different signs in sports

Like terminology in a sport there are also hand signals involved. Hand signals are just as important as terminology. Depending on the sport hand, signals can be used differently. They also mean different things for different people playing or reefing the sport.

For the sport of volleyball hand signals are used to be secretive and faster for communicating what the hitters want. Because everyone that plays volleyball knows what a 1 ball is or a 31 ball etc., so the setter will use hand signals to replace the numbers to make it more secretive. To make it secretive, the setter will pull their jersey to make it act as a wall and then hold up a number or a signal for the play. There are different plays for different situations. In serve receive the plays are going to more simple and not so complex. When there is a free ball plays are going to be complicated and hard for the opponents defense and block.  You will see more pin hitters hitting faster and different kind of sets than they would on a serve receive ball.

For the reefing point of view, they have a huge amount of signals to give. They don't communicate by yelling out number usually. Reefing is a hard job. If you would like to be a ref I would suggest to have the personality of toughness and standing your ground. Parents, coaches and players get on their back for the type of calls they make. When they give the right away to serve, their signal will be, their arm coming across their chest to hit the opposite shoulder. Every type of call they make has to be accompanied by their whistle. By making a call they will have to do the following;  they will blow their whistle and then point to the side that received the point, then signal what happened on the side that made the mistake. By calling a lift, they will move their hand up looking like they are carrying a tray. A double hit will be called sometimes and that is referred to just the number two being held up with their fingers. If one of the players touches the tape or hits the net, they will give the signal to the team that won the point and then give the signal by slightly touching the net, while telling the coach what number it was by their fingers. If the setter or one of the players trying to save a ball crosses the center line the ref will point at the center line with their pointer finger. There are a lot more signals refs will give.

Basketball players, especially the point guards, will give the signal of the play they want to run. They could either yell it or give a hand signal. Most times you will hear them and see them give the signal. The point guard is like the quarter back of the team. They call most plays and start every play of the game. Coaches will give the signal for what defense the team will be in. They will shout it out at the players on the court usually, because the players don't look back at the coach every dead ball. The coach will yell it out and put up a hand signal. This will vary depending on what the coach believes in.

Reefing for basketball is almost like playing. They will run up and down the court. Their signals are by putting their hand in the air with either a fist or an open hand. If it is a fist that means they have called a foul. If it is an open hand, there is either a sub or a start of a new ball. If they put their hands in a circular motion really fast that means someone has traveled. When they call a foul their is always a hand signal to resemble what happened. They will move their hand fast to one side to indicate a shove. If someone was hit an arm while trying to block a shot than they will take one arm to grab the other. When blocking a person or trying to take a charge a lot of times a body call will be used. This is when they take their hands and put them in fist and them hit their waste and come back up. A charge call is when they put one hand behind their head and the other arm is in a fist and is pointing towards the other direction of the court. There are more calls a signals that occur in a basketball game than the ones I just stated.

Volleyball Terminology

Every sport uses terminology, but volleyball uses a lot. In the sport of volleyball there are many terms that are used. There are terms for the back row and for the front row.

For the front row numbers are the primary used terminology. The numbers are for the setter and the hitter. It is so the setter knows what kind of set to give the hitters. For a middle hitter there is a 1 ball, which is a quick set that goes probably a foot above the net and is not very far away from the setter. This is used, so it is fast making it harder for the opponents block to be up and closed. This is ran a lot when there is a short serve, making the entire offense faster because the pass comes quicker tot the setter. It is also used to trick the blockers. Sometimes if the middle is loud calling "1,1,1,1" the blockers will hold with her allowing the setter to set the other two hitters, giving them a hole in the block to hit. For the middle there is a 2 ball. Which is in the same spot of a 1 ball just way higher. This is very slow and you won't be seeing advanced volleyball teams running this play. There is also a set called a 1-out. It is just like a 1 ball just pushed a little further out. This is used when the middle is late to getting closer to the setter and calls this. This is a good play, because the opponents blocker in the middle is a little off and they don't expect it right away, so she is late blocking leaving the middle hitter with no block to hit against. There is a 31 ball. This ball is considered a shoot to three quarters away from the setter. The set is fast and it barely goes above the net. It is just high enough so the hitter can hit it. This is a play you will see more advance teams running, because it means there offense it fast. This also is great, because it leave the outside hitter and the right side hitter with multiple options on what to run. The last option for a middle is a slide. It is a back set to the middle. The middle chases the ball and swings. It is a great play to run making it harder for the opponents defense to dig it up. You can make this play a fast set too.

