Specialization and Switching

Players on competitive volleyball teams, however, merely start each rally in the proper service order. Early in each rally, usually right after the server contacts the ball, they quickly move (or switch) to the position in which they specialize. This specialization improves a team's chance of winning because it allows players to focus on what they do best.

All six players specialize in one front row position and one back row position. The most common combinations are:

• Two people are assigned the task of playing on the right side of the court (one of them is a setter; sometimes both are setters).
  
• Two people are assigned the task of hitting and digging "outside" -- that is, on the left side of the court.
  
• Two people are assigned to block and dig in the middle of the court.
  

Some teams, for personnel reasons, may alter these responsibilities, such as assigning a person to play middle when she is on the front row and left back when she is on the back row. Most teams, however, will keep it simple by having their "middles" always play in the center of the court; their outsides always play on the left, etc.

After your team has assigned you a position, you will always "switch" to that position as soon as each rally begins. You might start the rally in right back because you were the last server, but if you are an outside hitter, you will switch to left back as soon as the ball is in play. Remember, of course, that you must return to your proper place in the service order at the end of the rally, so you can start the next point in the right place.

**Note: When your team is serving, you can make your switches immediately because the ball won't be back in your court for a two or three seconds. When your opponent serves, however, the setter will be the only player to switch immediately (unless you use certain advanced serve-receive patterns), because the ball is coming into your court immediately. Most lower-level teams don't need the added chaos of switching while passing a serve, so they will complete their first attack, then switch.

Because one player of each position is needed on the front row and back row at all times, each player starts the game (and hence, each rally) "opposite" her partner. If one of the outside hitters starts in right front, the other starts in left back; if one of the middle hitters starts in middle front, the other starts in middle back; if one of the setters starts in left front, the other starts in right back. Consequently, whenever one person of a particular flavor -- say, a middle -- rotates to the back row, the other person of the same flavor rotates to the front row.

You must always return to the proper service order at the end of each rally so that you start the next rally in the proper order. But as soon as the next rally begins, you will switch from your service order position to your actual position. If you haven't specialized and switched before, it will seem confusing the first few times you do it. But it will pay off in the end by allowing you to focus your attention on learning two positions instead of all six.