call back-row attacks, you now have 5-6 hitters against the opposing team which is adhering to the rules and allowing themselves only front-row hitters.
4. Where does it end? - Why not allow back-row blockers and Libero blockers.

Since you are so comfortable allowing, and not even bothering to look for illegal back-row attacks, then I invite you to, at least, be up-front and honest with the coaches & captains at your pre-match coin-toss. To be fair to both teams, inform them that you will not be looking for illegal back-row attacks because you find it unnecessary. I definitely want to be in the audience at that match.

___________________

I hope that you mean you would question him somewhat politely and not blow a gasket. Do really want him making calls he's guessing about? Why not suggest he consult his partner or point out where the violation occured and how. The latter seems productive to me. The other seems very counter productive to the game.... and he can't see what he doesn't see. And, I know of a coach whose games I used to work who deliberately told her players to commit BR attacks until the official called them. Great sportsmanshsip, eh? And, it wasn't that long ago that games were officated by 1 official. Do you think they got IAs and BRs every time?