Volleyball
Outside the Lines
Defining the playing area is an important part of the referees’ prematch duties. Identifying obstacles, any changes in court surface or elevation, and establishing...
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...
Get A Grip
I
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...
5 Rule Differences Every Referee Must Know
Many volleyball referees work multiple sports. While it is difficult to keep all the rules straight from sport to sport, it is unlikely a...
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...
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...
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...
Discreet Signals and Teamwork To Get Out of Hairy Situations
The duties of the first and second referees are delineated in the rulebook. In the best of cases, this division of duties ensures that, between them, the referees...
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,...
Don’t Become a Fan
“Spectacularity” sounds made-up and highfaluting, doesn’t it? Au contraire.
This actual word should be in every referee’s vocabulary. What does it mean, anyway? And how...
Hold It! Who Handles Ballhandling?
A primary responsibility of the first referee is to determine whether a player makes legal contact each time he or she plays the ball....
Adjust to Playing Styles
On a Thursday evening, you officiate a girls’ varsity match, marked with long skillful rallies. The next night, you work a boys’ contest, frequently punctuated by short powerful bursts....
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....
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...
Collective Blocks Cut & Dried?
Collective blocks, at face value, seem pretty cut and dried — multiple players in close proximity at the net, reaching higher than the top...
Veteran Approach
As we prepare for each season, we study rules and interpretations, casebooks and officiating manuals, and attend preseason clinics and meetings. And once the season starts, we usually have...
Don’t Lose Focus
Some inexperienced second referees lose focus at times and turn their attention away from the net too soon to watch that great defensive play in the back row. As...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Double Check Score After Unusual Situation
Communication between the referees and the scoring crew is crucial to ensure accuracy of the score and the information recorded on the scoresheet. Double...
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...
Keep-It-Flying Approach Is Challenging
One of the biggest areas of concern during a match for coaches and referees is ballhandling. Ballhandling decisions can make or break a match. In recent years, volleyball...
