Proposition: Why the "Double Hit" Must Die

[OmniSpiker]

Source: Welcome to AVCA - the American Volleyball Coaches Association

Why the "Double Hit" Must Die

By Mark Massey
University of Puget Sound

We all love volleyball. Sadly, we must still arise each morning and face the cold, hard truth that in the USA, volleyball is a second-tier sport.

Or maybe not.

We have an opportunity in the coming months to remake our sport dramatically, to finish the job that the switch to rally scoring started.

Regardless of whether or not you liked the initial switch to rally scoring, there is no question that along with the addition of the Libero position and a more lenient first contact rule, we have added an exciting new dimension to our sport that fans and players love.

When these changes originally occurred, we felt uncomfortable. But we adapted. I believe they made our game more interesting. This next change is likely to push many of us to the edge of -- or even out of -- our current comfort zone as well. But it is necessary.

If we really love our sport, and want it to have a chance to ever move beyond its second-tier status, we must now take the next step in the evolution of the sport of volleyball.

The “double hit” must die.

In January 2008, the NCAA Rules Committee is considering a rule change which would eliminate the double hit fault on the second team contact, and potentially an all team contacts. The viability of our sport as a popular choice for future sports fans rests on the decision we collectively support in January.

What we will really be deciding is not whether we “like” the new rule interpretation, but instead whether our beloved sport will ever have a chance to succeed as a first-tier sport in America.

We can choose to say, “We don’t care what sports fans think,” keep our current rules, and remain in our tiny niche--or we can boldly step forward and offer the channel-flipping recreational sports fan a reason to put down the remote control, and watch a great volleyball match.

Those of us who now count how many birthdays we likely have left came up in the age of volleyball no-spin setting purity (imported from California beach culture, where the traditional ball is heavy, flabby, and you can hold onto it for three days—not at all like the indoor game).

I know we all reflexively groan with all the other “knowledgeable” fans in the stands when a ball is mishandled. But I want to ask you to put on a larger, “for the good of the sport,” volleyball perspective hat for a moment.

What can truly make our sport appealing to the sports viewing masses? (OK, can you tell I teach sport sociology?)

In my mind, traditional volleyball rules and officiating destroy fan interest.

This is not a knock on volleyball officials, who have always done a thankless job in a subjective world that has grown crazier since our most recent rule changes. Players, coaches and officials have all struggled with the increasing difficulty of calling a match consistently.

I also mean “fan” in the larger sense of the word: the people who don’t love volleyball, but who love sports. They may not know that much about a particular sport, but they love creative action and athleticism, and if volleyball brings those qualities, they will watch, give it a chance, and maybe even get hooked.

Think about this all-too-common current volleyball game flow ...

“Amazing left-side crushing attack, sports fans, No!! Wait a minute, even more amazing horizontal Libero sprawling hand dig to save the ball, and, wait . . . ohhhhhhhhh, nooooooo, the referee just whistled a violation on a slight setter mishandle no one could even see.”

Amazing, awesome, spine-tingling rally ... over. Done. Finished.

Over what?

The contact that truly defines our game is “holding” or “lifting” the ball, allowing it to come visibly to rest--not the double hit, which is a mere beauty pageant, and which provides no significant advantage. (In fact, poor ball-handling is usually its own punishment.)

Volleyball is a rebound sport, after all. Prettiness should not be the limiting factor to our excitement—that is, unless we want to be relegated permanently to the “also-ran” sport status.

Setters are often the most athletic players on the floor, and they touch the ball more than anyone else. Wouldn’t you--or any sports fan--rather see some really cool mid-air, net-avoiding, twisting, turning, setter gyration and ball delivery? Or a setter magically delivering a near impossible kneeling or sprawling quick set?

Yet, setter athleticism (and match excitement) is routinely neutered at most levels of the game because of some mystical requirement for perfect touches on the second contact, while some defender has just done everything but tuck the ball under her shirt on the first contact.

While you may not agree with that rule change, either, the game will never go back on the new liberal first contact rule. Just look at how much the game has changed with the Libero and use of hands on the first contact. Talented Liberos are now dominating at every level. They are athletic. Bold. Creative. Exciting. Fun!

Kids now want to be the Libero.

Here’s an idea.

Why don’t we let our setters . . . act like Liberos?

For our sport to grow, it has to become more athletic! It has to become more exciting! It has to showcase every creative and expressive impulse we can muster, recruit, train, and display! Just think how much dynamic play the slide attack has added to our game in recent years.

No fan comes to the game, or flips the station, to watch the referee.

People go to watch Michael Jordan swirl and twirl and throw down some impossible shot over a baffled defender.

Sports fans go to see Sammy Sosa hammer a long ball (“Was that one longer than the last one?”)

Fanatics drool over Peyton Manning lofting a 50-yard touchdown pass over the outstretched arms of a defender while deftly dodging a fire-breathing rusher.

The venerable sport of baseball eliminated the spitball, lowered the pitcher’s mound, shrunk the strike zone, and added the designated hitter to enhance excitement.

