Court Area Names
The following shows the position on the court by name. They are also called LF for left forward, MB for middle blocker, RF for right forward and etc, but the numbering system as shown below is much easier for reference. We can also use signal by hand to reference any of these numbers. For example the setter can call out that his setting to position #4 and so the person in #4 should get ready to spike, etc.
Position Name and Location
Position names are the actual position a player plays. For example an outside hitter’s (OH) position is #4 (or LF for left front) as shown on diagram below, Setter is on position #5. Notice there are two OH, one in position 4 and one in position 1. As rotation occurs, there will always be a front OH and a back OH. And although rotation occurs, right after the ball is served, players can start moving to their designated spot if they are not already on it. Regardless however, the serve receive formation will be way different than usual. We can adopt a 2 front, 4 back for receiving. After a successful receive (which means the ball is received well and is being directly passed to the setter), then players shift to their ready position in anticipation for the setter to set them the ball. This also includes back row to be ready in case the setter decides to set the back row.
Setter
The setter receives the second ball and decides which hitter to send the ball to. Their main goal is to make an accurate pass for one of the hitters to spike. Setter is expected to get to the second ball in most situations and if not possible, then usually the libero will step in to set. Setter will communicate to the hitters so they know where the set is going. Hitters can also tell the setters what kind of set they prefer.
Outside Hitter
The outside hitter is a great all around player with solid hitting skills and blocking. Their best skills are hitting from front and back row, passing (to the setter) and blocking. There are two outside hitters. One on the left and one on the right.
Middle Blocker
Role is to read the opponent’s setter to setup the block. This player can also hit “quick sets” because usually, the setter is just close by and as soon as the setter has the ball in hand, the middle blocker jumps up and the setter does a quick set into the MB’s hand for a quick hit. This attack technique is used to beat the defenders because its execution time is very fast. Before the defenders have a chance to block, the hit (spike) has already taken place.
Libero
The libero plays in the back row and has great ball control, needs to be a great passer and an even better digger. The libero is all over the court to keep the ball in the air for the team to create scoring chances. Note that the libero player is the only player that does not rotate positions.
Opposite
The opposite plays opposite the setter on the right front (position #2) and hits sets behind and in front of the setter. The opposite is responsible for blocking the opponent’s outside hitter, which means the person who plays opposite needs to be a solid blocker as well as a good hitter. The opposite will also if needed, to pass and set.
Serve Receive Lineup with variations
There are many line up that can be setup for a serve receive and one such line up is shown on the right. Can be called a 2 x 6 setup. This gives maximum ability for players to receive the ball. Notice that the setter is located on the back row right due to natural rotation. Although the setter is now located in the back row, right after the serve, she moves into position. The ball wasn’t passed directly at her but she still goes and meets the ball and then executes the set. See the first 13 seconds of video below to see how they went about executing the play.
How To Set
This document is still being updated. More to come.