Referee signals in volleyball game

Much like how an official basketball signifies if the shot is taken behind the 3m line or how the officials throw the towel when a player enters the endzone in football. Based on the picture attached above, an official would indicate a legal back row attack by placing their arm at shoulder height and waving it directly down whilst keeping the arm straightened.

In volleyball, especially at top level, a backrow is very viable option and is used an awful lot. As I said above, in volleyball it is illegal for a back row player to attack the ball from on or in front of the 3m 10 Foot line. When focusing on the ball it is very difficult to judge exactly where the dividing line is and as such an illegal back row attack may occur.

It is also illegal to attack the ball from above the height of the net directly from a serve. This is to prevent people from jumping up and trying to block or spike the serve back.

Both of these faults would be shown the same way by the official. The official would raise their forearm only keeping the upper arm horizontal at shoulder level. From this position the official would rotate their arm at the elbow making a downward waving motion. If you need a mental image think of the mechanically operated Maneki-neko or better known as the lucky chinese cat.

Now this may come as a surprise to you as you will often see players from the serving team grouping at the net and raising their arms to restrict the receiving teams view. However screening or blocking the line of sight is actually illegal in volleyball. With that being said there is a rather loose interpretation of this rule. What I mean by this is players are allowed to group together and raise their arms as long as the receiving team has a clear line of sight to the server and or service flight path.

This means as long as the serving team adopt normal base positions then a screen fault would not occur. Now when I say normal base positions what I mean by this is, it is completely feasible that a player at the net would raise their arms in preparation for blocking, it is also conceivable that players would group together to make rotating to their correct position quicker and more streamlined.

So based on this you may be wondering when exactly an illegal block or screen call would occur. Whilst it is allowed for players to group together and raise their arms, it is absolutely not allowed for players to move with the receiving players to ensure their sight remains obstructed, nor is it allowed for a player on the serving team to line up directly in front of the server to restrict the receiving players view.

If this was to happen the referee would indicate that an illegal screen has occurred by raising both hands upwards to head height forming and showing open palms towards the court. Everybody knows that if the ball lands out of bounds it is a point to the opposite team of the player who touched it last.

When a ball is hit by the attacking side it is quite common for the blockers or defenders to get a touch on the ball. It is important for officials to notice this, as if the ball was to land out after a touch from the blockers or defenders, the attacking team would be awarded the point. An official would indicate that the ball has been touched and gone out by placing one hand up and out in front of them, with their other hand they would brush their fingers upwards.

This shows the ball touching someone and then coming off them and out. The only exception to this rule is when a player blocks the ball, this does not count as a touch towards the team 3 touches, it also does not count as a touch for the individual player, this means a player can block the ball and then play it a second time without committing a fault.

The most common one that springs to mind is sometimes when a player attacks the ball on a third hit, sometimes it actually bounces off the net band as opposed to being blocked. If the team that just hit the ball touches it again after it comes off the net band this would be 4 touches. This is actually one of the more obvious calls in volleyball in the sense that an official indicates this fault by simply holding up four fingers on one hand.

Although each team gets three contacts before the ball must be returned, with the exception of the blocking rule mentioned above, a player cannot contact the ball twice simultaneously.

What I mean by this is if a player receives the ball from the opposition, another player must touch the ball before the player that first received it can touch it again. This rule is the bain of every setter to have ever played the game.

When hand setting it is very easy to double contact the ball. A referee would indicate that a double touch has occurred by simply showing 2 up on one hand. Much like the hippie peace sign. When the ball lands in a point is awarded to the team who was able to ground the ball on the oppositions side and between the lines. Obviously an official needs a way of indicating whether the ball landed in or out of the court.

Especially in situations where it is tight to the line and could go either way. An official would indicate that the ball landed in court by placing their arm at a 45 degree angle between the hip and shoulder and then pointing with their full arm and hand to the side in which the ball has landed in on. If the ball lands out of bounds or touches the aerial the opposing team would be awarded the point.

Just to clarify out of bounds encapsulates a few different things. The ball is considered out of bounds if it lands outside the court lines, contacts the net outside the antenna, the supporting or guide ropes of the net or the post and referee stand.

