Post Municipal Athletic Meet Observations: New net rule There is a new net rule in volleyball that made the sport all the more mediocre besides it becoming already boring. We noticed spiker’s body, hands, and clothes touching the net during play and no net contact violation being called. What we knew was it was a net contact violation by a player and we tried to point it out with the second umpire. We were surprised when he stopped play and told the coaches and captain ball that it wasn’t a net violation under the new rule. He said that one can touch the net and even have his face crush to the net without violation provided what he touches was not the white band on top of the net. I was surprised. There was no orientation about this rule at the start of the games. I phoned a volleyball player and umpire I know and I was told that it was a net contact violation. I asked about the year of the new rule and I was told by the umpire that it became official in 2003. I was surprised because when I was playing volleyball and watching volleyball games in 2005, such touches and contacts were violations. I made a research and found a vague answer. It was just this year, 2014, when the Federation Internationale de Volleyball made official thus: Contact with the Net 11.3.1 Contact with the net by a player is not a fault, unless it interferes with the play. 11.3.2 Players may touch the post, ropes, or any other object outside the antennae, including the net itself, provided that it does not interfere with play. 11.3.3 When the ball is driven into the net and causes it to touch an opponent, no fault is committed. The following are defined as interference which results in a net violation... Player’s faults at the net 11.4.4 A player interferes with the opponent’s play by (amongst others): touching the top band of the net or the top 80 cm (2’ 7.49”) of the antenna during his/her action of playing the ball, or taking support from the net simultaneously with playing the ball, or creating an advantage over the opponent, or making actions which hinder an opponent’s legitimate attempt to play the ball. I do not agree with how the umpire interpreted the rule written so vaguely. As far as I know, it is still a violation for a spiker to attack and balance support through the net simultaneously with playing the ball that creates an advantage over the opponent for when they spike they land without balance and touch the net for when they do not touch the net it turns out they don’t have good spikes. Spiking and touching the net upon landing and having the body absorbed by the net is a violation, now, if their interpretation is valid, this has become a stupid rule in volleyball.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 08:59:07 +0000
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