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A
ACE - Serve that is not
passable and results immediately in a point.
ANTENNA - Vertical rods (white and
red) mounted near edges of the net. The volleyball
antennas are mounted above the
sidelines and are not in play. Antennas are not usually used on outdoor nets.
APPROACH - Fast steps toward the net
by a spiker before jumping in the air.
ASSIST - Passing or setting ball
to a teammate who attacks the ball for a kill.
ATTACK - The offensive action of
hitting the volleyball. The attempt by one team to terminate the play by hitting the ball to
the floor on the opponent's side.
ATTACK BLOCK - Receiving players'
aggressive attempt to block a spiked ball before it crosses the net.
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ATTACK ERROR - An unsuccessful attack that
does one of the following: 1) the ball lands out of bounds, 2) the ball goes
into the volleyball
net and terminates play or goes into the net on the
third hit 3) the ball is blocked by the opposition for a point or side out 4)
the attacker is called for a center line violation 5) the attacker is called
for illegal contact (lift, double hit) on the attack.
ATTACKER - Also "hitter" or
"spiker." A player who attempts to hit a ball offensively with the
purpose of terminating play in his or her team's favor.
ATTACK LINE - A line 3m from the net that
separates the front row players from the back row players. Commonly referred to
as the "10-foot line."
B
BACKCOURT - The area from the endline to the attack line.
BACKCOURT - The area from the endline to the attack line.
BACK SET - A set delivered behind the back of the setter, which is then hit by an attacker.
BACK ROW ATTACK - When a back row player attacks the ball by jumping from behind the 3m line before hitting the ball. If the back row player steps on or past the 3m line during take-off, the attack is illegal.
BEACH DIG - An open-hand receive of the
ball, also called a "Deep Dish."
BLOCK - A defensive play by one or
more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the court. It may be a
combination of one, two, or three players jumping in front of the opposing
spiker and contacting the spiked ball with the hands.
BUMP - A common term for forearm
passing.
BALL HANDLING ERROR - Any time the official calls
a double hit, a thrown ball or a lift (except on a serve reception or attack).
Also includes any blocking errors (when an official calls a blocker for a
violation such as going into the net, center line violation, reaching over the
net, etc.).
BUMP PASS - The use of joined forearms
to pass or set a ball in an underhand manner.
C
CAMPFIRE - A ball that falls to the
floor in an area that's surrounded by two, three, four, or more players. At the
instant after the ball hits the floor, it appears as if the players are
encircling and staring at a campfire.
CENTER LINE - The boundary that runs directly under the net and divides the court into two equal halves.
CLOSING THE BLOCK - The responsibility of the
assisting blocker(s) to join the primary blocker and create an impenetrable
block in which a ball cannot fit between the two individual blockers.
CROSS COURT SHOT - An individual attack
directed at an angle from one end of the offensive team's side of the net to
the opposite sideline of the defensive team's court.
CUT SHOT - A spike from the hitter's
strong side that travels at a sharp angle across the net.
D
DECOY - An offensive play meant to
disguise the spiker who will receive the set.
DEEP SET - Set to be hit away from the
net to confuse or disrupt the timing of the blockers.
DIG - Passing a spiked or rapidly
hit ball. Slang for the art of passing an attacked ball close to the floor.
DINK - A legal push of the ball
around or over blockers.
DOUBLE BLOCK - Two players working in
unison to deflect an attacked ball at the net back to the hitter's side.
DOUBLE HIT - Successive hits or contacts
by the same player. Not legal.
DOUBLE QUICK - Two hitters approaching the
setter for a quick inside hit.
DOUBLES - A game with two players on
each side, most commonly played on a sand court.
DOWN BALL - A ball the blockers elect
not to attempt to block because it has been set too far from the net or the
hitter is not under control. A "down ball" is hit overhand and driven
over the net with topspin while the player remains standing. "Down
Ball" is usually called aloud by the defense when it becomes apparent the
attacker has no chance of hitting a powerful spike.
DUMP - A strategic move by an
opponent where a soft hit is used near the net rather than a spike to catch the
other team off guard.
F
FIVE-ONE - A six-player offensive
system that uses five hitters and one setter.
FIVE SET - A back set to the right
front hitter.
FLARE - Inside-out path of an
outside spiker who hid behind a quick hitter.
FLOATER - A serve that does not spin
or rotate and therefore moves in an erratic path. This is similar to a
"knuckle ball" pitch in baseball.
FOREARM PASS - A pass by which you join
your arms from the elbows to the wrists and strike the ball with the fleshy
part of your forearms in an underhand motion.
FOUL - A violation of the rules.
FOUR SET - A set 1 foot from the
sideline, and 1 to 2 feet above the net.
FOUR-TWO - A six-player offensive
system using four hitters and two setters.
FREE BALL - A ball that will be
returned by a pass rather than a spike. This is usually called aloud by the
defense instructing players to move into serve/receive positions.
FREE ZONE - The space outside the
boundaries of the court. This Free Zone is typically approximately 6 feet wide
and can be used to keep the ball in play.
H
HELD BALL - A ball that comes to rest
during contact, resulting in a foul.
HIT - To jump and strike the ball
with an overhand, forceful shot.
HITTER - Also "spiker" or
"attacker."
HITTING PERCENTAGE - Kills vs. attempts.
I
INSIDE SHOOT - A play set or a 33.
ISOLATION PLAY - Designed to isolate the
attacker on a specific defender, normally to exploit a weakness or give a
hitter a chance to hit against a single block.
J
JUNGLE BALL - Any volleyball game with
people who don't really know how to play volleyball. A common euphemism for
this type of game is "picnic volleyball."
