LINE JUDGE GUIDELINES

2017 Edition

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INTRODUCTION

THE IMPORTANCE OF LINE JUDGES

• All members of the referee corps are trained observers, this is especially true for line judges

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• Line judges play an essential role in the execution of a match

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• Line judges collaborate directly with the first referee, to whom they provide information concerning faults, which are within their area of jurisdiction

THE IMPORTANCE OF LINE JUDGES

• Line judges must comprehend that a single decision may impact the end result of a rally, set, or match

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• Line judges must be prepared, knowing their responsibilities and fulfilling the role to the best of their ability

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• Line judges are an integral member in the composition of the referee corps

EXPECTATIONS OF LINE JUDGES

• Line judges must maintain a professional image of the refereeing corps inside and outside of the competition control area

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• Line judges must show exemplary conduct at all stages (before, during and after) of competition

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• Line judges must be aware of and adhere to the established timetables of a competition

RULES OF THE GAME WITH RESPECT TO LINE JUDGES

• The Rules of the Game regulate the functionality of the line judges

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• The Rules of the Game regulate where the line judges are to be located

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• The Rules of the Game provide the foundation of responsibilities for line judges

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• The Rules of the Game regulate what signals line judges must use in accordance to specific faults

RESPONSIBILITIES

Rule 27.2 of the Volleyball Canada rulebook

LINE JUDGE RESPONSIBILITIES

• The Line Judge performs their function by using flags to signal:
• The ball ‘in’ and ‘out’ whenever the ball lands near their line(s)
• The touches of ‘out’ balls by the team receiving the ball
• The ball touching the antenna, the served ball and the third hit of the team crossing the net outside the crossing space, etc.
• Any player (except the server) stepping outside of his/her court at the moment of the service hit

LINE JUDGE RESPONSIBILITIES

• The Line Judge performs their function by using flags to signal:
• The foot faults of the server
• Any contact with the top 80 cm of the antenna on their side of the court by any player during his/her action of playing the ball or interfering with the play
• The ball crossing the net outside the crossing space into the opponent’s court or touching the antenna on his/her side of the court

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• At the 1^st referee’s request, a line judge must repeat his/her signal

THE SIGNALS

Rule 28.2 of the Volleyball Canada rulebook

SIGNALS

• The line judges must clearly indicate with the official flag signal the nature of the fault called
• The line judges must maintain the signal for a moment
• Signals usage is critical to ensure:
• Communication amongst the referee corps is accurate
• Communication amongst the participants is accurate
• Communication for the spectator base is accurate

SIGNAL 1 – BALL ‘IN’

• Point down with the flag

SIGNAL 2 – BALL ‘OUT’

• Raise the flag vertically

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SIGNAL 3 – BALL TOUCHED

• Raise flag and touch the top with the palm of the free hand

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SIGNAL 4 – CROSSING SPACE FAULTS, BALL TOUCHED AN OUTSIDE OBJECT OR FOOT FAULT BY ANY PLAYER DURING SERVICE

• Wave flag over the head and point to the antenna or the respective line

SIGNAL 5 – JUDGEMENT IMPOSSIBLE

• Raise and cross both arms and hands in front of the chest

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LINE JUDGE STRUCTURES

Rule 27.1 of the Volleyball Canada rulebook

LOCATION AND POSITIONING

• Rule 27.1 – Location
• If only two Line Judges are used, they stand at the corners of the court closest to the right hand of each referee, diagonally at 1 to 2 m from the corner
• Each one of them controls both the end line and side line on his/her side
• Four Line Judges – they stand in the free zone at 1 to 3m from each corner of the court, on the imaginary extension of the line that they control

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• The locations of the line judges are maintained throughout the entirety of the match

LOCATION FOR 2�LINE JUDGES

• Positioned to the right hand of each referee
• Stands diagonally at 1 to 2 m from the corner
• Controls both the end line and side line on his/her side

PRIOR TO THE MATCH

PROFESSIONALISM

• Just like the referees, line judges must prepare themselves before the match in order to achieve:
• The best level of concentration possible
• The best level of personal conditioning for conducting the match in a good manner

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• Line judges must present themselves (in uniform) at the Scorer’s table at least 45 minutes before the start of the match

REFEREE MEETING

• Before the match begins, the first referee will meet and provide instructions to the members of the referee corps
• The instructions of the first referee will:
• Cover all facets of game management
• Initiate the communication process amongst the referee corps
• Provide the designated positional assignment for the duration of a match
• It is critical that the instructions of the meeting are comprehended concisely to eliminate miscommunication during a match
• If an instruction is not clearly understood, the line judge must respectfully request clarification

DURING THE MATCH

BODY POSITIONING

• Volleyball can be characterized by three phases:
• Playing actions
• Intervals between rallies
• Interruptions
• During these three phases, the line judge must actively adopt different body positions:
• Position of rest
• Position of attention
• Position of flag signal execution
• Corner position

BODY POSITIONING

• Position of Rest
• Standing upright in a relaxed manner with the flag resting against the outside of the leg
• Position of Attention
• An athletic position with the left foot in front of the right and a bend at the knees. The flag sitting against the outside of the leg
• Position of Flag Signal Execution
• Standing erect, feet together with the flag positioned to display the correct signal
• Corner Position
• Used for specific interruptions, intervals and extended delays

BODY POSITIONING�FLAG SIGNAL EXECUTION

• At the end of a rally, one (or more) line judge(s) will be required to make an official signal
• When making an official signal, there are several factors a line judge needs to consider:
• The signal must be made quickly
• A good flag signal can be heard
• The signal is maintained for a moment
• The line judge communicates directly with the first referee via eye contact

TECHNIQUES OF LINE JUDGES

• To improve attention spans, the line judge must adopt a viewing technique by which they can continuously verify the measures concerning the area within their competence
• Line judges shall visually scan the end line or side line and alternatively move their eyes two or three times from it to the running ball
• This provides a temporary, automatic evaluation of the end line or side line distance from the action
• When an attack hit occurs the eyes will automatically fixate on the end line or side line before the ball’s arrival
• Auto fixation eliminates the need to search for the line and to lose focus while the ball passes through the line judges field of vision

MOVEMENT OF A LINE JUDGE

• During a rally, line judges may need to move from their assigned locations:
• To avoid interfering with players even if this causes temporary loss of attention
• To provide a better observation angle of balls crossing the net near to the antenna
• To provide a better observation angle of attack hits contacting the blocker(s)
• To accurately observe the ball contacting the court
• To keep their body facing the action at all times

POSITIONING DURING SERVICE

• 2 Line Judge System
• At the start of every rally, the responsibility of a line judge is to observe the foot faults of the server.
• The line judge on the serving team’s side must position themselves in the free zone off the extension of the end line
• After the service contact, they quickly move back to position to observe their respective side line

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RULE 8.4 – BALL ‘OUT’

• The ball is ‘out’ when:
• All parts of the ball which contact the floor are completely outside the boundary lines: D12 (2)
• It touches an object outside the court, the ceiling or person out of play: D12 (4)
• It touches the antennae, ropes, posts or the net itself outside the side bands: D12 (4)
• It crosses the vertical plane of the net either partially or totally outside the crossing space, except in the case of Rule 10.1.2: D12 (4)
• It crosses completely the lower space under the net

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