This presentation is prepared for officials of levels 4-6 and focuses on the first referee duties and responsibilities.

Items in the notes that are italicized are for the presenter to consider.

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These are the key items to reference in decision making. First and foremost, if an item is addressed in the NFHS rulebook or case manual, it should be followed. Where the rulebook or case manual leaves gaps, we have established guidelines to follow. If a situation or mechanic is required that is not defined by the rulebook, the case manual, or the EOA guidelines, then defer to your own common sense.

Remember that the purpose of mechanics is to communicate effectively and facilitate the match. Avoid signals or conduct that might be misconstrued by a partner or a coach.

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This clinic will cover responsibilities before, during, and after the match

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Discuss the appropriate ways to make contact with a partner before the match. Discuss what happens if a partner is running late or doesn’t show up.

It is not necessarily the responsibility of the R2 to contact the R1 or vice-versa. It is the responsibility of both partners to get in contact with each other! Make contact far enough ahead of time that your partner has time to return the contact, but not too far ahead because assignments may still be in flux.

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Even as you enter the doors to the playing area, keep your eyes open for items to address regarding playable area. Look for overhead obstructions, items on the floor that cannot be moved, basketball goals, a working scoreboard, and locate the American flag. Check if a R1 stand is courtside, if not already in place.

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Things to ensure about the court:- All lines are present on the floor (if not, get host administration to rectify this)- The referee stand is present AND SECURE- The benches are pushed beyond the attack line (if not, rectify this yourself or ask

the teams to do so if they are seated at the benches)- An operational visual score/timing device is present at the scorer’s table

Things to watch out for in a facility:- Basketball goals (vertical/immovable)- Noncontinuous center line (shadow lines okay)- Bleachers- Gym mats or immovable weight systems- Other impediments within 6’ of the court (6’ is all that is required, but 10’ is

recommended)

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What do you see?

1. No pads on standards2. No antennas3. No R1 stand4. No continuous center line5. Vertical backboard6. Movable curtain

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What do you see?

1. No pads on standards

2. No antennas

3. No continuous center line

4. R1 on chair (do not stand on unsafe equipment. It’s better to referee from the floor)

5. Vertical backboards at end and on side… flush with wall?

6. Bench/team needs to be moved beyond attack line

7. Net width (net starts inside sideline?)

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Page 8 of Case Manual (2.2.1 Situation C)

(a) Replay

(b) Ball out of bounds (any object on the floor outside of the 6-foot allowance is considered “out”)

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The pre-match conference should be brief and cover only what needs to be covered. Match format can be mentioned, but it’s not necessary. No need to point out lines on the court unless there are extraneous lines which can be confused for court lines or adjustments will be made (e.g. step-in line for pre-teens)

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Make sure the pre-match conference goes over the basics. Do not make it a rules clinic, but do address questions. This meeting should take no more than 2 minutes. Practice your speech!

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If in the situation where there is no designated home team (e.g. at tournament or in adult rec league play), assign one team as “heads”, the other as “tails”. No one calls the coin. Winner of coin toss may choose serve, receive, or which side of the court they want.

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When briefing LJs, be sure they know all their signals: in, out, touch, antenna violation, foot fault, blocked out. Address how to adjust if players are serving near LJs and how you will let them know if you want them to change positions (endline vs. sideline extended). Address what to do if ball comes hard off block (out vs. touch) and whether they should give additional information about who contacted the ball last. Address balls being chased down near the R1 or R2 area (R1 or R2 will determine if ball crosses plane of net). Discuss situations where you must “wave off” a

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LJ call or overrule a LJ call and how the LJ should respond.

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The R1 may indicate a preference for how the line judges should move during the pre-match briefing. The R1 should also indicate to the line judges how a request will be communicated to ask the line judges to move differently than they were instructed in the pre-match briefing.

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This slide demonstrates how a line judge may move along the sideline extended behind the server

Click once to show the LJ move.

Click once to show the line the LJ can see.

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This slide shows the movement of the LJ along the endline extended.

Click once to show the LJ movement

Click once to show the line the LJ can see.

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When briefing R2, be specific about what things you want help on. The R2 should know his/her regular duties, so address what additional things you need (assistance with back row situations, pancakes, touches/4th contacts, etc.) and discuss how you expect the R2 to communicate with you (discreet signals or whistles) and how will you communicate back. What signal means “I need to talk to you”? How will you know if the R2 needs a sanction for a coach or player? What do you expect the R2 to do with bench control? What if there is a scoring issue?

