1. Kevin Morast Assistant Executive Director Volleyball Liaison NDHSAA
Line Judge Training
Kevin Morast
Assistant Executive Director
Volleyball Liaison
NDHSAA
This is an online line judge training to help line judges understand their duties and responsibilities during the match. Line judges are an important part of the officiating crew and we thank you for your efforts. Prior to any match you work, the officials assigned to the match will review with you their expectations for the match. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions you might have of them at that time.

2. Important Be professional Part of the team
It is important that you realize you are a very important part of the officiating crew. The officials will welcome you and give you brief instructions prior to the match. It is your job to be prepared for the task at hand. Be firm and deliberate in your calls and be professional at all times. Keep your cell phone off and out of sight throughout the timeframe of the match. Officials will discuss with you their expectations for each match. Listen carefully and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you have some.
There may be times when the officials may see a call different than how you may have seen it. More than likely the official will then call the line judges over and discuss the play and find out what you saw. It is then up to the R1 to make the final decision. Don’t be offended if they saw something differently. The important thing is that you work as a team and do the best job you can.

3. Attire and Appearance
Appropriate attire – preferably white shirt and black pants
Comfortable shoes – no flip flops or sandals
Be at the match no less than minutes prior to the start
No cell phones
Line judges need to wear appropriate attire, preferably a white shirt and black pants, to look similar to the rest of the rest of the officiating team. Line judges should wear comfortable shoes, but not flip flops or sandals. You should report to the officials working the match no less than 20 minutes before the scheduled starting time of the match. Obviously, the officials

4. F-L-A-T-S
F = Foot fault – the server’s foot steps on or over the line on the serve
L = Line – indicate whether the ball landed in bounds or out of bounds. If the ball lands on the line, it is in
A = Antenna – indicate whether a served ball or a ball over the net touches or is outside of the antenna
T = Touch – indicate if a player touches a ball going out of bounds on player’s side of the net
S = Stand – know where to stand during set, time outs, if server serves from left third of service area, etc
F = Foot fault – the server’s foot steps on or over the line on the serve
L = Line – indicate whether the ball landed in bounds or out of bounds. If the ball lands on the line, it is in
A = Antenna – indicate whether a served ball or a ball over the net touches or is outside of the antenna
T = Touch – indicate if a player touches a ball going out of bounds on player’s side of the net
S = Stand – know where to stand during set, time outs, if server serves from left third of service area, etc

5. Foot Fault Keep an eye on foot placement during the serve
Example to the left is a foot fault
F stands for foot fault. It is a foot fault when any part of the foot is on or over the line during a serve. On the picture above, you clearly see that her left foot is on the line at the moment of serve.
Some athletes will jump serve, it is not a foot fault on a jump serve as long as the athlete takes off from behind the service line and makes contact before landing.

6. Line If no part of the ball lands on the line, it is out of bounds
The shadow of the ball has no bearing on if the ball is in or out of bounds
A line judge must be aware of both the back line and the sideline
L stands for lines. It is your responsibility to make a signal every time the ball lands on your side of the court whether the ball was in bounds or out of bounds. It doesn’t matter how far in bounds or out of bounds the ball is, it is important to make a call every time.

7. Antenna Which of these balls are considered “in” and which are “out”?
A is for antenna. It is your job to make sure the ball passes completely inside the antennas. Imagine that the antennas go all the way to the ceiling. If at any point the ball hits the antenna, cables, standard, etc, and does not cross completely inside the antennas, it is considered out.
In this picture, you will note that the only volleyball legal in the slide is the green ball. In all of the red balls, either part or all of the ball is in contact or outside the antenna. Remember the antenna extends to the ceiling.

8. Touch
T stands for Touch. You should indicate if a player touches the ball going out of bounds on that player’s side of the net. If a player touches the ball, the appropriate signal would not be out of bounds, but the touch signal. The most common touch would be the touch off of a block which goes out of bounds. To make the touch signal, the offending team’s side is held beside head, palm upward. Then brush upward across the fingertips one time.

9. Stand Stand in the corner that the R1 assigns you to.
S is for Stand as in, where you need to stand during play. While the match is going on, you should stand in the corner the R1 assigns to you.

10. Stand (cont)
Stand in the proper position to make sure you can see both the side line and the baseline.
When standing in the corner, the feet should be right outside the lines you are responsible for with one foot on the base line side and one foot on the sideline.

11. Other Important Notes
Make a call every time the ball lands on your side of the court
Do not chase the ball
Ignore spectators and focus on the match
Here are some important things to note when line judging. First, make a call every time the ball lands on your side of the court. It doesn’t matter how much the ball is in or out, make a call. Second, it is not your responsibility to chase the ball down. Leave that to the teams or ball shaggers. If the ball comes at you, stand there at the edge of the line and make the call. If it hits you before bouncing, and you are standing in the right position, the ball is out. Lastly, ignore spectator comments and keep your concentration on the match. Paying attention to the crowd will distract you from making the correct calls, remember, you have the best view in the gym.

12. Signals
Please review the slide above for appropriate line judge signals using your hands and arms.

13. Some schools around the state may use flags
Some schools around the state may use flags. If your school uses flags, here are the correct signals.

14. Good Luck!!
Contact Info:
Thanks for watching this training video, and good luck!! If you have questions about the presentation, please feel free to contact me at the address seen here.