1Pick a rotation system
2Pick your position
Overlap rules
USA Volleyball follows the international rule (FIVB rule 7.4).
- When: only at the moment the server hits the ball. Before that you can move around. After the serve is hit you can go anywhere.
- Who: only the teammates right next to you in the rotation: the player directly in front of or behind you (zones 4 and 5, 3 and 6, 2 and 1) and the players beside you in your own row (4, 3, 2 in front and 5, 6, 1 in back). Diagonal teammates don't count.
- Front and back: each front-row player must be closer to the net than the back-row player directly behind her.
- Side to side: in each row, the left player must be closer to the left sideline than the middle player, and the right player closer to the right sideline than the middle player.
- Feet count: the referee looks at where your feet touch the floor. At least part of one foot has to be on the correct side of your teammate's feet. Arms and body don't count.
- Inside the court: everyone except the server must be standing inside the court.
- Server: the server is exempt, so nobody has to line up with her.
- Libero: she takes the exact spot in the order of the player she replaces.
- Faults: standing out of order is an overlap (positional) fault. Serving out of turn is a rotation fault. Either one gives the other team the point and the serve.
In this app the shaded area shows where you're legal, based on where your neighbors (circled) are standing. If they move, your legal area moves with them, so keep an eye on them before every serve. The spots shown are examples that all follow the rules with room to spare.
How rotations work
The court is split into six zones. Zone 1 is right back (where the server comes from), then the numbers go counterclockwise: 2 right front, 3 middle front, 4 left front, 5 left back, 6 middle back.
The rotation number is the zone the setter starts in (setter 1 in a 6-2 or 4-2). Each time your team wins the serve back, everyone rotates clockwise one spot, so the order in a match is 1, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
Every coach runs these a little differently. If your coach shows you a different spot, follow your coach, but the overlap rules never change.