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click once to animate third bullet

During warm-ups, monitor the courts for safety and legal equipment. Watch the setters on both teams to gauge ball handling level. Assist the R2 in checking the teams’ rosters.

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The whistle is your voice. It should be easily heard and well-timed. When you want a team to do something, a whistle is needed to get their attention before hand signals and words tell them what to do. Use different tones for different commands. One sharp blast may be used to start and stop regular play, whereas multiple tweets might be used to indicate an interruption in the game (substitution, time-out, safety concern). During play, the whistle should be blown immediately when a fault has occurred or the ball has become dead.

Review mechanics for R1-initiated and R2-initiated calls. Bring up a volunteer to serve as a partner and demonstrate the order in which R1 and R2 signals are made in each case.

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This is consistent with our current EOA mechanics. The R1 does NOT repeat the fault that is signaled by the R2.

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Watch the video and critique the R1. What does she do well? What do you notice about her facial expressions, eyes, hands, or body language? What does she do that you might do differently?

Click the action button to load the video.

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A pre-service scan is crucial for the R1. This is done to make sure there are no last-second subs coming to the line or that a coach isn’t requesting a time-out that the R2 does not see. Make sure your LJs are in place and that all players are on the court. Check for players tying shoes, wiping wet spots from the floor, etc., but do not allow non-safety related things (e.g. huddles, fixing hair, walking slowly) to change the tempo of your match. Use this opportunity to determine the alignment of both teams – are the setters front row or back row? Is the libero about to come off the floor? Do you see any alignment violations that you can signal discreetly to your R2? Is there a potential screen on the serving side?

Click to animate the oval to show how the R1 should move from serving side to receiving side and end at the R2.Click again to animate the oval returning to the server

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Screening is the action of a team to hide their serve/server from view of the receiving team. Two or more people can constitute a screen if they are standing close together and the ball is served directly over them. Look for low trajectory, fast serves that go directly over the heads of players grouped together. Look also for actions by the serving team players that may be screens, e.g. moving sideways in front of the server, waving arms, jumping, etc.

Click once to animate movement of players

Click once to animate one low, fast serve (more likely to be a screen)

Click once to animate another high, lobbing serve (less likely to be a screen)

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It is imperative that you use the correct signal for the fault that occurs. Not every ball is “in”. If a player makes a fourth contact on the ball before it lands in, you must signal “4 contacts”. A multiple contact and an illegal hit are not interchangeable. Illegal hits cannot happen on any contact, but multiple contacts are allowed (in one attempt to play the ball) on first contact. Do not signal an illegal hit on first contact when what occurred was a multiple contact. “Out” and “touch” are also important to differentiate. Practice/check your signals in a mirror

Click the action button to see a video which demonstrates one situation where the ball hits off a block and goes out on their own side (touch), and the next situation is a ball hitting the block and it goes out on the other team’s side (out). LJs especially need to know the difference between these two calls.

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Ball handling is a primary responsibility of the R1. The R1 is responsible for watching every contact and rendering a judgment about the legality of that contact. This is not a responsibility that can be designated to the R2, although the R2 may offer assistance via discreet signal to the R1 only if the R1 is screened from the play. The R1 must also determine whether contacts that are made are simultaneous or successive. Simultaneous contacts by two different team members count only as one contact and either team member may make the next contact. Simultaneous contact may also be made by opposing team members in the form of a joust at the net.

Two videos to watch (click the action buttons)1. Was the setter’s dump a catch or throw or prolonged contact?2. Was the setter’s one-handed set a catch or throw or prolonged contact? What

about #11’s reflexive save on the ball (which the opposing setter thought was a catch)?

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Is this contact legal? If not, what is the signal?

Click the action button to show a video that matches the description in the case manual.

Page 32 of Case Manual (9.4.8 Situation A)

The contact is legal. Multiple contacts on the first hit is legal, provided the multiple contacts occurred in one attempt to play the ball.

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The R1 must determine whether attacks and blocks are legal. In order to do this, the R1 has to have a clear understanding of both the horizontal plane of the net and the vertical plane of the net. The position of the ball and players relative to these planes of the net will determine whether attacks and blocks are legal or illegal.

Click once to highlight the vertical plane of the net. Explain that the plane is flat but the ball is round. Any part of the ball entering the plane of the net means the ball is in the plane of the net.

Click once to remove the vertical plane highlight.

Click once to highlight the horizontal plane of the net. Explain that judging a back row attack is based on the entire ball being above the horizontal plane of the net. This can be especially difficult if the ball is 10 feet or more away from the net. There is no requirement for a player to jump to have committed an illegal back row attack.

