Volleyball

[mstaylor]

I am currently a second year VB official so I am really green. I have been moved into a rotation of games that would be in line for a fifth year guy. Because of my insistence on learning as much as I can as fast as I can I am farther along than most. The other night I got switched onto a game between a school that is in second in the southern half of the conference against the first place team in the northern half. The north team had lost one set all year and so is undefeated. They lost their second set and almost lost two more. It was an excellent match but one that is really beyond what I should be doing. The next night I did the semis on the private school tournament. It will be interesting to see what happens on the public school play-offs.

[gnhbua93]

Congratulations! I'm a first year VB official as well.

[th3]

i am, sort of, a volleyball referee as well...but i only do little kids (7/8 grade) and adult rec, and, i will admit, i do it primarily because its pretty easy money in an otherwise off seaon for me,

i started off thinking i would do HS volleyball and took and passed the class and test - but, maybe becuase i never played, i just knew that i wouldnt be a good higher level official (and wouldnt want to put the time in to get good at it) so didnt really persue it. I'll ask you guys this - are you really able to keep track of who (including subs) is where in the rotation and recognizing overlap fouls? I am convinved that 90% of they guys that I have worked with or watched are not paying attention to that...

anyway, i stick to my kids (most of the balls dont reach the net) and adults (not very competitive) it works out ok.

[Umpire in Chief]

I'm a Volleyball dad. My daughter has been playing for 3 years and her skills are getting better everyday. When she is finished playing I may ref Volleyball. I have friends which have been trying to get me into it for a while.

BTW my daughters team is undefeated having only lost 2 sets all season and only has 1 regular season game left before the tournament next week.

[mstaylor]

Overlaps are a hard thing to track. I know a couple that good at it but I am not. I work with one woman that is excellent at it. I called a few this year but I have to be sure before I do. I talked to our lead official, the one so good at overlaps, and told her I was working on the double hits and lifts, then I would concentrate on the rotations and overlaps. She said it sounded like a good plan. So the short answer is they are supposed to be but it takes several years to develop the knack for it.

[th3]

that does sound like a good plan..i was/am certainly overwhelmed by the brand newness of the sport and the overlap/rotation - it was like a foriegn language...and i guess i couldnt see going out there if i knew that i would be basically ignoring a big part of the game - but, if your partner can cover you, i guess it works...

[mstaylor]

I spent the first year figuring out the basics, where to be and how to signal it. We do a JV and a varsity on most nights. That means the lesser official R1s the JV and R2s the varsity. This year I am working on lifts, doubles and the obvious overlaps. Next year I will refine my first two years and get the overlaps. I believe that will put me in line to R2 any level playoffs and probably R1 small HS. I got the second best test score in the group this year.

[th3]

and you dont get rained out

[Jeff C.]

Overlaps are a hard thing to track. I know a couple that good at it but I am not. I work with one woman that is excellent at it. I called a few this year but I have to be sure before I do. I talked to our lead official, the one so good at overlaps, and told her I was working on the double hits and lifts, then I would concentrate on the rotations and overlaps. She said it sounded like a good plan. So the short answer is they are supposed to be but it takes several years to develop the knack for it.

Yessir, they sure are! I'm in my 5th season and I'm just now getting a "feel" for it. Overlaps, back row attacks and double hits are the hardest for me. You will develop your own skill set for lifts and illegal hits, almost like you have your own strike zone. Every official I have met calls lifts differently. My mentor told me it took her about 7 years before she was comfortable calling overlaps. I got my first district assignment this year. Two different districts. Just be patient and stick with it. I truly enjoy calling vb now.

[mstaylor]

My R1 ejected a coach earlier this year. He called them out of rotation, FR was in the BL. The problem was it was my job to explain it and I wasn't 100% sure what he had, or at least who. He was trying to run a 1-5 and they were trying to figure out how to hit it three times and get it over the net. He wouldn't take no from me and Bobby dumped him.