GLOSSARY

Direct serve that lands in the opponent's court untouched, or touched but impossible to dig.

Vertical rod attached to the net at its ends, marking the lateral playing limits.

The 3 to 4 steps the attacker takes before jumping to hit.

Any offensive action aiming to land the ball in the opponent's court. Generic term for spike, smash, tip.

The first 3 meters from the net. Front-row hitters can jump and strike above the net here.

Back-row attack from the P6 zone, fast set just above the middle quick — 2nd tempo. Lets you have 4 hitters against 3 blockers.

Defensive action at the net where one or more players jump to intercept the opposing attack.

Zone of the court "removed" by the opposing block. If you can't see the hitter through the block, you're in the shadow — reposition outside this useless area.

Forearm pass, reception with joined forearms.

Strategy where the middle blocker decides BEFORE the setter releases to jump with the quick. Effective at neutralizing the middle, but risky if the setter goes elsewhere.

Sharp-angle attack from the wing, aimed at the opponent's short corner (zone 1 from P4, zone 5 from P2). Executed by finishing with thumb down — the hand cuts sideways through the ball.

Modern defensive metric: percentage of digs that turn into a point for the defending team. More relevant than the raw % of successful digs.

Attack direction toward the opposite corner of the opponent's court — the widest angle available.

Low defense, often a forearm pass or full extension toward the floor.

Surprise attack by the setter on the 2nd touch, often a backhand push.

Offensive metric: percentage of rallies where the receiving team scores directly on the first play sequence. Key indicator of reception and attack efficiency.

Floating serve with no ball rotation, oscillating unpredictably in flight.

Reception or defense skill using the inside of joined forearms.

Ball returned easily by the opponent (often a high bump), offering a good opportunity to build the attack.

Tactical concept: the middle runs the quick attack even knowing they won't get the ball, to pin the opposing blocker and free the wing hitters in 1-on-1.

Collective action of positioning around your hitter to dig a blocked ball. Standard 3-2 formation: 3 close players crouched (inner cup), 2 further standing (outer cup).

See "Jumping float serve". Serve with a short approach and jump, producing a float effect (unpredictable trajectory without rotation). Standard among female elites.

Dynamic jump preceded by a run-up to maximize contact height.

Jumping serve: the server tosses the ball high, runs and hits it in the air like an attack.

Aerodynamic effect of the float serve: the lack of rotation creates asymmetric vortices that generate random lateral lift forces, making the trajectory unpredictable.

Defensive specialist wearing a different-colored jersey. Special rules: no serve, no attack above the net, unlimited rotations.

Attack direction along the sideline, in the hitter's angle.

Separation between the two sides. Official height: 2.43 m (men) / 2.24 m (women).

Fault committed when two adjacent players don't respect their rotation order at the moment of the serve.

Position fault committed when two adjacent players don't respect their rotation order at the moment of the opposing serve. Since 2025, this rule only applies to the receiving team.

Last-resort defensive technique: the hand slides flat on the floor just before the ball arrives — the ball rebounds on the back of the flattened hand. Legal per FIVB.

Back-row attack from the back-center zone (P6). The set is sent to the middle of the back zone, behind the 3 m line. Lets you have a 4th hitter against 3 opposing blockers.

System where the setter mainly distributes to the wings.

Very fast middle attack, often tempo 1 (the ball is set just above the net).

Scoring system where every rally awards a point, regardless of which team served. In use since 1999.

Blocking system where the blocker waits for the opposing setter's decision before acting. Opposite of "commit blocking". Recommended at all amateur levels — more stable and less risky.

First touch after the opponent's serve, aiming to send the ball to the setter.

Reduced-speed attack (~50-70% of max power) with strong topspin, dropping the ball short behind the block. Faster to read than a pure tip, but hard to defend.

Clockwise movement made by the team winning the serve.

Gap between two passers in the reception formation. Serving the seams is statistically more effective than aiming at a player, because it creates communication ambiguity.

Strike from the service zone to put the ball in play and start the rally.

Second touch, generally performed by the setter with the fingertips, to prepare the attack.

Player in charge of the second touch and distribution of the offense.

See "Dump".

Recovery of the serve by the receiving team, triggering a rotation.

See "Side-out".

Fast middle attack where the middle drifts behind the setter and hits in flight on one foot (lay-up style). Take-off on the left foot (right-hander), right knee driving up — lateral drift very hard to block.

Hard downward attack by a jumping hitter. The main offensive technique.

Controlled forward dive: from a low stance, push off one foot forward, hips dropping under the ball, sliding chest-abdomen-thighs on the floor. Different from a pancake: the sprawl plays the ball cleanly.

Speed at which the ball is set for the hitter. Tempo 1 = fast, Tempo 3 = slow.

Game stoppage requested by a coach, 30 seconds long. 2 per set available.

Soft attack that places the ball just behind the opposing block, rather than hitting hard.

Offensive action of intentionally driving the ball off the opposing blocker's hands, using the block as a "rail". Effective on tight sets at the net where a straight spike would be blocked.

Contact with the ball. A team has a maximum of 3 touches to return the ball.

Exceptional substitution (injury) granted by the referee.

Final wrist motion during a spike that adds speed and topspin to the ball.