JUMP SERVE - A serve that is started by
the server tossing the ball into the air and jumping into and hitting the ball
in its downward motion.
JOUST - When two opposing players
are simultaneously attempting to play a ball above the net.
K
KEY - To predict a team's next
play by observation of patterns or habits.
KILL - An attack that results in
an immediate point or side out.
L
LINE - The marks that serve as
boundaries of a court.
LINE SHOT - A ball spiked down an
opponent's sideline, closest to the hitter and outside the block.
M
MIDDLE-BACK - A defensive system that
uses the middle back player to cover deep spikes.
MIDDLE-UP - A defensive system that
uses the middle back player to cover dinks or short shots.
MINTONETTE - The original name of the
game of volleyball, created by William Morgan.
MULTIPLE OFFENSE - A system of play using
different types of sets other than just normal outside sets.
O
OFFSIDE BLOCK - Player at the net, which is
on the side away from the opponent's attack.
OFF-SPEED HIT - Any ball spiked with less
than maximum force but with spin.
OUTSIDE HITTER - A left-front or right-front
attacker normally taking an approach that starts from outside the court.
OVERHAND PASS - A pass executed with both
hands open, controlled by the fingers and thumbs, played just above the
forehead.
OVERHAND SERVE - Serving the ball and
striking it with the hand above the shoulder.
OVERLAP - Refers to the positions of
the players in the rotation prior to the contact of the ball when serving.
P
PANCAKE - A one-handed defensive
technique where the hand is extended and the palm is slid along the floor as
the player dives or extension rolls, and timed so that the ball bounces off the
back of the hand.
PASS - see "Forearm
Pass."
PENETRATION - The act of reaching across
and breaking the plane of the net during blocking.
POINT OF SERVICE - A serve that results in a
point (an ace by NCAA standards) as the serve is not returnable due to a bad
pass by the receiver, this number includes aces.
POWER ALLEY - A cross-court hit traveling
away from the spiker to the farthest point of the court.
POWER TIP - A ball that is pushed or
directed with force by an attacking team.
POWER VOLLEYBALL - A competitive style of
volleyball started by the Japanese.
Q
QUICK - A player approaching the
setter for a quick inside hit.
QUICK SET - A set (usually 2 feet above
the net) in which the hitter is approaching the setter, and may even be in the
air, before the setter delivers the ball. This type of set requires precise
timing between the setter and hitter.
R
READY POSITION - The flexed, yet comfortable,
posture a player assumes before moving to contact the ball.
RECEPTION ERROR - A serve that a player
should have been able to return, but results in an ace (and only in the case of
an ace). If it is a "husband/wife" play (where the ball splits the
two receivers), the receiving team is given the reception error instead of an
individual.
RED CARD - A severe penalty in which
an official displays a red card. The result of a red card may be a player is
disqualified, the team loses the serve, or the team loses a point. A red card
may be given with or without a prior yellow card as a warning; it is up to the
official's discretion.
ROOF - A ball that when spiked is
blocked by a defensive player such that the ball deflects straight to the floor
on the attacker's side.
ROTATION - The clockwise movement of
players around the court and through the serving position following a side out.
S
SERVE - One of the six basic
skills; used to put the ball into play. It is the only skill controlled
exclusively by one player.
SERVER - The player who puts the ball
into play.
SERVICE ERROR - An unsuccessful serve in
which one or more of the following occurs: 1) the ball hits the net or fails to
clear the net, 2) the ball lands out of bounds, or 3) the server commits a foot
fault.
SERVICE WINNER - A point the serving team
scores when this player has served the ball. The point can be an immediate (in
the case of an ace) or delayed (a kill or opponent attack error after a long
rally). Therefore, the sum of the team's service winners equals their score.
SET - The tactical skill in which
a ball is directed to a point where a player can spike it into the opponent's
court.
SETTER - The player who has the
second of three contacts of the ball who "sets" the ball with an
"Overhand Pass" for a teammate to hit. The setter normally runs the
offense.
SIDE OUT - Occurs when the receiving
team successfully puts the ball away against the serving team, or when the
serving team commits an unforced error, and the receiving team thus gains the
right to serve.
SIX-TWO - A six-player offense using
two setters opposite one another in the rotation. Setter 1 becomes a hitter
upon rotating into the front row as setter 2 rotates into the back row and
becomes the setter.
SKY BALL- A serve where the ball is
hit underhand over the net. The height of the ball is such that it comes down
on the other side of the net almost straight down.
SPIKE - Also hit or attack. A ball
contacted with force by a player on the offensive team who intends to terminate
the ball on the opponent's floor or off the opponent's blocker.
STRONG SIDE - When a right-handed hitter
is hitting from the left-front position or when a left-handed hitter is hitting
from the right-front position.
STUFF - A ball that is deflected
back to the attacking team's floor by the opponent's blockers. A slang term for
"block."
T
TURNING IN - The act of an outside
blocker turning his/her body into the court so as to ensure the blocked ball is
deflected into the court and lands in-bounds.
U
UNDERHAND SERVE - A serve in which the ball is
given a slight under-hand toss from about waist high and then struck with the
opposite closed fist in an "underhand pitching" motion.
W
WEAK SIDE - When a right-handed player
is hitting from right-front position or when a left-handed player is hitting
from the left-front position.
WIPE - When a hitter pushes the
ball off of the opposing block so it lands out of bounds.
Y
YELLOW CARD - A warning from an official indicated by the display of a yellow card. Any player or coach who receives two yellow cards in a match is disqualified. A single yellow card does not result in loss of point or serve.
