Volleyball
Timing and Tact Crucial to Constructive Feedback
One of the best parts about belonging to the cadre of volleyball officials is the chance to be around others who love the game...
Did You Hear What I Didn’t Say?
As most volleyball officials would agree, non-verbal communication encompasses approximately 80-90 percent of our communication with coaches, players, partners and fans. There are so...
Line Judges are Critical
Clearly, line judges have become a critical part of the officiating crew. As the game gets faster for both boys and girls, line judges must continue to hone...
You Have Two Shots to Look Good
You have two chances to make a great first impression at the start of every match: (1) your arrival courtside when you’re tending to...
Movement and Coverage Tips for the Second Referee
Volleyball referees don’t move a lot during play, compared to referees in other sports. But there are a lot of challenges involved in calling...
Nothing But Net
Work Together to Correctly Call Faults
It should be easy, but there are many factors that play into our accuracy of whistling net faults. As...
Triple Check for Accuracy
Taking a little extra time to properly make the triple check of rosters, the scoresheet and lineups prior to the start of a match and each subsequent...
When Not To Be Subtle As the Second Referee
Communication between first and second referees is essential in communicating decisions to players, coaches, assistant officials and spectators. Precisely executed, established signals indicate the referees are competent and in control of...
Get A Grip
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t’s tough to get officials on the same page when determining the three toughest calls in volleyball. There are many strong feelings and opinions...
Prolonged Contact Is the Key Element in Throwing Faults
Catch, lift, throw, hold, grab, monster dunk! OK, we have all heard the terms thrown out there for one of the now common plays in volleyball. Players use...
Still Work to Be Done When There’s a Break in Play
The referees accept the coach’s or captain’s request for timeout and blow the whistle, starting the timeout procedure. Both teams usually move to the benches for a quick...
Pati Rolf Moved From College Coach to High Level Official and Has Never Looked...
A lime green toy pig, gifted to Pati Rolf by the distraught motorist who accidentally struck her on snowy Minnetonka Boulevard in Hopkins, Minn., nearly 50 years ago, endures all...
Train Your Brain
Do you ever wonder if you have the correct type of brain for officiating? Do you find it easy to make a quick decision based...
Check the Scoreboard after each Rally
During our careers, each of us is bound to hear those irritating words shouted by parents or spectators or a team, “The score is...
The Changing Role of Volleyball’s Second Referee
To the casual fan, the role of the second referee can appear to be minor: check lineups, call nets and manage timeouts and substitutions....
Tips to Stay Focused During Long Matches
Staying focused as a referee or line judge is of the utmost importance. Whether it’s a tight match or not, first point or last,...
Avoid Match Problems With Solid Communication
As crazy as this might sound, have you ever thought of volleyball referees being in the customer service business? One might advance the notion...
Situational Awareness Suits Volleyball Officials
Have you ever looked back on a tough situation in a match, one that maybe you wish you had handled better, and said to...
Game and Time Management Help Keep Courts Moving
Each level of volleyball has its own time management challenges. This article will focus more toward junior club and high school matches where you will often have youth...
Get in the Groove with Your Partner
There is nothing like throwing a perfect game as a pitcher or calling the perfect game as a referee. Just like in baseball and...
Shorten Your Learning Curve
As a young or newer referee works to master the art of officiating, she or he soon finds out that, while the rules are...
Always Time for Teachable Moments
Whether it is during the prematch conference or a postmatch debrief, a formal evaluation or a self-evaluation, or in a classroom clinic setting, we...
No Tunnel Vision With Wide-Angle View
What problem is most common among second referees? Some might say coaches chewing them out about questionable decisions or missed calls by the crew....
Libero Dos and Don’ts
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libero (LEE’-beh-ro) in indoor volleyball is a back-row defensive specialist. Typically shorter than front-row players, liberos excel in agility and quickness. Their primary role...
