Volleyball rotations aren’t as well understood as they could be or should be. That’s the opinion of Tod Mattox, longtime head coach of the varsity girls’ team at The Bishop’s School in San Diego.
“Coaches often don’t do a good job of teaching players the concept behind where to go,” Mattox says. “Players know where to stand, but they don’t necessarily know why.”
In this video, Oregon State coach Mark Barnard answers the why question, offering a quick whiteboard tutorial on how players can determine their positioning in a specific rotation.
Teaching volleyball rotations by position
As you’ll see in the video, drawing each position on a whiteboard is a good starting point when teaching rotation rules. This gives players a clear mental picture of where they should be relative to their teammates, whether they are serving or in serve-receive formation.
When the ball is served, players must be standing in the correct rotational position. Here’s how it breaks down for each of the six player positions:
Front row players
- Left front – Must be in front of left back (LB) and between middle front (MF) and the sideline.
- Middle front – Must be in front of middle back (MB) and between left front (LF) and right front (RF).
- Right front – Must be in front of right back (RB) and between MF and the right sideline.
Back row players
- Right back – Must be behind right front (RF) and between MB and the sideline.
- Middle back – Must be behind MF and between RB and LB.
- Left back – Must be behind LF and between MB and the sideline.
Once the ball is served, players are allowed to move freely, ideally to base.
When do players rotate?
All six players on the serve-receive team will rotate in a clockwise direction when they win a point. For example, if a player is in MB, she will move to the left to LB. In turn, LB will move to LF, and so on.
The serving team does not rotate.
Does the server need to pay attention to rotation?
The server, who is in RB, is not in the rotation because he/she is technically not on the court. So servers are allowed to serve from anywhere behind the end-line without worrying about their position relative to the other players on the court – specifically, the MB, who is on their left in the rotation.
On the receive team, all rotation rules apply, so the RB must be to the right of the MB.
Effective serve-receive patterns
Within the confines of the rotation rules, coaches need to choose serve-receive patterns that play to their team’s strengths. In this video, former Ohio State coach Jim Stone teaches three basic patterns: “W,” “U” and “Line.”
Reviewing rotation rules
As Mattox says, coaches often don’t do a good enough job explaining volleyball rotation rules. To ensure that your players fully understand their positioning on the court and the team’s rotational order, spend a few extra minutes every week reviewing the basics. The less players have to think about rotation when playing volleyball, the more they can focus on important stuff like hitting and passing.
If you liked this video, check out these other tips from Mark Barnard:
FAQs
A rotation occurs after every sideout, which is when the receiving team gains the right to serve by winning a rally. So basically, if you are the receiving team, and you win the point, or the serving team commits an unforced error, the players are required to rotate and the serve is switched.
What is the best way to remember volleyball rotations? ›
Players rotate “clockwise” through each of these positions. Another way to remember it is the player in 1 serves first, the player in 2 serves next, the player in 3 serves third, and so on. The order of rotation is set at the beginning of the game and maintained throughout the game (excepting substitutions).
How do you teach middle schoolers volleyball rotations? ›
Teaching Rotations to Beginners
- Give the players a colored wrist band to denote who their opposite is in the lineup. With the wristbands, they should be able to easily look around and get a general idea of where they're supposed to be on the court.
- Teach them the logic underlying your serve receive patterns.
There are a few different rotational systems a volleyball team can run; one is the 5-1. The first number, five, represents the number of hitters on the court, and the second number, one, stands for the number of setters.
What do you need to know in order to perform a rotation? ›
To describe a rotation, you need three things:
- Direction (clockwise CW or counterclockwise CCW)
- Angle in degrees.
- Center point of rotation (turn about what point?)
After serving from position 1, a player will rotate to position 6 (middle back), then to position 5 (left back), then to position 4 (left front), then to position three (middle front), then to position two (right front), before returning to position 1, the serving position.
What is the hardest skill to learn in volleyball? ›
Some argue that serving is the most difficult skill, as it requires precision and power. Others believe that passing is the most challenging, as it requires quick reflexes and the ability to control the ball.
What is the proper method of rotation in volleyball? ›
Each player, with the exception of the libero, will rotate to each location in a clockwise manner before each serve. Front row players stand nearer to the net and are responsible for blocking or hitting, while back row players are positioned in the middle or back of the court and are responsible for digging or defence.
How do I teach my 12 year old to serve volleyball? ›
- Start them close to the net so they get their mechanics and technique down without having to worry about power generation. ...
- Start them at 5ft off the net. ...
- Make sure they are contacting at a high point of contact and hitting the ball pretty flat. ...
- If they can get 3 over the net in a row, let them take a step back.
To teach proper setting technique, your first priority with a young player should be to develop their touch on the ball. As Coach Hiza explains here, setters should work on consistently taking the ball right on their foreheads and touching it with all 10 fingers. Other key takeaways: Wrap the fingers around the ball.
The way this system works is that the front-court setter always sets and the back-court setter essentially plays as a defender. When the setter in the backcourt rotates around to the front row, she becomes the setter for the next three rotations, and the other setter becomes a defender in the backcourt.
Why can't libero serve? ›
Liberos are not allowed to block. They are back-row specialists and don't play in the front row. It is permissible for a libero to replace the player in the serving position. In other words, liberos can serve or not serve depending on abilities, strategy, etc.
What does 4 + 2 mean in volleyball? ›
The 4-2 formation is often used if the team does not have strong hitter and is common at a lower level of play. In this formation, there are four hitters and two setters. In order to always have a setter in either row, setters will position themselves opposite each other in the rotation.
How to set up a volleyball rotation? ›
Each time a team wins a side out or gets possession of the serve, the new serving team rotates clockwise. Each player rotates one spot--the left front rotates to the middle front position, the middle front rotates to the right-front position, the right front rotates to the right-back position and so on.
What is a 4 2 rotation in volleyball? ›
This means that on the court, there are four attackers (outside hitters and middle blockers) and two setters. This system is often used with young teams that are learning the various roles and basic rotations, because it is fairly simple to learn and, in the basic version, there are only three rotations to learn.
What is a 6'6" volleyball rotation? ›
In the 6-6 volleyball rotation system, the starting line-up will consist of 6 players who have undesignated roles. The basic concept behind this system is that all players will have the opportunity to perform all of the skills to be able to develop them in a game situation.
What is the difference between an outside hitter and an opposite hitter? ›
Opposite is the right side hitter, it's called opposite because their rotational position is opposite to the setter. An outside hitter has a pretty balanced role when it comes to offense and defense. They tend to attack from the left, which usually means they're the go-to when rallies or receives get messy.
