Volleyball officiating overview

Volleyball officiating overview

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  Volleyball officials need to clearly indicate the stop and start of play.
  
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  Also, referees indicate infractions of playing rules and recognize requests for game interruptions.
  
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  The combinations of whistles and volleyball hand signals enables referees to maintain a smooth flow to the contest. This allows spectators and participants to understand the action during the match and the outcome of each rally.
  

What are signals?

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  Signals are your language as a referee.
  
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  Your signals are your language and if you have a great command of that language, then it will show your expertise, your knowledge of the sport, your understanding of the rules, your confidence, your fairness, your control of the match, and your professionalism.
  

Blowing the whistle

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  Whistle immediately when a fault has been identified, or the ball is otherwise out of play.
  
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  The whistle stops the rally and draws attention to you. The whistle indicates you have something to communicate.
  
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  The whistle should be blown with authority and should be loud and crisp.
  
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  Be sure to use a good quality whistle that can be heard over the participant and spectator noise.
  
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  Vary whistle tones. Use different tones and volumes for different situations.
  
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  For common play-ending situations and faults, usually best to use a louder whistle.
  
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  For game interruptions such as a substitution or timeout, usually best to use a longer whistle tone.
  
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  Multiple quick whistles are commonly used to stop play for game interruptions such as an injury or errant ball on the court.
  
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  Especially as a second referee you may want to increase the whistle tone to get attention when attention is elsewhere.
  

Signal Sequence

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  Whistle, award the point, signal the nature of the fault.
  

1. Blow the whistle. As a first referee, when you see the ball is out of play or there is a fault, always whistle first.

2. Signal which team wins the point. This signal shows the teams which team will serve next.

3. Last, show the fault signal.

6 Health Benefits of Officiating

1. 
   Burns calories.
   
2. 
   Reduces Stress.
   
3. 
   Improves brain health.
   
4. 
   Builds camaraderie.
   
5. 
   Improves cardiovascular health.
   
6. 
   Provides better sleep.