The outside hitter can run a 5. This ball is pushed all the way out to the pin and is the higher set.This ball is set when the pass was off and it is the teams way out. There is a play called 4. It is just like the 5 just lower and quicker. This one is probably the most common. There is also a 31 just like the middle, but is for the outside. This is usually ran when the middle hitter runs a slide or 1 ball. If the middle hitter runs a 31 or a slide the outside can run a 2 ball, which is awesome, because the blockers and defense aren't ready for it.

The right side hitter runs a 9 ball. This is kind of like the 5 for an outside. It is slower and higher, but pushed out to the back pin. They can also run an 8 being just like the 4 just for a right side instead of an outside. They can run a six ball which is set like a 1 ball for the middle just a six is a quick back set. A right side can also hit a 1 or 2 ball too.

An advanced offense would consider a middle running a 31, the outside running a 2 ball and the right side either running a 1 ball or a six ball. There are multiple plays the front row can run, it just all deals with the first pass the setter receives.

There are more terminology for the back row, but I will talk more about that in a later date.

Points

 In the past, the volleyball game would end at 15 points. Whoever would reach 15 first would win. The match would last forever, because the only way you were allowed to score was if your team was serving. Now if you know how to play volleyball you would understand how hard that is. That is why the game would only go to 15, but that is still a lot of points to get to. Now volleyball is scored through a system called rally scoring. Rally scoring was approved by the USA Volleyball Association in 1999. This is a revelry new thing for volleyball. It works so any team is allowed to score a point. The team does not have to be serving to earn a point. This has made the games go to 25 points instead of 15. This has also made volleyball harder to win if you fall behind.  Most coaches that have used to play did not play with rally scoring. I bet a lot of you athletes get the lecture, "oh it took us forever to win. We actually had to fight and get aces."

There are multiple ways to earn a point for your team. Receiving a kill in volleyball means you made the volleyball hit the opponents floor. If you are able to accomplish this then your team will get a point. There are many different types of ways you can get a kill in volleyball. There is something called a tool and that means you hit the ball of the opponents hands while they were blocking. You could have also tipped the ball over the net and their defense did not dig the ball up. You also could have rolled the ball over. This is like a tip, but fast and the ball dies faster. It is harder to pick up sometimes depending on the situation. Another way to earn a point for your team is an ace. An ace is when you are serve and get a point without the ball coming back over to your side of the net. The opponents setter can double the ball causing your team to receive a point. This usually will happen with the setter, but the other players on the court are guilty of doing it also. The opponent can carry the ball too. This call is the refs judgment on whether she has the ball in her hands too long or not.  There a many things that could happen in the game of volleyball that could either cause you to win or lose. Rally scoring could either be considered a good or bad thing, depending on the athlete.

Transitioning

Transitioning from sport to sport is a tough thing to do. Some people like doing so and some people don't. It can be tough when you transition from volleyball to softball, because the motion for throwing a softball is kind of like serving or hitting a ball. When serving a ball, you hit the ball at its highest point and bring your arm straight through. In softball you throw a ball by finishing your follow through across your body. When you are done throwing, it should look like you are bowing to the person you are throwing to. Throwing a softball like you are serving a volleyball will cause the softball to rise and be higher. Since the ball will be thrown higher, it will make it more difficult for the person receiving the throw to catch it.

Transitioning from a sport like soccer to basketball is much easier. Basketball is a conditioning sport and so is soccer. Yeah they are two different kind of conditioning, but you are more likely to be ready for basketball. Now going from a sport like volleyball or tennis to basketball will be MUCH more difficult. Basketball is running constantly up and down the court and not just running, you have to stay in a stands and try to beat a girl in defense. It is harder than it looks.

It is good to play different kinds of sports and moving from each frequently. Sometimes it is great to have a break from a certain sport and play a different one. Some people will even do better if they have a break from a certain sport and then come back to it later on in the year and have a great season. It is good to be able to have multiple skills, so that way you can incorporate it into the other sport you play.

Type Of Player

There are SO many aspects in the sport volleyball. There is no way you can play volleyball without six other girls. If you are a person that does not believe me, you will at the end of this blog. Every position has such a huge aspect in the game. You can't play without back row players or front row.

Back row positions are probably the hardest position on the court. The key at being very successful at volleyball is knowing how to pass. If you know how to pass you can learn how to do anything on the court. Passing isn't just about the technique or the form, but also the reading and learning where to go depending on the player or ball. If the opponent is a big passing team and everyone on the team knows how to pass, you are going to find it difficult to beat them. There is nothing more frustrating than playing a team and banging the ball without receiving a kill, because the team dominates at digging. It is the key to winning a close match.

