Okay, so the other day, I was watching my niece’s volleyball game, and it hit me – I wasn’t totally clear on the rotation rules. I mean, I kinda knew the basics, but I figured it was time to really nail it down. So, I dug in and did some research. Here’s what I found out and what it looks like in action.
When Do You Rotate?
First I grabbed the rule book(online of course). I read through it, that was my first step to make it clear.
- The main thing is, you rotate after your team wins back the serve from the other team. This is called a “side-out.”
- So, let’s say the other team was serving, and your team scores a point, winning the rally. That’s when you rotate.
- The other team, do not rotate.
How Do You Rotate?
After I understand that, I was trying to imagine, how does a volleyball team rotate?
- The rotation is always clockwise. Imagine the players on the court are standing on a big clock face. The person in the front right position moves to the back right to serve.
- Then, everyone else shifts one spot clockwise.
- The person who was in the back right? Moves to back center.
- Back center? Moves to back left.
- Back left? Moves to front left.
- Front left? Moves to front center.
- And finally, front center moves to front right, completing the circle.
Visualizing the Rotation
I even drew a little diagram on a napkin to help me visualize it. Then, I watched some videos of volleyball games online, paying close attention to when the teams rotated. I also observe my niece’s volleyball game. Seeing it play out live really helped solidify it in my mind.
Getting the Hang of It
It took a little practice, but now I feel like I’ve got a pretty good handle on the rotation rules. Now, when I watch a game, I can follow along much better, and I can even explain it to others (like my niece!). It’s always satisfying to learn something new, especially when it comes to a sport you enjoy watching.
