Touch or No Touch? That Is the Question

By Ben Goodwin

Picture this scenario: It’s the deciding fifth set with the score 13-12 and there’s a long, athletic rally. The libero makes a spectacular dig, there’s a great set to the outside and a big swing. Everyone on one side of the net starts yelling, “Touch!” And their opponents plead, “No!” As the line judge, do you see that little finger move? You think you did, but are you sure enough? Nobody else has the touch. At the collegiate level, the team has no challenges left. What’s your call?

My heart starts to pound just thinking about that play, and it’s something we experience as line judges all the time. As volleyball players have become taller, faster, stronger and more skilled, the touches seem to get smaller. Even with the increasing quality of the Challenge Review System (CRS), touches remain the hardest play to judge in replay. As the pressure to be accurate in real time mounts, here are some tips and tricks to nail all those close touch/no touch calls with more consistency.

Positioning

First, focus on your feet. You always want to be in good position, slightly off the corner at a 45-degree angle to the center of the court. If the ball is going away from you down your sideline and the hitter is hitting down that line, square up a bit more to your sideline.

When the ball is coming toward you, hold your base position, so you have a good view to judge both lines and are in the best position to see all the back-row players with a potential play on the ball and catch any of those glancing touches off the defenders in your peripheral vision.

It’s All About Angles

How low should you get? The answer is not as low as you think. I like to be in an athletic position when

I’m on the corner and typically, I like to get into a low stance to judge my lines. However, this is not the best view to judge touches off the block. Thinking about the physics of the attack, the lower you get as a line judge, the steeper the angle is looking up at the play. As you get lower, the angle of view gets steeper. This angle can be very deceiving as you tend to think there are more touches than actually occur. In a perfect world, being at the height of the ball would be the best angle to judge the play, so staying a little bit more upright can be helpful. There is a happy medium, being in an athletic position, ready to move if needed and in good position to make an in/out call on your line, but not bent too far down where you make seeing touches a challenge.

Being Stationary

The most important thing about positioning and getting in your ready position is being stationary as the play is happening. No matter what happens in a play, you always want to be stationary to judge the play at the net. This makes accuracy go up and you are not fooled by the movement of your head, eyes or body. The players and the ball are moving fast enough; we don’t need to make it harder on ourselves by also being in motion.

Being stationary means also being set in your ready position. Watch yourself on video next time you are line judging. Are you getting down into your athletic position as the setter is setting, the hitter makes her swing or even later?

Getting in position when the setter is making her play is the most helpful. Now you are ready to react if the setter dumps and you won’t be late on a quick set. You are stationary

(not moving up or down) and giving yourself the best chance to accurately judge the play at the net.

Where Should I Focus?

Like our technique to “beat the ball to the line” so our eyes are focused on the line when the ball is hitting the ground, the best technique for seeing touches is to focus on the hands of the blockers as soon as possible. I focus my eyes on where the hands of the blockers will be before they get there. With so much action happening at the top of the block, seeing touches is easiest when our eyes are still and focused on the hands.

Mental Game

The most important tip of all: Relax. Trust yourself. Trust your team.

I’ve seen too many line judges thinking on the corner. The more your mind is going, the slower your eyes move, and your processing speed is diminished. In those tense moments, trust your technique and be comforted you are part of a team. We all work extremely hard to hone our skills and all that practice pays off when we are in the action of the game, and we allow ourselves to react. Allow the play to come to you, and don’t go looking for the micro touch. This will allow you to judge the play more accurately.

The next time you go out to line judge, work on only one thing. Whatever that one thing is for that match, have that in mind, let the rest go, and allow yourself to react. Then the next match, work on the next thing. You will get more close plays right when you allow yourself the freedom to take a deep breath, trust your practice, see the play happen and react.

Ben Goodwin, Spokane, Wash., is co-author of “Ask the Judge” on the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Central Hub. He is a certified national line judge and worked the women’s 2020 D-I national championship match. *