Front row players are usually tall and can jump. You rarely see a girl shorter than 5'9'' in the front row. Knowing unique shots(spots on the court to place the ball) will improve your game much more and get your team further to 25. Hitters have to be smart on when to hit the ball hard or when to give some power off. Usually in a long rally the hitters will either roll or tip the ball to get the opponents back row players caught on their heels. To have a great hit, there has to be a perfect set.

Setting is a hard position. The entire offense in their hands. If she is having a bad day then the rest of the team will be off. If the hitter doesn't receive a set that they are allowed to make a great shot with then the team isn't going to win. There are so many sets that are available to learn, it is unbelievable. There are different speed sets and height sets. Depending on the pass depends on the type of set the setter can feed to the hitters. When a team wants to be an advanced team they will have a faster speed offense. Setting takes a lot of training and a lot of hard work to be the best. It is a hard position, because even if you know how to set the different types, every hitter is a different height, speed, arm length so you have to adjust to that certain player.

Being a bench player has a HUGE affect on how well the team is doing. If the bench has high energy then the rest of the team should have that same kind of energy. Bench players are like the "cheerleaders" for volleyball. They pick the team up when they are down. Having a fun and loud bench is a great strategy to winning a match.

Hard Work

There is a quote that I look to when I want something in life and that is "Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds." -Gordon B. Hinckley. This quote is inferring to how nature takes over if us humans are not there to keep the grass cut, the tress trimmed or pulling weeds, etc. Now doing all these things is a lot of work to maintain and keep things looking beautiful.

This quote is perfect to understand and think about when you are playing a sport. If you have ever pulled weeds before, you know how much work it is and how disgusting it is. Because, I don't think houses that are taken over by nature are pretty, I put that picture in my head into the sport I am playing. What I mean by this is, if you don't take care of something that will be taken over by mother nature; you don't work hard at being better at the sport then its like mother nature taking over you.. You won't, be any better and you will get worse than improving and moving up a mountain, so say.

This quote I believe will only work and inspire those that have seen mother nature take over something human built. Otherwise, they don't really understand it and will keep going half of their potential. Those people that work hard will be better and will get more opportunities in life than those that go half way.

Maybe some don't need a quote to inspire and motivate them to work hard. Maybe they have a different motivation, like money or love. In this world today people are very driven by money, because they want the things in life that maybe they didn't have growing up or did have and want to make sure they keep that lifestyle. Working hard in something you love is your choice not anybody else. No one can make you work hard at something. Yes, they can give you speeches and lectures of how much of a disappointment you are, but when it comes down to it you are the one that has to make the decision.

Stereotypes

Saying volleyball is a easy and none athletic sport is the most hurtful stereotype a volleyball player can hear. Some might say football is a real sport, and it takes more athletic skills than volleyball. Others might say basketball is the only sport that should be considered difficult that takes skill to accomplish the sport. Now in my opinion, I personally don't understand how these people can compare these three sports together. They are all COMPLETELY different.

I have played basketball, volleyball and softball my entire life. Now I know football and I understand the game, but have never participated in the sport, due to the fact of me being a girl. Volleyball, basketball and football are three sports that do not have much in common. Yeah, football and basketball are huge contact sports and volleyball isn't so, but volleyball takes a lot of reaction time, and skill on being able to swing, pass and set. Boys don't have an understanding of how much talent volleyball really takes. There are certain skills you have to be able to accomplish and master before stepping on the court. Passing a volleyball does not look hard at al; until you actually try it.  You can teach people how to pass all you want, but it really comes down to how athletic and easy that player picks it up. Setting is like passing. It is all about the kind of hands a girl/boy has. Now hitting is probably the easiest to do. The big secret to hitting is being tall and a fast arm swing. That is the key to success at that particular position.

Football and basketball are sports that are dominate in men playing them, so they are prone to be more popular and seem better than any other sport. Football is a sport that you either have to be big and strong or blazing fast. Basketball has a variety of talents to be able to succeed at that sport.

Yes sweating is a factor in any type of sport you participate in. So when someone says, "oh you don't even sweat in volleyball, how could you consider that hard?" This comment blows my mind, because volleyball is a game where there is constant movement on the court and talking. Have you ever tried talking while running up and down the court in basketball or down the field in football? Well you could imagine it is hard and is extremely tiring. There have been studies on ESPN that have proved the reaction time from the moment the hitter hits the ball to the time the defender digs the ball. The study said the reaction time was less than .8 seconds. Now if you are one of those people that says volleyball doesn't take talent than ask yourself if you could dig that ball.

