Volleyball Formations
Serve Receive Alignment Tips

Understanding volleyball formations is important to be successful in volleyball.
Just before your opponent puts the ball into play with a serve, your team gets ready by lining up on the court in serve reception.
When deciding on what formation, there are two main things to consider...

1. How effective it is get a successful pass


2. and how effective is the attack hit that results from the pass and set

The object of serve receive is to successfully direct the ball to the target player. The target is usually the setter that moves to the target area ready to set the ball.

At the beginning of serve receive, most teams position the setter about 10 feet off the net near the right sideline. As the ball is being "passed" the setter moves toward the target area as the served ball is in the air.

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Most Common Formations

The most commonly used volleyball formations are...

1. The U formation. The U serve receive formation uses 4 players lined up to receive the serve.


2. The W formation. The W serve receive formation uses 5 players lined up to receive the serve.

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Variations of the W Serve Receive Formation

Split Formation
A good formation for when the middle player is one of the better players on the team.

Split Formation

Right and Left Slant Formation
The right and left slant formations are good for when you want to have the setter and quick attackers closer to the net.

Moving the quick attacker closer to the net brings them away from having to pass the serve which makes it easier for them to attack.

Left-Slant Formation

Right Slant Formation

Shift Left Formation
This is a popular formation for when running a 5-1 and only having two attackers in the front row.

Shift Left Formation

Shift Right Formation
A less popular and effective formation. This formation could be effective for setting a back row attacker out of the left back position.

Shift Right Formation

Deep Formation
A possible formation to effectively pass a hard deep court serve. This is best when the front row players are the best passers.

Deep Formation

Down Formation
In this formation, two back row players stand near the endline ready to make an adjustment to a deep hard serve.

Down Formation

Shallow Formation
This formation teaches players to improve communication because of their closeness. This is best against float serves that drop quickly to the center of the court.

 

Volleyball Spiking Rules


A volleyball spike or attack is the strategy used to send the ball over the net to the opponent in such a manner that ball is not returnable.
The spike is performed by moving the arm in a way such that you angle the ball to land on the ground of your opponent's side of the court.
Usually a spike is hit with great force at a downward angle.
However, more skilled spikers use other volleyball strategies for attacking to trick the opponent while positioned to receive the ball. One way to catch the opponents off guard is to tip or dink the ball.

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Upper Arm is Vertical... In good Position for Elbow to Wrist Follow Through

A tip or dink is performed by contacting the ball in a controlled manner with the fingers. With this open hand playing action, the ball is then quickly directed to the opponents court.
Tipping the ball with the fingers can often be deceptive if the spiker has a reputation of hitting the ball hard.

Volleyball Spike Approach

Which players on the team perform the volleyball attack?

To legally spike the ball when positioned at the net, you must be a front row player. So usually it is just the front row players on the team that spike the ball.
Back row players can legally spike the ball from behind the 10 foot (3 meter) line. This is a much more difficult type of volleyball attack and is used only by more experienced volleyball players.
The basic classical spike is made by jumping off of both feet.
A spiker usually takes a series of steps to attack the ball.
These steps are called a volleyball approach.
The goal of the volleyball approach is to get in the best position possible to attack the ball.
When teaching a player to approach and hit a volleyball, you might start with learning the last 2 steps. Once the last 2 steps are learned, you can move on to perfecting a 3 step or a 4 step volleyball approach.
Last 2 Steps

When first learning to spike, concentrate on just these last two steps and work on timing the hit.

For a right handed hitter, the last 2 steps are right foot then left foot.

For a left handed hitter, the last 2 steps are left foot then right foot.

3 Step Approach

    For a right handed hitter, the 3 step approach is left foot, right foot, then left foot.

    For a left handed hitter, the 3 step approach is right foot, left foot, then right foot.

4 Step Approach

    For a right handed hitter, the 4 step approach is right foot, left foot, right foot, then left foot.

    For a left handed hitter, the 4 step approach is left foot, right foot, left foot, then right foot.

