Volleyball
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...
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...
Can the Towel Cause a Foul?
As the sport of volleyball advances, so does the development of player equipment. Players are wearing equipment, like neoprene sleeves for the forearm or...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
How to Tackle Pre-Match Responsibilities as a Team
It is important to arrive at a match with plenty of time to prepare yourself mentally as well as making sure to have enough time to conduct pre-match...
No Time Off
Officials often wonder what higher-level officials are thinking between points while up on the referee stand.
What is going through the minds of officials as...
Set the Table
For years, we’ve never really acknowledged the importance of the scorer as an integral part of a volleyball officiating crew. It seems there has...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Take Your Line Judge Game to the Next Level
Line judging, at any level, has its challenges. The game can move quickly and there are so many things to watch and think about...
Post-Match Pitfalls
We just want to be understood. It’s human nature, especially when it comes to officiating — we want people to know, understand and accept why we made a...
Newbies Need More Support Than You Think
Officials constantly hear the message that we need to recruit the next generation — younger people to follow in our footsteps. So many more young athletes are engaging...
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...
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....
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...
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...
Techniques to Judge a Potential Save Over the Net
We have all had matches that move along just fine — ballhandling on point, bench management under control, good tempo to the match … and then it happens. It...