Eating The Right Foods

When playing a sport it is extremely important to eat and consume the right foods. Eating healthy will help you gain the energy you need. Especially when you have a long day of working out, you really want to make sure you are eating foods that aren't going to make your body feel weak but strong instead. Junk food like chips, brownies, cookies, etc are not good for the body in a long day of playing a sport.

Protein is very good to consume throughout the time you are competing. Having healthy snacks at the house like fruit, vegetables and yogurt are going to help keep you from eating things like chips, cheetos and candy before dinner. Although eating healthy is more expensive than eating junk food, you have to look at the out come of eating healthier. You will look better and be better. You will perform better at the sport and thrive to be the best of the best. Eating healthy does not have a bad outcome so why doesn't people that want to succeed and be the best they can be at a sport not eat as healthy as they can? I honestly couldn't answer that. There could be multiple factors, but the easiest answer would be they have the sweet tooth for the junk food and the healthy food does not seem yummy to them at the time they are buying the items.

Smell of Volleyball

You would be amazed on how sickening and nauseating the smell of knee pads, volleyball shoes, and ankle braces are. Volleyball smell hands down beats the smell of football.

Knee pads consist of sweat that stays in the pad, it has no where to go so it just sits there and doesn't move. There is no air flow to push the smell out. Volleyball players don't have time to wash their equipment everyday after practice or a game. If you wash them, they have to sit outside and not dried in the dryer. A lot of times volleyball players put their knee pads, shoes, and ankle braces in their bag after practice or a game and then the next day when it is time to practice again, they take their equipment out of their bag and their knee pads are still wet from the day before. Believe it or not, but that wetness is the sweat from the day before. This builds up and leaves a repulsive scent, that is indescribable. This happens over and over again, leaving the smell to go nowhere other than the inside of the bag. Before you know it your bag will start to smell horrendous, and you won't be able to get rid of it.

Volleyball knee pads aren't something that can just be washed in the washing machine and smell brand new again. No matter what you try the smell will not go away. The sweat gets soaked in the fabric of the knee pad and doesn't go away. Some athletes try soaking them in fabric softener and ultra clean before they put them in the washing machine. This works if you wash them every week, but if you are a normal volleyball player this does not work. From all the sweat that is soaked in the knee pad a fabric softener or ultra clean is not going to do the job. A volleyball athlete is going to have to deal with the fact that their knee pads, shoes, ankle braces and bags are going to stink horrendously bad.

Club Volleyball Vs. High School Volleyball

There are many differences between club volleyball and high school volleyball. Club season can last up to eight months and as short as five months. High school volleyball only last up to three months. Both club and high school have one goal, and that is to get to state and win it and for club to make it to nationals and succeed at nationals. In high school to get to state all depends on how well they do in the beginning of the year. If the high school volleyball team has a winning start of the season they will have a better regional seeding to have their ride to state. Now club volleyball is all about the tournaments the team is in and how well they do. If they are in more qualifiers: tournaments with teams all over America to receive a bid to nationals. Teams can either receive a bid from a qualifier tournament or the state that team is from regionals. If they place first or second in either of those tournaments they will receive a bid to nationals. This is extremely exciting! It is an award of how hard you have worked.

High school state volleyball is short. It last for three days. Each class plays on a different day. There is 5a, 4a, 3a, 2a, and 1a. Volleyball, basketball and softball are the only sports in high school that have 5a. There is a total of three days for each class that the state tournament lasts. If the team makes it all the way to the championship they would have played a total of three matches, one match a day. This is a big thing to be apart of in high school. Going to state is the ultimate goal for high school athletes. State volleyball is hosted in the U.S. Cellular Center downtown Cedar Rapids. There are two courts set up right next to each other with a curtain between them, so the game balls won't be interrupting the courts. Once you lose you are done with that high school volleyball season. The girls cry and the seniors realize that they are done with high school volleyball and on to the next step in their lives.

Club nationals is a lot different than high school state volleyball. State volleyball is right after regional. Nationals are hosted in June and last about three weeks. There are multiple different age groups ranging from eleven year olds to eighteen year olds. Then on top of that there are different divisions in the age groups. There are five different divisions. Patriot which is the lowest, then there is USA, American, National, and Open. Open is the best of the best. Usually there are only 26 teams that are allowed to be in the open division. This is where most of the college coaches come to scout players. National division still has top teams, because the teams that didn't make open but at a national qualifier ended up in the top 5, but couldn't pull it through to receive a bid got pushed down to the national division. If you make the national division instead of open you still should be ready to compete, because there are tough teams and triple the amount of teams than in open. Winning or even placing in the top 15 at nationals is outstanding and will get your club name out there.