Basketball added dribbling (yes, dribbling,) the three-second lane violation, the shot clock, and the three-point line to increase scoring.

Football eliminated the infamous “flying wedge” formations, and added the forward pass, two-point conversion opportunities, and instant replay to minimize critical officiating errors.

What makes us think that volleyball should somehow be immune to the need to shape our sport to create excitement and fan interest?

There is much more I could say about why it makes sense to go this new and “impure” route--not the least of which is what a nightmare it is to now officiate a game with inconsistent, subjective ball contact rules, based on whether it is contact #1 or #2, in a rally scoring setting, where every point counts, and when it is almost impossible for an official TO be consistent ....

NBA basketball officials don’t call a foul because you have the wrong kind of spin on your 25-foot jump shot. How many fans would sit in those $200 seats if they did?

The most important detail here is that if we really love volleyball, and want to see it have a chance to grow up and compete with the established major sports in our country, then we will decide to do everything we can to allow our athletes to be athletic, to be creative, and to show off these components in an exciting, regular fashion without hearing that *!@##$%!! rally-ending “Tweeeeet” all the time on second contacts—for no reason other than sport purity.

We need to unleash setters and allow them to be magical—while at the same time removing the badge of shame from talented middle and right-side hitters unfortunate enough to need to set transition balls without the protective foundation of three quadzillion setting reps. (How many times have we seen a right side—or occasionally even a setter—become so afraid of the official’s whistle that they stop using their hands completely?)

There is a simple solution to all of this:

- Let setters be more creative and aggressive.

- Allow exciting match flow to continue.

- Reduce the stress on officials saddled with a near impossible task. (Hey, could officiating volleyball even become fun?)

- Excite young grassroots players with the creative and expressive potential of our sport.

- Give potential sports fans the best possible reasons to want to watch our sport—incredible defense and offense, longer rallies, and more creative play.

The solution? Eliminate the second contact double hit.

Yes, we may still flinch in the future when the second contact is impure—and even snicker and say, “Remember when ...?”

But we (or our successors) may be smiling and routinely doing on it on TV or in front of thousands of screaming, drooling, bleacher-pounding spectators, instead of a few close friends and family members on the pass list.

To me, every other argument is secondary, and insignificant. We either want volleyball to grow up, or we don’t.

The “double hit” must die. Now.

PS. There is a logical argument as to why this change should not be extended to the third contact. Who wants a hitter double whacking a ball across the net? Regardless of which side one comes down on regarding extending this rule to include the third hit, the major impact resides with its implications for the second hit.

To contact the author, email him at mmassey@ups.edu.

[Outta Town]

I understand what the author is saying and why(basically to change the game again for TV)
But I do not play on TV and most of the people I know do not either. We play for the love of the game. It is volleyball, not garbageball. What is next, 3 hits and a bounce on each side?
You are suggesting turning the game into "Catch and Throw" which is exactly what we have played so hard to grow above on any competitive level.
Granted, any person watching TV who does not play our game or even know the rules, would probably play catch and throw volleyball at church or his backyard BBQ and think that is the way the game is played in competition on higher levels.

We have to maintain some rules for players to follow, or the next generation of volleyball players will have suction cups sewn onto their fingertips so they can lay out for that ball grab, and toss it backwards over their shoulder blindly for a hitter to jump on the setter's back for more height and do a 360 jib, then a roundhouse throw to the back corner of the opponent's court. Now that would have TV viewers tuning in!!

But it isn't volleyball.

[NewEnglandRT]

This is a pretty neat idea I think. It is fustrating when the double calls get 'subjective'. I don't agree with OT on this one. I think the spirit of the peice is still prevent 'catch and throw'. I don't see where a double on a set give anyone a competative advantage other than right now you just have to do it right....because.

I could go on but it's bedtime for me. I hope this thread continues on....

[Outta Town]

I do agree that a call can be subjective and can confuse the TV viewer. I just hate to see good volleyball muddied up to mediocre volleyball skills just so a channel hopper might actually sit and watch a match on TV.
I brought this up at my league play tonight and one very good point was brought up. People watch sports for the action, the replays in slow motion, the dances when a touchdown is scored. You do not see that in volleyball. Why? Because the cameras are set way up high so you can see the court. Better camera works might get people to watch. Close ups of their faces as the approach the net, or the celebration of a kill. Slow motion replay of a great dig, or hit. Get the camera guys that cover the beach volleyball tourneys to cover indoors. Let's hear the talking on the court between players. Cover the indoor matches just the same as the beach. Of course the beach has the guys in swim trunks and the girls in bikinis and that will always draw more viewers. Maybe the team uniforms need a change.
I have to admit, I do not watch volleyball on TV, because it is always serve, pass, set, kill, commercial. Then they break away for more commercials and the matches get finished while the cameras are not on, or all the good plays happened during the break

I guess since I started playing over 20 years ago, I just wish the game were still true volleyball with no double hits, no let serves, clean sets and so on. These were called skills and took a while to acquire. It took years to break away from lifting, throwing, double hitting and ka-chunk setting. Now they are being allowed back in slowly.
I just prefer a good clean game. I know I can't fight progress, and I love to play, so I will follow along. I guess I can now move up a division as a setter, bring out my ka chunk hands, because I DO get the ball to the hitter where they want it, but it may just have been contacted twice along the way and have a few earthly rotations on it also.

