Volleyball Positions, Formations, and Rotations

Volleyball Player Spiking

Volleyball is a sport that combines strategy, skill, communication, and quick decision making. There is a lot to learn to play the sport, and one of the most important things you need to learn are all the different positions, formations, and roles for each position. I know it might sound a little overwhelming, but don’t worry! In this volleyball positions article, we are going to explore all the different volleyball court positions in detail. By the end of this, you will know the basics of volleyball formations, positions, and the player’s responsibilities at each position. 

Note: If you’re a beginner and are completely new to playing volleyball, read our how to play volleyball article, then come back to this volleyball positions article!

Basic on-court volleyball positions

Volleyball Rotations

Simply put, the volleyball court is divided into two zones: the attack zone in the front row, and the defense zone in the back row. Within these two zones are positions 1-6. In the picture, each number corresponds to a player’s position and zone on the court (e.g position 4 is also called zone 4). However, there is still much to learn about volleyball positions than just the zones, so continue reading for more juicy details. 

Important Takeaways

  • There are three players in the front row and three players in the back row of the volleyball court

  • Front row players are allowed to attack and block opponent balls

  • Back row players primarily play a defense role, however, they can attack in certain situations (this would be called a “back row attack” and can only be done behind the 3-meter line, or 10 feet line). 

  • As shown in the photo, players rotate in a clockwise motion on the volleyball court after each rally.

 

What are the positions in volleyball?

Now that you know the basics  or rotation lets now talk about the positions and roles in volleyball. The main positions in volleyball you will hear about are: outside hitter, right side hitter, middle, libero, defensive specialist (DS) and setter. 

The diagram below will give you a quick run down of the positions in volleyball, what they do and what to look for in case you do not have time to read the full article.

volleyball position diagram

Volleyball Positions and Player Roles

Now that we know the key positions in volleyball lets dive into more detail on each each one. 

Each position plays a key role on defense and offense so we will make sure to cover as much as we can! In an addition we will drop some clips of players in action and even some short videos on how to get better at each position. 

Volleyball Setter

setter volleyball

The setter is one of the most important volleyball positions in the entire game. The setter in volleyball is like the control tower or the mastermind behind the entire game’s flow. Basically, the setter is like the point guard in basketball or the quarterback in football. 

This player is usually the leader on the court who calls the plays. The setter typically gets the second touch out of the possible three touches in a rally. 

The volleyball setter’s main role is to “set”/place the ball in the air so that one of the “attackers” can spike the volleyball and score a point. As you can imagine, being the setter means that you must have excellent communication skills because you must direct your teammates. 

This also means that setters have to be clever, confident, and quick decision-makers because the game is very fast-paced and any hesitation can cause you to lose a point.

On the defensive side, setters must also be excellent at passing, digging, and even blocking.

The setter plays the right front or the right back position typically.

Note: Setters can also score points by using a setter’s dump! A dump is typically a clever attack for a setter. It involves deceiving the other team’s defense by pretending to set the ball, while actually bringing the ball down the opponent’s court by “dumping” it. 

Don’t know what a setter’s dump is? Check this video out!

Core Responsibilities and Traits of a Setter 

  • Must make calls on how the team plays offensively and defensively
  • Set the ball and create scoring opportunities for the team
  • Dig and block balls
  • Quickly identify blockers and which blocker is the weakest link
  • Be a great communicator and confident leader
  • Ability to identify and anticipate the flow of the game. A good setter must be able to see what is going on and how to best direct his/her team to attack and defend.
  • Quick decision-making skills

Wants to Learn How to Set? 

Want to get better at setting or just want to know the basic? Here Coach Donny will go over the basics and fundamentals how to set in a beginner friendly manner! 

Outside Hitter

The outside hitter is also known as the left-side hitter, wing spiker, or simply an attacker. The outside hitter plays the front left side position on the court and is responsible for scoring points in the game. However, the outside hitter’s responsibilities go far beyond just spiking the volleyball. 
Outside Hitter

The left-side hitter is also responsible for receiving balls/passing balls to the setter, and blocking the opponent’s spikes.

The outside hitter most typically gets sets at the left side of the court at the antenna. Therefore, once the first receive or touch is done, the left side hitter should quickly situate themselves on the “outside” of the court (beyond the boundary lines).

Outside hitters, like setters, play both in the front row and the back row. If the outside hitter is playing back row, then they are sometimes expected to perform back row attacks behind the 3-meter line. Sometimes in very advanced levels of gameplay, the outside hitter will hit “inside” the court around the middle blocker’s position. So as you could probably tell by now, the left side hitter is one of those volleyball positions that MUST have a fierce swing as you’re the cornerstone of the offense. 

Overall, the outside hitter needs to be a great all-around player. This position is for players who have mastered the fundamental volleyball skills. 

Note: Outside hitters need to be able to jump high to thwart the opponent’s defense! Read about how we increased our vertical jump by over 12 inches.