Point of Contact
The ball should be contacted reaching up high with the arm straight, elbow extended. The contact should be made reaching directly above or slightly in front of the body. The ball is contacted by the hand using a wrist snapping type motion to direct the ball downward into the opponents court.

Trajectory of the Set
The approach for the volleyball spike can also be different depending on the trajectory of the set. When attacking a ball that’s set to the outside, the volleyball attacker can approach to hit at an angle coming from outside the court. This volleyball approach at an angle prepares the attacker to effectively hit the ball hard angle or turn and hit the ball down the line.

THE LIBERO PLAYER RULES

COMMENTARY: The libero (lee-bah-ro) is intended to be a player who specializes in defense and serve reception. When the libero enters the match, the entry is not considered one of the allowed team substitutions. When a libero replaces a back-row player, it is called a "replacement" rather than a substitution. The number of replacements is unlimited, and the libero can replace any back-row player except the player who is currently serving. That means the libero can replace any number of teammates in the same game.
A different libero can be designated for each game, but the designation must be made on the line-up sheet when it is submitted before the game. If no libero is used in a game, the team is still restricted to the team substitutions that the rules allow.  

THE SPECIFIC RULES FOR THE LIBERO PLAYER ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• A libero may be designated for each game.
• If a libero is designated for a game, the libero’s number must be recorded on the lineup sheet for that game. If a libero has not been listed on the lineup sheet for a game, the team may not use a libero in that game. The libero may be designated as the playing captain.
• The libero may be used as an exceptional substitution for an injured player if no other legal substitutes are available. When no longer playing as a libero, that player must wear the same uniform as her teammates, and the team continues play with no libero player.
• The libero cannot be used as a substitute for a disqualified teammate. If the libero is disqualified while playing, the player whom she replaced must replace her. The team continues play with no libero player.
• The libero can play as a non-libero in subsequent games. When this happens, the player must wear the same uniform as her teammates.

Libero Playing Actions―

• The libero is restricted to performing as a back-row player and is not allowed to complete an attack hit from anywhere (including playing court and free zone) if, at the moment of contact, the ball is entirely above the top of the net.
• The libero cannot serve, block or attempt to block.
• If a libero sets the ball using overhand finger action while in the attack zone, any teammate who attacks that ball while it is above the height of the net is an illegal attacker.

Libero Uniform―

• The libero must wear a uniform shirt or jersey that is in distinct contrast to shirts worn by other members of the team. The style and trim of the libero’s shirt or jersey may differ from her teammates’, but her shorts must be identical to her teammates.

• The libero uniform shirt must have a legal number (not worn by any teammate) as prescribed by NFHS volleyball rules (Rule 4, Section 2).

Commentary: We have received many questions about the jersey worn by the libero. Please note that during the experimental rule period the only requirement is that the libero must wear a different color shirt in contrast to the other members of the team (the referees will ultimately decide if the amount of contrast is sufficient from the color of her teammates uniform). The libero shirt can be different in style, but must have a legal number. The number must comply with Rule 4, Section 2, Article 3 with regards to size and placement. Duplicate jersey numbers may not be worn by the libero and a non-libero player. All non-libero players in a game must wear identical uniforms, so if a player ceases to be a libero in a subsequent game, she must wear a uniform identical to her teammates. She is not required (but strongly recommended) to retain the same jersey number throughout the match. This may change if the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee makes additional changes to the libero uniform rule.
Schools that choose to order more than one libero shirt must include a different number on each shirt. Also if a striped libero shirt is used it should not have any color that appears on more than 25 percent of the shirts worn by non-libero players.
Libero Replacements―

• The libero is allowed to replace any player in a back-row position.
• Replacements involving the libero are not counted as regular substitutions. These replacements are unlimited, but there must be a rally (which can include a playover) between two libero replacements.
• The player whom the libero replaced can only replace the libero.
• Libero replacements may take place only after the end of a rally or at the start of each game after the umpire has checked the starting lineup, as well as any time the ball is out of play and before the whistle for service.