[OmniSpiker]

Coach Massey runs a Swing Offense, which in turn will give him more opportunity to benefit from his proposition.

There is a simple solution to all of this:

- Let setters be more creative and aggressive.

- Allow exciting match flow to continue.

- Reduce the stress on officials saddled with a near impossible task. (Hey, could officiating volleyball even become fun?)

- Excite young grassroots players with the creative and expressive potential of our sport.

- Give potential sports fans the best possible reasons to want to watch our sport—incredible defense and offense, longer rallies, and more creative play.

It's a neat idea, but I can only see the most merit to it in a practice scrimmage with special house rules.

- I'd sure hate to see setters become more creative with their setter's dump.
- Allowing disgusting ugly play to continue.
- Letting official just sit back and relaxed, acting like a cheering fan.
- Giving young players crazy idea that they don't need to learn fundamental skills anymore.
- Better ball handling skills can create the potential for sports fans, probably no more than ugly ball handling skills. Or maybe allow some fan hazing, tailgate parties, noise makers, ...LOL's

[mycena]

I watched a womens college match on TV this past weekend, Penn state and.. the #22. And I must admit that I only recall there being maybe 3 double calls on the setter the entire match. That's about one call per game. Setters at that level have such great skills that it doesn't seem to me to really be an issue. Of course I haven't watched too many pro games but I don't even remember any double calls from setters in any youtube videos I have watched either. Seems to me that this rule would effect the lower level players more than it would the higher ones who the tv fans would actually be watching.

[EGOLDEN]

Originally Posted by mycena

I watched a womens college match on TV this past weekend, Penn state and.. the #22. And I must admit that I only recall there being maybe 3 double calls on the setter the entire match. That's about one call per game. Setters at that level have such great skills that it doesn't seem to me to really be an issue. Of course I haven't watched too many pro games but I don't even remember any double calls from setters in any youtube videos I have watched either. Seems to me that this rule would effect the lower level players more than it would the higher ones who the tv fans would actually be watching.

I agree with this completely. And I also will add that changing one rule is not going to elevate volleyball from being a "second tier sport".

Personally I think the game is fine in its current state. I think that catering to the lowest common denominator (television viewers) definitely waters the game down. Like someone mentioned before, how many more rules have to change before the game isn't volleyball anymore?

The truth is, Volleyball will never be on the same level (viewer-wise) as baseball and football in the US. Look at Soccer for example, changing a couple of rules is not going to get me to watch it, I'm not interested. Its a fine sport, but I have no interest.

It is the same way with volleyball for many people.

[jmsangia]

When I heard that this rule might be on the horizon for 2008, I was stunned. I have coached Division 1 ball the last two years, and there are already a great number of refs that let some ugly hands go. While it is known that a set can not be called on spin, if it spins 5+ times before it reaches the outside hitter, that is a pretty good indication that the set is a double.

As a coach, I have high standards for how skills should be executed, and do not like when my players do not get whistled for what it a clear ball handling error. For some reason, this is the direction that the game is going in. I think getting rid of this call would make the game sloppier. I have been to several college D1 games this year, and it seems like R1's are already employing this philosophy. I have seen some easy calls, even for someone who isn't an official, go unwhistled. I feel like there is a backyard feel to things starting to evolve.

Pardon the comparison, but I feel that allowing double hits on second balls would be the equivalent of allowing travelling in basketball so that there could be more athletic drives and dunks. Recently, the AVCA sent a letter out to all refs and coaches with their rationale behind the change -- to "allow more athletic plays." Apparently coaches and refs are voting on this change.

Personally, I do not feel that there is a need for such a change, except to make official's job's easier (but that is why they get paid), and cannot understand why volleyball seems to be the only sport that every 2-3 years or so, makes a fundamental change in the way certain skills are allowed to be executed. Furthermore, paired with the fact that rules differ so greatly (HS, College, USA, FIVB), it is such constant change and inconsistency that may detract the casual viewer from truly understanding the game.

I do plan on keeping an open mind on this, as it is apparent that this is the direction that is going to be taken. I never was a fan of open hand receive, yet that change has seemed to catch on with the majority. In the end, the purists will never be happy with rules like these, but we are probably a minority.

[nephalim13]

i don't really feel that on tv they call that much on the double hits. If a setter is at the level to be on TV, they should be good enough to handle the doubles. Besides, i thought there's a rotation limit so there's a margin for them to move around.

becuz there'r rules, there'r goals for us to become better. take away those rules than everything will become gym vball.

i suck at setting and i double a lot *lolz* but i still don't think the "double hits" rule should be taken away.