Sitting Volleyball
Senior 6 · Physical Education
Sitting Volleyball
Lesson 3 of 3
25 min
In standing volleyball the 1st referee watches from a raised stand, with the eyes about 50 cm above the top of the net. In sitting volleyball the net is barely more than a metre high, so the 1st referee simply stands behind the net post. From there the referee can look down on the most important thing in the game: whether the players' buttocks stay on the floor. This lesson describes the refereeing team, where each official stands, what each one decides, and the signals that tell players and spectators what has been called.
Definition
1st referee: the official who directs the match from start to finish, with authority over the other officials and the teams; their decisions are final.
2nd referee: the assistant of the 1st referee, with their own area of decisions, who also controls the benches, time-outs, substitutions and the scorer.
Scorer: the official who keeps the score sheet. Line judges: officials at the corners who signal with flags whether the ball is in or out and some other faults.
Rally: the play from the service hit until the ball is out of play; every completed rally scores a point.
Misconduct: rude, offensive or aggressive behaviour, punished with a penalty, expulsion or disqualification.
| Official | Where (Diagram 10) | Main duties |
|---|---|---|
| 1st referee | Standing behind the post at one end of the net, on the side away from the scorer | Inspects the court, balls and equipment; runs the toss and the warm-up; whistles each serve; decides the server's faults and the serving team's positions (including screening), faults in playing the ball (including lifting), faults above the net, back-row and Libero attack faults; gives warnings and sanctions; may overrule other officials; signs the score sheet |
| 2nd referee | Standing outside the court near the other post, facing the 1st referee | Checks positions against the line-up sheets; decides penetration under the net and into the opponents' court, the receiving team's positional faults, net contact (mainly on the blocker's side), back-row blocks, lifting (especially by blockers) and balls touching outside objects; authorises time-outs and substitutions; supervises the benches and the scorer |
| Scorer (and assistant scorer) | At the scorer's table, facing the 1st referee | Records teams, line-ups, points, time-outs, substitutions and sanctions; checks the service order and sounds the buzzer for a rotational fault; the assistant scorer records Libero replacements |
| Line judges, 4 (or 2) | In the free zone, 1 to 2 m from each corner, on the extension of the line each controls | Signal ball in or out near their lines, touches by the receiving team, antenna and crossing-space faults, and any player's buttocks outside the court (or the server's outside the service zone) at the service hit |
| Challenge and reserve referees | Challenge booth; near the scorer's table | Required at World ParaVolley events: the challenge referee runs the video challenge; the reserve referee replaces an absent official and helps run the benches |
Only the 1st and 2nd referees blow a whistle. After a fault whistled by the 1st referee, the signals come in a fixed order: the team to serve, then the nature of the fault, then the player at fault if needed. When the 2nd referee whistles, the 2nd referee shows the fault and the player, and the 1st referee shows only the team to serve.
| Decision | Referee's hand signal (Diagram 11) |
|---|---|
| Authorisation to serve | Move the hand to show the direction of the service |
| Team to serve | Extend the arm to the side of the team that will serve |
| Ball in | Point the arm and fingers to the floor |
| Ball out | Raise the forearms vertically, hands open, palms towards the body |
| Catch | Slowly lift the forearm, palm facing upwards |
| Double contact / four hits | Raise two / four fingers, spread open |
| Lifting | Hold the hands flat, palms together, then raise the upper palm off the lower one |
| Delay in service (8 seconds) | Raise eight fingers, spread open |
| Blocking fault or screen | Raise both arms vertically, palms forward |
| Positional or rotational fault | Make a circular motion with the forefinger |
| Time-out / substitution | A T made with the hands / the forearms circling round each other |
Line judges' flags (40 cm × 40 cm): flag pointed down for in; flag raised upright for out; flag raised with the free palm touching its top for ball touched; flag waved over the head and pointed at the antenna or line for a crossing-space fault or a player's buttocks fault at the serve; both arms crossed on the chest for judgement impossible.
Minor misconduct earns a warning (yellow card), which has no further consequence. A first rude act earns a penalty (red card): a point and the serve to the opponents. A first offensive act (insulting words or gestures) earns expulsion (both cards held together): the player leaves for the rest of the set. A physical attack or threatened aggression earns disqualification (the two cards shown separately): the player leaves for the rest of the match.
Worked example 1: who calls it, and how?
Worked example
Worked example 2: choosing the sanction. Decide what the 1st referee does in each case.
Video: "Sitting Volleyball Highlights | Day 10 | Paris 2024 Paralympic Games", Paralympic Games. Pause after each rally and decide, as the referees must, how it ended, which team serves next and which signal you would show.
Tip
Officiating a school match. One referee standing at the post and one at the other post, a scorer and two line judges at opposite corners are enough. With two line judges, each stands at the corner on the referee's right, diagonally 1 to 2 m from the court, and watches both the end line and the side line on that side.
Warning
Common mistakes. Line judges do not whistle; only the two referees do. The 2nd referee, not the 1st, authorises time-outs and substitutions. A yellow card is a warning with no point; a red card gives the opponents a point and the serve. In sitting volleyball the 1st referee stands at the post rather than sitting on a high stand.
Practice
Remember
Further reading
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
