Sunday, March 29, 2015

Volleyball Basics - Liberos

Liberos are back row defensive specialists. They can only play in the back positions. They can enter the game freely (Libero is an Italian word meaning free) between rallys, ie the libero may replace any back row player without counting toward that set's substitution limit. When the libero leaves the court, the original player replaced must return to the game for the libero. To simplify this, the libero wears a different color jersey, and libero replacement happens between the attack line and end line, rather than between the attack line and center line as in standard substitutions.

The libero has a few rules that are unique to the position. The libero cannot block or attack at the net. Attackers cannot hit the ball above the net when the libero overhead sets on or in front of the attack line. The libero often is usually not permitted to serve.

Like the middle blockers, the libero is the anchor for the back row defense. They call out whether the setter is front row or back row. Usually teams have libero's base defense position in zone 5. When this is the case the libero usually is responsible for covering front row setter tips. Sometimes setters can be persuaded to pass up on attack attempts by talking across the net to tell the setter that you have his or her tips covered. Liberos also call out what hitters are front row and whether they are stacked or split. They also might be responsible for calling out where other back row defenders should be to dig hits from the different zones or players. They also might be responsible for adjustments to serve receive positioning for different servers. A key responsibility liberos have is to take the first contact on free balls. Liberos theoretically should be one of the best passers on the team. Taking that first contact on as many balls crossing the net as possible opens up the 4 hitters on the floor to get into position to make a full approach and swing. When middles are serving, this responsibility typically falls on the back row middle.

Liberos base defense position is usually in zone 5. Middles played back row defense in zone 5 before the introduction of liberos. Partly because liberos replace middles, this has carried over. Some teams put liberos in zone 6 instead. Most attack attempts go to zone 6, so placing your best defensive player here makes a lot of sense. In theory this is the libero. Still, most teams play liberos in 5. A big consideration for whether to play liberos in 5 or 6 is how much of a role back row attacks by outside hitters will play in your system. Having the outside in 6 and the libero in 5 simplifies making the back row outside a viable hitting option. The outside is already in or close to position to make a full approach. Placing the outside in 5 might place the better defender (libero in 6) in position to take the most hits (improving overall defensive performance), but the trade off is making the back row outside in 5 work harder to hit from 6. Not only because of the need to move from zone 5 to 6 to make yourself available to hit, but also because the base defense position will be closer to the net. Being closer to the net might make getting a full approach more difficult.

Liberos in men's volleyball were originally outside hitters who passed well, but for one reason or another weren't playing in hitting and blocking roles. One such situation involved three senior outside hitters, but a junior outside hitter was an excellent passer. That outside played libero that year even though he was 6'5". Liberos usually are some of the shortest players on any team. As the libero position was more widely adopted and time passed with liberos in the game, we are seeing players who have only played libero. Women's volleyball has employed back row only defensive specialists that substituted in normally long before the introduction of the libero. There the transition to the new position was more instantaneous.

Passing in serve receive and in defense are primary skills. Ideally your libero should be the best passer on the team. Liberos should have good foot speed to get to more balls in emergency situations. Overhead passing is also an important skill, but most of the time as a pass, not a set. Court awareness is critical in situations where the setter took the first touch and the libero is taking the second touch. Knowing where you are on the court and whether or not to overhead set is important in those situations.

See also:
Zones of the Court

Volleyball Basics are intended to present some of the fundamental volleyball knowledge that everyone serious about the sport should know.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Volleyball Basics - Middle Blockers

Middle blockers are front row blocking specialists. They are generally, but not always, the tallest players on the court. They are the anchor for the front row defense. They hit and block in zone 3. Most teams have the middle blocker play back row defense in zone 5, but they usually are replaced by the libero as soon as they lose serve.

When the middle blocker's team is serving, the middle's responsibility is to call out information about the opposing team's offense. First, the middle calls out whether the setter is on the front row or back row, and therefore whether the setter is an eligible hitter. Second, the middle calls out who the front row hitters are and where they are, split (on both sides of the court in serve receive), or stacked (all on the same side of the court in serve receive).

In serve receive, the middle blocker's primary responsibility is to get into position to hit. Middles rarely pass in serve receive. Most of the time the middle will only pass on short serves, or serves that hit the tape. Middles usually hit quick attacks. With a perfect pass, and the full offensive system available, the middle is chronologically the first option. A middle who is not set can still play a big role in the offense by making the opposing middle commit to block, opening up the pin hitters to only a solo block.

While middles are typically the tallest players on the court, middles should be chosen because of skill set. Because of their importance in front row defense, middles need to be able to read and understand the opposing offense as it develops. Ball Setter Ball Hitter is an important skill. The middle needs to quickly determine if the middle is going to be set and move to block where the ball is set. They need the ability to make a decisive move to block at the pins and be able to close the distance from the middle of the net to the wing blocker. Middles also need to be able to hit quick hits across the middle third (or more) of the net. Excellent middles can also make their approach to hit deceptive, making the first steps of the approach toward the front of the setter and the final steps to hit behind the setter for example.

See also:
Volleyball Basics are intended to present some of the fundamental volleyball knowledge that everyone serious about the sport should know.