 Core Responsibilities and Traits

  • Quick to get the ball
  • Exceptional ball control to pass balls 
  • Shrewdness to successfully get past blockers
  • Powerful and quick arm swing
  • Exceptional blocking abilities 
  • Observant of opponent players’ positions
  • Excellent jumping abilities

Opposite Hitter

Opposite Hitter
Opposite Hitter. Picture from Volleyballadvice.com

Opposite hitters/right side hitters play a very similar role to the outside hitter, except they play on the right side of the court (duh!). Their primary goal is to be situated in the right front zone (to hit sets at the right side antenna).

Just like the outside hitter, when the opposite hitter is in the back row, they can be expected to hit from the 3-meter line. They are also expected to receive and dig balls when necessary. 

As I said earlier, this position is very similar to the outside hitter. Therefore, an opposite hitter needs to have all the same traits as a left-side hitter! However, there are a few things that opposites must do that outside hitters don’t need to do. For example, sometimes the opposite hitter must act as a setter when the main setter is unavailable to set. Furthermore, opposites are not typically as involved with service receiving and passing as an outside hitter would be. Nevertheless, just like an outside hitter, the right side hitter is one of those volleyball positions and roles that must be able to perform multiple jobs when necessary.

Core Responsibilities and Traits

  • Quick to get to the ball
  • Exceptional ball control to pass balls
  • Shrewdness to get past blockers
  • Powerful and quick arm swing 
  • Exceptional blocking abilities 
  • Observant of opponent player’s positions 
  • Excellent jumping abilities 
  • Good setting abilities 

Middle Blocker, Center, or Middle Hitter

Volleyball Middle Blocker

The middle blocker or middle hitter is the front middle player. They are known as both middle hitter and blocker because depending on whether the team is playing offense or defense, the middle must adapt to do both jobs (block and hit). 

When the team is playing defense, the middle blocker is responsible for blocking the opponent’s spikes. They also need to direct and guide other front row players on where to be to block. Their primary role as a defender is to help build a block with other front row players to stop balls or slow balls down by touching them.

When the team is playing offense, the middle hitter typically performs “fast” or “quick” attacks. For a quick attack, the setter sets the ball inside and close to themselves, which allows the middle blocker to quickly attack the ball. The set for this type of attack is usually not as high as a set to an outside hitter or opposite hitter.

Players who play as the middle blocker are typically very tall players. This allows them to be versatile blockers and hitters.

Core Responsibilities and Traits

  • The Middle blocker must be observant of the opponents’ players to make clever attacks and blocks
  • Must have excellent blocking abilities 
  • Good jumping abilities 
  • Adaptable to different roles (namely blocking and attacking) 
  • Quick evaluation skills to identify opponent attacks
  • Good judgment skills to adjust their movement to sync with setters for quick attacks 
  • Good communication skills to guide and build blocks 

Libero

Volleyball Libero

The libero in volleyball is the most specialized defensive player on the team. This position focuses purely on defensive and is a defense specialist! The libero is another one of those essential volleyball positions. Without them, a lot of rallies would be quite boring. 

In volleyball, the libero is only allowed to play in the back row, typically in position 6. Their main job is to receive attacks or serves. Therefore, to be a libero you must have excellent passing skills.

Liberos play an indispensable role. In most cases, they are expected to be the first touch. They must successfully turn the first touch into a good pass for the setter so the setter can set up the offense. Sometimes, in very special cases, the libero must also set the ball if the setter is unavailable to set. It is important to note that liberos are not allowed to block, set the ball in the front row, or attack the ball above the height of the net.

Liberos are special players because they can come in and out of the games as needed. They can be switched in and out without counting against a team’s number of substitutions. They are typically switched with the middle blocker when the middle blocker is switched to the back row.

Cool Fact: Liberos typically wear different colored jerseys so they can be distinguished from other players. 

Core Responsibilities and Traits

  • Replace players in the back row when necessary
  • Excellent passing and receiving 
  • Good setting abilities
  • Quick to get to the ball 
  • Observant of enemy attackers to anticipate where they will attack 

Volleyball Formations and Rotations

Now you know all about positions 1-6 in volleyball, and you even know the different volleyball positions/roles each player can have. So what’s next? Well, now it’s time to learn about the different volleyball formations and rotations. 

Using different volleyball formations and rotations allows for your team to play strategically. Having proper volleyball formation is crucial to maximizing each player’s talents and makes the game more enjoyable! After reading this you’ll be able to properly set up your volleyball formation and rotations depending on your team!

Volleyball Rotation

All players on the court, regardless of their role, must rotate after their team gets the ball back for service (aka, it’s the team’s turn to serve).

Let’s take a look at our volleyball positions/rotations picture from earlier.