If the ball lands out of bounds or contacts the aerial the official would show this by bending both forearms upwards so the fingers are pointing towards the sky with their arms out in front of them. It is important that every player on the court understands when the serve is about to come. In volleyball it is illegal to serve without the official signalling the start of the rally.

The first referee would signal the start of the rally and indeed the start of the serve by blowing the whistle and waving their hand from the servers side to the receiving teams side. After timeouts or even before new sets are about to start the teams must line up along the sideline where the referee stand is located. Once the officials and both teams are ready to commence play the referee will blow the whistle and wave their hand into towards the centre of the court.

This signifies to the players that they may enter the court. I must admit I think this hand signal is somewhat fluid as I have personally seen officials wave my team and the other team into the court by using both hands. Now many of these hand signals show what fault has occurred, which to the players is often more than enough for them to determine who has won the point. However in times in which the decision can go either way or infact just to make the decision clear to all spectators the official is able to show which side has been awarded the point.

A referee would indicate which team has won the point simply by placing the arm of the side that has won the point out horizontally to point in the direction of the winning side. This is certainly a signal that I feel is used a lot more at lower level volleyball. A replay or let is shown for a few different reasons in Volleyball. Where multiple games are being played at the time, occasionally balls or even players may enter a different court. This not only causes a health and safety risk to the players on court but can also lead to obstruction or hindrance.

In these situations the fairest and safest option is to halt play and replay the point. I have also seen lets used, when the decision is too tight to call. For example if there has been a net touch but both players appear to touch the net at the same time, occasionally the official may choose to play a let or replay of point. The referee would show a let or replay of the point by putting both thumbs up on either side of the net. Much like many other sports Volleyball uses substitutions.

Substitutions are used for many reasons, whether it be to replace an injured player, change up the lineup or simply just to swap in a service specialist to try and get a few aces.

If a team wants to sub in a player they must follow a simple process. The player which is to be substituted in will be given the number of the player that they are to replace. The coach will mention to the referee that they would like to substitute a player. The player who is being subbed in will stand on the side of the court by the side of the referee and hold up a paddle with the number of the player they are replacing.

The referee will show that a substitution is taking place by placing their arms horizontally one over the other. They will then rotate their arms in a spin cycle motion to signify that a swap or rotation in the line up has occurred. There are actually quite a few rules regarding substitutions. Aside from the points I raised above about the process in which a substitution must be carried out there are also a few extras that bear mentioning.

For example if a player is substituted, if the coach wishes to substitute the previously swapped player back into the game, they can only do so if they sub them back in place of the player who previously replaced them.

Avoid making the signal look like the catch signal. Delay in Service When the server doesn't contact the ball within 8 seconds, raise both arms above your head. Use five digits on the right hand, and thumb and the first fingers on the left hand. Always use the same digits on each hand no matter which side the fault occurred.

For 14 and under, use one-handed signal for a five second delay. Situations where you would call a net fault. You signal by touching the top of the net, palm facing the net with the hand on the side of the team that committed the fault.

As a second referee, you don't repeat the signal for a ball that doesn't cross the net on the serve. For a net fault as a second referee, you aren't required to touch the net, net cable, or post. An air net is preferred. This will save time and extra effort required to move forward. Second referee is required to step to the side of the net of the team that committed the net fault.

This is true of any fault. Remember, the first referee doesn't make air net hand signals. For a net fault, indicate the player with an open hand and not the finger. You only indicate the player when you whistle the fault, not when the second referee whistles the net fault. Anytime a rally must be replayed, signal a replay by holding two fists above the shoulders with thumbs up.

A rally may be replayed if an object or ball comes on the court during play and causes a safety concern or causes interference or when both teams commit a fault at the same instance. The same signal is used for illegal blocking and screening.

Extend both arms vertically with the palms facing forward. When showing this signal, it may be necessary to show the player or players at fault. The signal for a position fault or rotation fault is held at waist height. Make a clockwise circular motion with the index finger pointed towards the floor. Make the circular motion no more than twice.