4. Can a backrow player legally attack the ball?
Yes, as long as when the player attacks
the ball, they are
behind (not on) the 3m attack line or, if in mid-air, they
jumped from behind the attack line. They may also 'attack' the
ball if it's not COMPLETELY above the top of the net.
5. What if I jump from outside the court in front
of the attack line
extension?
Tweet! The attack line extends indefinitely.
6. I'm a 6'7" backrow player, standing in the attack
area, when
the ball comes my way. I unloaded on it without jumping.
Why did the ref whistle a fault? If you are in the attack area
and a back row player, the ball must still
be under the net
height to be sent over. You probably
contacted the ball while
it was above the net.
H: Play of the Ball / Tips and
Miscellaneous
1. Are open one-hand tips legal?
Funny, tips are not mentioned in the
Indoor rules, but are in
Outdoor. Open hand tips are legal Indoors,
but NOT Outdoors
where an "One
hand placement or redirection of the ball with
the
fingers" is illegal; it's got to be a "roll shot," "cobra," or
"camel
toe."
2. What's a 'roll shot,' 'cobra,' and 'camel toe'?
These are short, one-handed shots usually
with much topspin
used instea
of 'tips' outdoors and may be used indoors as
well. In the 'roll shot' the ball is hit with the heel or palm of
the hand; in the 'cobra' with straight
locked fingertips, and
the 'camel toe' with knurled [not to
be confused with
gnarled] fingers. You'll also hear these hits lumped
under the
verb 'to tool' as in "that wuss tooled the ball over my block
into that big hole my slug partner left open." Another
synonym here is "slime."
3. What's a 'power' tip and is it legal?
Controversy here... First, a 'power'
tip is one that looks like
a throw; the hand contacts the ball high
and with a stiff wrist
is directed downwards into the opponents' court with
considerable velocity. Your hand might remain in contact with
the ball for some
time, like for 30-45 degrees of arc. When you
see these, it's often
the start of an argument on both sides.
It usually happens when the ball's set too close to the
net and
the hitter's trying to avoid getting stuffed. To some folks
it's a
throw, others, a legal shot. Higher level refs call it
ok, lower
level will call it a fault.
4. Can I contact the ball over the opponent's court?
Only when blocking their attempt to direct
the ball into your
court. You cannot attack a ball completely
on your opponents'
side of the net.
5. Can you reach across the plane of the net after
the 3rd hit?
Yep. If the "over" was the result of
a follow-through of a spike
of a ball on the plane or on the attacker's
side - perfectly
fine.
Otherwise, see the 2 questions just above.
6. What if I'm LEGALLY under the net, my knees are
across the
plane of the net, and my leg is then hit
by the ball on the
opponents' side of the net before
the ball breaks the plane of
the net?
"The opponents are not allowed to intentionally
touch the ball
under the net before the ball passes
fully beyond the vertical
plane of the net. However, if the ball
inadvertently contacts an
opponent beyond the plane under the net, the ball becomes
out of play and no fault is charged
to the opponents."
Unfortunately, this paragraph does not say what to do in case
the contact is not intentional and is not
beyond the plane of
the net. Probably
best to use the same rationale as in play
above the net, i.e. unintentional contact
under the net is not
a fault by the defenders if the ball
clearly would not clear the
net and it is the third hit or none of the
attacking team
members could have made a play on the ball. If any of these
points are in doubt, I would rule against the defenders
(Geoffrey Clemm).
7. Can I step on the center line?
Yes, but be careful! A player is allowed
to step on the center
line. You may contact your opponents court
as long as "some
part of the encroaching foot or feet remain on or above the
center line" Note the "above"; if you
lift your foot getting
back, you're still legal. It also
isn't a fault to cross the
extension of the center line Outside the court
[beaucoup
bandwidth blown on this discussion!].
8. Can you ever cross the center line?
Your foot may cross the center line if
part of your foot remains
on or above the line. If any other part of your body,
say your
pinkie, touches the opponents' court,
it's a fault. As an aside:
BE CAREFUL! ENCROACHMENT IS NOT TO BE
TOLERATED! Even
in practice or rec play. Most serious ankle-foot
injuries are
the result of encroachment - let everyone know it's
a Serious
Fault!
9. The ball hit a basketball backstop near our court,
do we replay
the point?
Usually, yes. If the ball hits a low
hanging obstruction under 7
meters and within 2m of the court, the
ball's normally called
dead and replayed.
This falls in the category of local rules and
should be explained by the ref prior to play.
10. What if the ball hits the ceiling?
A ceiling, particularly over 7 meters
is out and a point or side
out awarded. If it hits part of the ceiling
between 15-23' (4.5-
7m) it's still in play. Under 15'? Jeez, serves you right for
playing in the Troglodyte Open. You also might
want to check
your local rules - they often cover ceiling hits.
11. What is a 'free' ball and why do players yell 'free'?
A free ball is generally any ball which
isn't spiked/hard hit.
When a team sees that their opponents
are not going to blast
the ball over, someone (setter, or in our play, anyone first
sensing that it won't be a hit - sometimes the setter's view
might be blocked) yells "free" meaning, "get your slow hitter
butts back and pass something" [thanks to Darcie Hammer].
12. What are "angle" and "line" and why do I hear players yelling
these words?
The non-hitter who has a view of the
blocker(s) yells to the
hitter what areas are not blocked or covered to direct the
spike into these areas. A "line" hit is one down the sideline
nearest the hitter, while an "angle" is a crosscourt hit from
a
ball set to the side. Obviously these don't work for a middle
set.