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Illegal back row attacks are determined by the position of the player’s feet (when they last contacted the floor) and the position of the ball relative to the horizontal plane of the net. A back row attack is illegal if:

1. The player’s last contact of the floor is on or in front of the attack line

2. The ball is entirely higher than the horizontal plane of the net at the moment of contact

A back row attack by the libero anywhere on the court is illegal if the ball is entirely higher than the horizontal plane of the net at the moment of contact.

9.4.4: An attack is complete when the ball has crossed the vertical plane of the net. A ball is considered to have crossed the net when:

1. It has passed completely beyond the vertical plane of the net

2. It is partially over the net and is contacted by an opponent

3. No part of the ball has crossed the net, and it is legally blocked (see 9.6.4)

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This slide demonstrates different attacks and their legalities.

Click once to show where the plane of the net is

Click once to show an attacker taking off from behind the line

Click once to show the ball above the plane of the net

Click once to turn the ball green, indicating that this is a legal back row attack.

Click once to show an attacker taking off on the line

Click once to show the ball above the plane of the net

Click once to turn the ball red, indicating that this is an illegal back row attack (once the attack is complete)

Click once to show a back row setter at the net

Click once to show a ball not entirely above the plane of the net

Click once to turn the ball green, indicating that this is a legal back row attack.

Click once to show a ball entirely above the height of the net.

Click once to turn the ball red, indicating that this is an illegal back row attack by the setter.

Attacks are not always made on 3rd contact. Watch for setters dumping the ball on second contact or for a quick push to get rid of a broken play at the net

Click action button to see video of 2nd ball push over by a back row setter on the right and R1 legal back-row attack informational signal)

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A block is determined by the position of the player relative to the horizontal and vertical planes of the net. A block has occurred if:

1. The ball is coming from the opponent’s side

2. The player is near the net

3. The player is reaching higher than the top of the net at the moment of contact (but contact does not need to be made higher than the top of the net)

An illegal block has occurred if a back row player completes or participates in a completed block.

A libero may not participate in a completed block OR attempt to block.

Players may not attack or block a serve.

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Is the contact legal? Is it a block? Is it a first contact?

Page 31 of Case Manual (9.4.3 Situation A)

(a) Legal. Since the player is not above the height of the net, it is first contact.

(b) Legal. Since the player is not above the height of the net, it is first contact.

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Click the action button to play a video showing a block followed by a first contact

The player is reaching above the height of the net at the moment of contact and is near the net while attempting to intercept the ball coming from the opponent’s court. This meets the definition of a completed block. The next contact is 1st contact. Where the ball goes after the block contact is irrelevant.

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Watch the liberos enter and exit the court and see whom they replace/who replaces them. Make a mental note of the player number for whom the libero serves. Remember the libero may enter or exit the court during dead balls with no intervention from the R2, so watch carefully!

The libero is restricted in offensive playing actions. The libero may not attack a ball if contact is made higher than the horizontal plane of the net from anywhere on the court. The libero also may not pass the ball using overhand finger action on or in front of the attack line IF the next contact is made from above the horizontal plane of the net from anywhere on the court. The libero may take off from behind the attack line to set the ball.

Click the action button for a video of Brazilian libero Sergio making a great hand set by jumping from behind the line to set a back row attacker.

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During warm-ups, be sure to check the height of the Liberos. Watch them warm up/hit with the team. See if they can reach the top of the net.

Click to animate first ball contacted by libero. Click again to animate red color; the libero may not attack this ball.

Click to animate second ball contacted by libero. Click again to animate green color; the libero may attack this ball.

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Although the rule book provides for the R1 to recognize timeouts and substitutions for the R2 if the R2 is occupied, this is not best practice. It is not recommended to recognize a requested substitution if the R2 is engaged elsewhere as neither the R2 nor scorekeeper may see the substitution happen and it may not be recorded properly or even be a legal substitution. Likewise, it is not recommended that the R1 whistle to grant a timeout because this encourages the coach to leave the R2 out of the communications loop.

IF a coach is requesting a timeout or substitution and is unseen by the R2 while the R2 is not otherwise engaged, the R1 may gently get the R2’s attention by starting a signal (TO or sub) or even providing a gentle whistle, but the R2 should still be the one to grant the request. If the R2 is otherwise occupied and the coach is fervently requesting a timeout, the R1 *may* grant the request to help facilitate the match.

