Tips

[Coach&Blue]

I am in year 3 of being a volleyball official. My first 2 years I did alot of Jr. High girls games. Jr high girls usually don't back row attack so I don't have to worry about it a whole lot. I am scheduled some Varsity games this year and wondered if there are any tips you could give me to help me to keep track of who starts in the back row. Sometimes in a rally, everyone is out of their starting position. Do I just need to memorize the back row players at the beginning of the play?

[Brian Watson]

Watch the warm ups. Notice who is setting, is it 1 or 2 girls. Then look for them on the lineup, then look at thier opposite tammate, you will know them if one is up the other hasd to be back. You might also get lucky and they keep the setter back or front all the time.

After youy get the setter and the opposite straight, try learning who is adjacent to them, this will also help you remember where they are.

It will be tough at first, but it gets easier.

[PaREF]

The most difficult time to catch an illegal back row attack is when a team is receiving the serve. I know it is sometimes hard for me to remember which players are back row players when they are in their serve-receive pattern. If an attack occurs and I am unsure whether the player is a back row player, I will give a quick glance back at the player who attacked the ball AFTER the ball passes over the net. If the player moves into a back row defensive position, I know s/he is a back row player and at that point I will call a back row attack foul. It is always best to make the call immediately but it is more important to get the call right. There is sometimes grumbling about the delayed call, but most of the time the player and coach know when they have committed the foul.

During a rally(the ball goes back and forth over the net two or three times) you should be able to identify the back row players. In high school girls, the front row players will rarely back up beyond the 10-foot line for their spike approaches. If the ball is set close to the 10-foot line and a girl approaches from behind the line and attacks the ball, you can be sure she is a back row player. At that point you need to determine if she contacted the ball completely above the top of the net and if she was completely behind the attack line when she jumped.

A good, experienced umpire can be an invaluable help in calling back row fouls. Many times when working with an experienced umpire I have looked to him/her for help on these calls. A quick, quizzical glance at the umpire right after the attack in question can give you your answer. If the umpire felt it was a back row foul, he can give you a discreet back row attack signal. If he felt there was no foul, he can give a "safe" call. If he is unsure, a shrug of the shoulders.

Like Brian said, it gets easier the more you do it.