Rover Defensive System

[Pancake]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for information on the Rover defensive system as well as other defensive systems that might be available and which ones people prefer.

Thanks...

[VBLIStaff]

The Rover Defense
Rich Luenemann
Washington University
http://www.austintgca.com/Lectures/2005_The_Rover_Defense_2.htm

Reasons I considered the Rover Defense….

1. Setters were becoming increasingly more adept at dumping second balls, particularly to the middle of the court when we used a man back system. The appropriate adjustment was to "cheat" the right back or left back (or in some instances both players) towards the middle of the court to defend the shot. That helped alleviate the problem, however it placed our left back and right backs in a position where it was difficult to make "inside-out" adjustments to defend against either line or crosscourt shots on quicker tempo sets.

2. Over a period of two years during matches against NCAA II, NCAA III, and NAIA opponents I charted where line shots hit the floor. 80% of those shots landed within ten feet of the endline. When we utilized a Perimeter Defense, we found that our wing defenders (left and right backs) weren’t able to achieve the proper depth along the sideline to dig the line shot. They were getting "faced" and "chested" Plus, if the setter was in the right back in a Perimeter Defense and the ball was hit to another digger, the setter often had trouble transitioning to offense from such a depth.
Nuances of the Rover Defense:

1. The Rover Defense becomes a man-back Rotation Defense at the moment the ball is contacted by the attacker. If an opponent attacks at their left front, the left back defensive player in the Rover has the same responsibilities as the left back in a man back system, and the right back has the same duties as a middle back in a man back systems. The roles reverse when the opponent attacks from their right front.

2. Regardless of the defensive system you use, the block is the strength.
Establish blocking rules….area block or attack block….how to block when a blocker is isolated one-on-one….etc., and then build your backcourt adjustments around the block. Both the Rover and Rotation Defenses have two blockers, one offside blocker, a player behind the block, and two deep diggers.

3. The two deep diggers in the Rover Defense make outside-in and/or lateral adjustments rather than the inside-out/lateral movements of the man back defensive systems.

4. In the Rover Defense the two deep diggers remain the same for all attacks. In the Rotation Defense two of the three back row players (right back, left back, middle back) assume the deep digger responsibilities depending on the point of attack. When your setter is in the front row, you can put a backcourt player who doesn’t dig hard- hit balls well in the Rover position. The Rover still needs to be efficient in picking up tips, rolls, and deflections off the block.

5. If you utilize a Rotation Defense and "commit" a digger to the sideline or if your middle back reads and then digs the sideline, that player must become adept at presenting a different digging platform for each corner to direct the ball to the target area. In the Rover Defense, each back row player (right back and left back) has only one sideline to dig ….one mode of platform presentation and re-direction of the ball.

6. If you "read" dig, the Rover Defense put the two deep players (right back and left back) in base positions where they have more time to read before they have to adjust and often, less distance to move to dig.

7. Teams are attacking more frequently from their right sides and are causing problems. Blockers experience difficulty in setting/closing the block, and back row players don’t have as much time to read the attacker and adjust, especially when trying to dig the sideline. The base position of the left back in the Rover Defense puts her in the natural seam of the block to dig if blockers don’t close, and she also has less distance to travel (and more time to read) if she rotates to the left sideline.

8. The base positions of the right back and left back in the Rover Defense place them in areas where "quicks" are often hit by opposing middles. They have a one or two-step "mandatory" movement towards the sideline in preparation to dig that shot if they see a middle hitter running a fast tempo approach.

9. The Rover in her base defensive position (playing in the middle of the floor) often discourages setter dumps to the center of the court. Granted, the areas around the 10’ line are more susceptible to setter attacks, however the incidence of balls being thrown out of bounds increases. Balls dumped behind our right front are also in the air longer and can be picked up more easily.

10. The Rover’s base position often discourages a middle hitter’s quick tip to the center of the court, a common shot.

11. If you run a 5-1 or 4-2 offense and the setter is in the front row, you can "release" the Rover to run fakes at the net to influence blockers.

12. The Rover Defense puts the setter in a position where she can transition easily from defense to offense. When the setter is the Rover and the opponent attacks from their right front, adjustments can be made to ease the difficulty of transitioning.

13. If your setter is in the back row, she’s in a convenient position to take deflections off the block or tips from an opponent’s attack and immediately throw them into a corner as the opponent is covering their attack.

General thoughts:

1. The great majority of players I’ve coached prefer the Rover Defense to man back systems.

2. The only difference between the Rover and the man back Rotation Defense is the advantage of the base positions of the back row players in the Rover Defense.

3. Many opponents instinctively use shots against the Rover Defense they’d utilize against man-back systems often hitting, tipping, or dumping into the strengths of the Rover system.