 

Volleyball Rotations

Let’s make a hypothetical example where your setter has served the ball but hit it out of bounds. Now let’s say you get the ball back and it is your turn to serve again. What needs to happen is all the players must rotate clockwise. Therefore, the setter who was previously at position 1 now moves to position 6, and all other players move one zone clockwise as well.

It is also crucial to note that once the ball is served, all players can move to their respective volleyball positions on the court. Thus, just because the setter is in zone 6 does not mean that the setter must remain at zone 6! All players may move to their assigned spots on the court after the service. Now you can play the game with all players playing their best positions!

Important Note:

Players who started in the back row on the service and move to the front row to play their assigned position, may NOT attack the ball in the front row. If these players want to attack, they need to have started the attack behind the 3-meter line or 10-foot line. For simplicity’s sake, we will call this the back row rule.

Volleyball Formations

There are three main/traditional formations in volleyball. Those three formations are called 4-2, 5-1, and 6-2. The first number before the hyphen refers to the number of hitters and the second number refers to the number of setters in the formation.

When deciding what the best formation is for your team, you want to consider the strengths and weaknesses of all team members. You should also consider the back row rule when deciding your formation as this rule will cause some restrictions on what you can do in the game with each formation.

Let’s look at each of the traditional formations and discuss the strategies and the pros and cons of each.

4-2 Formation

 

The 4-2 formation is typically a formation that is used in lower levels of gameplay. That is not to say that this is a bad formation, it really depends on your teammates. In the 4-2 formation, there are 4 hitters and 2 setters. The setters are placed opposite to each other on the court which allows there to be a setter in each row.

The front row setter will typically run to the center front position (zone 3) with hitters on both sides (zones 2 and 4).

Advantages

  • There is always a setter to set up plays.
  • Setter in the front row can attack as an attacker by doing a “setter’s dump”.
  • If the setter is in the center, this causes the opponent’s blocks to be more spread out.
  • Very simple to implement into beginner teams because there are not many serve-receive rotations that need to be practiced.

Disadvantages

  • This formation is much easier to read because the opponent knows there are only two “real” attackers to defend against
  • Very predictable offense
  • Hitters will have to adapt to two different setters who might set completely different from one another.

5-1 Formation

5-1 Formation

The 5-1 volleyball formation is a more popular offensive setup. This is actually the set up you will see in most high-level volleyball leagues. In this setup, there are 5 hitters and 1 setter.

In the 5-1 formation, the setter remains in the back row while there are three front row attackers. If at any point the setter needs to go to the front row, then the setter can swap positions with one of the attackers.  This is a good formation because this allows for 5 different attackers at any point in the game.

Advantages:

  • Having one setter means there is consistency in the game. Players will receive the same type of set each time because it’s the same setter each time.
  • Good attacker diversity. With so many potential attackers, the opposing team’s defensive will have a hard time predicting who to block.
  • There is only one leadership role because there is one setter. Therefore all plays are made by one person so everyone knows who to look towards for guidance.

Disadvantages:

  • Due to the “back row rule” I described above, if the setter is rotated into the back row and goes up to the front to set, then the setter is UNABLE to pretend to be an attacker. This makes the offense a little easier to predict.
  • The setter needs to also be a good hitter for this formation to work the best. If the setter is a good hitter this means that basically everyone can attack and this will throw off the defenders. However, this means that the setter needs to be good at both setting and attacking, which can be hard to find.

6-2 Formation

6-2 Formation

This is also another popular volleyball formation. In competitive volleyball leagues you will find this formation on teams that have setters who can also hit well.

In this volleyball setup, there are 6 hitters and 2 setters. What this means is that basically everyone can hit well, and two people are exceptionally good at setting AND hitting.

For this formation to work, the two setters play opposite to one another. All front row players are attackers (including the front row setter), and the setter in the back row will come forward to set. With this formation, you will have 3 hitters in the front, and 2 attackers for the back row with the last hitter being the setter when necessary.

Advantages

  • Three hitters against the defenders
  • Maximizes offensive abilities on the team
  • Because the attacker can be any player, the defense can be easily thrown off.

Disadvantages

  • With two setters, players must adapt to two different setting styles.
  • Building a team where two players are good hitters AND good setters can be very hard.
  • It may be harder for the setter to set tight balls because they have to run from the back row to the front.

Conclusion

This concludes this article! If you’ve read this far I want to say THANK YOU! We hope you’ve learned a thing or two about the different volleyball positions and the various volleyball formations and rotations! Now all you have to do is practice these formations and you’ll be ready to tackle any team at your next volleyball league!

Have any questions? Please comment down below and we’ll definitely get back to you!

If you’re new to volleyball and want to become better, we suggest you read our article on the best volleyball drills to improve your skills.

Are you looking to increase your vertical jump? Check out how using Vert Shock helped us increase our vertical jump by over 12 inches! Check out that article here.

Again, if you have any questions please ask them below! If you liked this volleyball positions and formations article please share it with your friends :).

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