Being a Good Teammate

Every team has teammates they absolutely love or they have no interest in being around them. It is hard having teammates that don't get along. That is something you never want when you are searching for a team to play with. You want to make sure that the girls are people you see yourself hanging with and being friends with forever. When I think of a good teammate, I think of someone that will help me get better, or someone that is going to be in my life and friends with for as long as I live.

Teammates are not just people you say you play a sport with. They should be known as one of your best friends. A good teammate doesn't cheat their way out of things. For example, if you are lifting with another teammate you don't want to skip any lifts or reps. It is kind of like not cheating in school. That doesn't help you or your partner. There are a lot of aspects in being a good teammate. Giving positive and not negative feed back is good. Sometimes the other player likes when another teammate says something like, "hey you should get up faster on that block" or "you almost had it, just more step and you could have gotten it up." A lot of times players like hearing something from another teammate instead of getting yelled at by their coach. Little things like that could help your teammate go a long way. Doing something so little as giving tips doesn't just help them, but puts you in a great spot called a leader. Colleges look for this and want this on their team. That also leads back to my recent blog about getting recruited.

No matter what your job is on the court or field, you have a huge aspect to the team. If you are a bench player that is just as big of a role as the quarter back or point guard or the libero in volleyball. Cheering on the bench could be the determination of what will be the outcome of the game. Maybe the team isn't playing very good and needed a boost, but the bench wasn't cheering loud enough then they lose. Now what if the bench was loud and did everything they could to get the team fired up? Most likely the outcome would have been different. A good teammate cheers on the team no matter what position they are in. They should want the best for all of their team(family).

Not Treating Injurys

Treating injury's are extremely important in succeeding in a sport. If you never treat an injury, you aren't ever going to get better. The injury is just going to be worse the longer you play with it, instead of treating it so it could be stronger. You see tons of NFL and NBA players not treating their injury's proper, due to them wanting to play and not sitting out. This is because they earn their living by playing this sport, so if they sit out due to an injury it could keep them from ever coming back and playing. There are reams of athletes that do this. They should not be doing this, and they should have to pay a cost for doing this.

Now the National Football Association has cracked down on the concussion injury. A collection of players have suffered from this injury and it has become an enormous problem. There are myths saying, "ex NFL players are messed up in the head." This is said, because of the amount of concussions there were. Players never treated these, or told their coaches they had one, because they didn't want to sit out and risk never playing again. They did this, again, to not sit out from the sport they love. A concussion can last as long as two weeks to two months. It all depends on how bad the injury is. Especially this injury is scary and not okay to not treat it. Now the NFL has strict rules on this injury, because of the history with it and how bad it has effected people.

Sprain ankles is another huge injury that isn't treated how it should be. In a lot of cases, sprained ankles are worse than broken ankles. Broken ankles are treated with being placed in a boot and not doing any activity on it for a certain amount of weeks. Sprain ankles turn blue and purple and have therapy done to it right away. It is hard for it to heal, because you can't really tell when you are ready to come back. Usually they say you are ready when it doesn't hurt to run on it. The swelling could take months to go down. Most of the times the swelling never goes away. It will always be a little big even after two years after you sprained it.

Recruitment

Recruitment is a stressful and drawn out event. It could last for three months to four years. It’s a never ending thing. There are multiple aspects in getting recruited.

It all starts with filling out question-airs on the college’s website. Usually this begins at the start of freshman year in high school. Colleges will receive thousands of question applications. Most colleges will pick the ones that they already have an interest in. Once the athlete contacts the school, the college is going to know that the player has an interest and then that makes them have an interest in the player. As a freshman the college coaches can't contact the player but the player can contact by email, phone, or text. If the coach doesn't respond then the player has to try another time. The coach can't call the player back.

Once club season starts, you should email the volleyball coach and let them know what club you are playing on, the back round of the club, and the schedule for the club season. If you do this the coaches are more likely to show up at the tournaments and come to the court you are playing on. Now if you get them to come to the court, make sure you are playing your hardest and show an enormous amount of leadership on the court. Coaches look for communication on the court, cheering on the bench, good sportsmanship, and competitive attitudes.

Your club coach should work their butt of to make sure you get to the point of recruitment. They should have your back in this stage of your career. They have a big say and could help you tremendously in the college search. When you are writing emails make sure you include your coach’s name and information, that way the college coach can get ahold to ask question about you. These college coaches would like to have other coaches that know the player better than just watching and not knowing a thing about them have a say and tell the college coach how they play. Club coaches love this, because they get to chat and brag about players they coach. They want every player they coach to go far. They want them to represent the town and state they come from. If you think about it, wherever a person goes to college at and play a sport, they are representing their high school, town, state, family and friends. A lot of people don’t realize that.