The rules also allow the R1 to whistle the end of timeouts if the R2 is otherwise occupied. If an audio signal sounds at 60 seconds and the R2 is lengthily engaged with the table, wait a few seconds and then use your whistle to bring the teams back on to the court if they haven’t returned. If there is no audio signal in use and the R2 is engaged at the table, then whistle at 60 seconds to notify the teams the timeout is over. Be sure the teams return to the court at the end of the time-out and are ready

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to play when the R2 is finished with the table.

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Clear communication is vital in a volleyball match. The R1 must be able to communicate effectively with the R2, oftentimes without using words. Discuss discreet signals to be used and what they mean during your pre-match talk. How will your partner know if you need help? How will you know if your partner needs help?

Communication with coaches can come in a variety of forms. This starts with verbal communication before the match begins. Be cordial and confident, and don’t address coaches by familiar names if you happen to know them. From the stand, make eye contact with coaches. Use a whistle and hand movements if you need them to do something (e.g. back up from the court). Do not shout across the court. If a message needs to be told to the coach, use the floor captain (preferred) or the R2 if additional explanation is needed.

When you have to explain what happened on the court, be sure to use the verbiage of the rules.

If a sanction for a coach or bench personnel is warranted, call the floor captain to you, tell the captain what the sanction is and why it was earned, and then instruct the captain to go tell the coach. As they leave to tell the coach, display the sanction and verbalize to the R2 who received the sanction.

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If a verbal warning is needed for a player on the floor, either call over the captain or call over the individual and deliver the warning. A verbal warning for something minor can be given with a whistle and a hand movement that indicates to the player that their action was unsporting. If a sanction is warranted for a player on the floor, call the player over, tell them what the sanction is and why it was earned, and then display the sanction.

Nonverbal communication with coaches and players is also very important. Be mindful of your posture, eyes, and body language. Glaring, rolling your eyes, putting your hands on your hips, wagging your finger, putting up a “stop” sign – those are all very demonstrative ways of communicating and are not the best ways of getting players and coaches to be complicit. Do not point; use a full hand. Keep as much emotion out of your face and voice as possible; remember that the game isn’t personal. If a coach or player steps across a line, then it is our duty to address that action. Don’t be vindictive or look for ways to penalize coaches or players, and at the same time, don’t let their actions slide

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Sanctions are progressive for an individual throughout the course of a match. There is no requirement to start with a warning, and there is no limit to the number of verbal warnings that can be given to a participant.

Click the play button to see a video displaying a coach’s conduct which would require sanction. Discuss with the room what sanction would be deserving in this case. It might be best to mute the video or pause it after the infraction because the referee verbalizes the color of the card he gives. Discussion points could be: does it matter what the coach intended to do?

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Click the action button to show a video of a player inciting fans after a big point. Ask participants how they would handle this if they were the R1.

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Part of the pre-match discussion with the R2 should be determining a meeting place after the match. The R2 should initial the final scoresheet, grab the belongings of the R1 and R2, and head to that location. If the R1 can avoid going across the court, especially when the match has been contentious, then that is best. Line judges should also make their way to this location quickly after grabbing their belongings.

The R1 typically leads the debrief for a match (unless the R1 is being evaluated). Review and discuss important plays with your partner. If there were hiccups in the match, review what happened and what should have been done to streamline the match. Be honest with your partner and expect honesty in return. Use the opportunity to better yourself and our body of officials but not as a license to berate or tear down your partner/crew. Write notes in your volleyball notebook. Your notebook should be a sum of your experiences from all matches, not just notes from evaluations. Make an effort to learn something from every match.

If a penalty or disqualification was assessed in the match, notify the commissioner by phone after the match.

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You may find yourself working without a partner from time to time. Rely on your training and your common sense if a situation arises that you haven’t been explicitly prepared for. You must perform the pre-match, in-match, and post-match duties of both the R1 and R2. Conduct a pre-match conference, check rosters and lineups, and administer and monitor warmups. Check for illegal uniforms/equipment. Conduct a thorough briefing with the scorer. Establish effective communication for the scorer to tell you if there is a wrong server, that they have completely recorded substitutes, if they have an issue they need help with, when set/match point has been reached, etc.

Before the match, check that the lineups have been recorded on the scoresheetcorrectly, and verify the position of the players on the floor. Toss the ball to the serving team, then cross the court and take the stand.

During play, make contacts of the ball your first priority. The typical R2 responsibilities (net/center line) should be a secondary priority. Call only what you clearly see. Do not leave focus of the players/ball in play to see what is happening at the net. In between plays, be thorough on your pre-service scan. Be sure to check with both coaches to see if they are requesting a time-out or substitution. Check to make sure the scorer is ready and a point has gone up on the visual score.

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After the match, come down off the stand, cross the court, and initial the scoresheet.

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