• A libero and the player replaced by the libero may enter or leave the court only by the sideline in front of the libero’s team bench between the attack line and the end line. It is important for the libero exchange and substitutions to be easily distinguished from each other.

• When a team is making both a libero replacement and a substitution for the player involved in the libero exchange the following protocol should be observed:

• The player whom the libero replaced must step onto the court between the attack line and the end line and make the exchange with the libero.
• The substitute must enter the sub zone and wait at the sideline until the player replacing the libero enters the court and moves to where the substitute is waiting in the sub zone. The substitution then occurs pursuant to normal substitution procedures (players await authorization by umpire before making the switch).

Redesignation of a new libero when the libero is injured―
If the libero is injured and cannot continue play, she must first be replaced by the player whom she replaced. Then, a new libero can be redesignated using the following criteria:

• Redesignation does not need to occur immediately after the injury and replacement.
• When redesignation does occur, any substitution may be redesignated as libero for an injured libero. The injured libero cannot play in the remainder of that game.
• The player redesignated as the libero must follow the libero uniform rule and must remain the libero for the rest of the game. The redesignated libero’s uniform must have a unique number (not worn by any teammate), but not necessarily the same number with which the player started the match.

Tracking the Libero
 Each school is responsible for supplying a person to track the libero replacements to ensure that: 1) once the libero is replaced, at least one serve must take place before the libero can replace another player; and 2) when the libero leaves the court, the player replacing the libero must be the same player that the libero replaced when she last entered the game. This will be tracked on a separate form that will be produced by the MSHSL.

Volleyball Serving Rules

Overview

The serve is vital in the game of volleyball. The server hits the ball over the net to the opponent, and the rally goes until the ball is not returned properly, grounded on the court or goes “out,” advises the Federation Internationale De Volleyball. A toss before the game gives the winner a chance to choose whether his team will serve or receive first.

Possession

When the team that served the ball loses the rally the other team gets possession of the ball, according to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. When that team takes possession, players rotate by one position moving clockwise. When the serving team wins the point the players stay where they are and the same person serves the ball, according to “Coaching Volleyball for Dummies,” by The National Alliance for Youth Sports. The person in Zone 1, or the rear right position, serves the ball.

Ball Drop

If the person serving the ball steps into the court or on the line before she hits the ball, the team loses the serve. If the server threw the ball, she can let it drop and take another toss only one time per rotation. The server cannot catch the ball in this case. Catching the ball means the team loses the serve, advises Carnegie Mellon University.

Hitting the Net

When a serve hits the top of the net and crosses to the opposing team’s side it is considered good. If the ball falls back onto the serving team’s side then the ball changes possession. Both of these are called “let serves.”

Service Scoring

Under service scoring, only the team that is serving is allowed to score points. If the ball changes possession without a point scored, it’s called a side-out. Utilizing this rule can be good for games with young players because it makes the game longer. This gives players more chance to get involved in scoring points, and it gives coaches who have big rosters more opportunities to rotate more players into the game, advises NAYS.

Volleyball Blocking Rules

Volleyball players use a technique referred to as a block to stop an attack, usually a spike, from the opposing team. To perform a block, players jump, reach high beyond the net with their hands and stop the ball from coming across. To be a legal block, players must follow specific rules or a violation may occur. resulting in a point for the opponents and loss of possession.

Who Can Block

Only players on the front row in the rotation can block, and at least two of them usually converge to confront a top hitter. A player who begins a rotation in the back row isn't allowed to attempt a block. If she does, even if she doesn't actually touch the ball, it's a violation.

Team Hits

During play, teams are allowed three hits to return the ball back across the net. The block does not count as one of the three hits as long as the player's or players' hands were above the top of the net during the block. If their hands were not above the net, it is considered one of the three hits. After a legal block, the first hit can be taken by any player, including the player who just blocked the ball.

 

Blocking Faults

It's against the rules to block an opponent's serve. Blockers also have to give the hitter a chance to attack. If the block attempt interferes with the opponent's play, or the block touches the ball before the hitter does, it's a point for the other side.