Identifying illegal back row attacks

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by BearBoy

I don't know if you VB vets have a good way to identify illegal back row player attacks......but if you do, would you share your tips?

People often ask me, "What's it like to ref volleyball? Pretty easy, right?" I always say that many parts are incredibly easy, and a few are impossible.

Identifying back row attack is impossible for me. I honestly don't even try to do it in a match, because I'm worried that I'll be trying so hard to find the back row, that I'll miss something obvious.

After reading the suggestions here, it doesn't really seem to make it any more possible. You still have to remember -- during the play -- the 6 players (half the people out there) who can't attack from in front of the attack line. (With liberos, it's only slightly less impossible -- only 4 to remember.) I readily admit that I am not capable of this.

Heck, there are many times as R2 when I can't even identify the back row of the receiving team before the serve. So how am I supposed to remember them during the play?

Personally, I find the whole thing unnecessary. Just put 6 players out there, make sure they serve in order, and let everyone just do what they do best. Making your best hitter play the back row for half the match is like making your quarterback play left tackle every other down. Does it add strategy? Sure. Does it make the playing of the game any better? Not that I can tell. It just makes administration of the game unnecessarily complicated.