Mastering Rotation 5 in Volleyball

ROTATION 5 – M1 Starting Spot Options

Before we dive into specific formation options, let’s look at the different starting spot options that are available to the M1 in Rotation 5.

The H1 will be somewhere on the left side of the court, most likely passing in Zone 5. This allows the Setter and M1 to start anywhere in the front half of the court as long as the setter remains to the right of the H1 and the M1 remains to the right of the Setter.

If the M1 starts on the right side of the court, offensive attack options include a middle attack, a back middle attack, a slide, or a red.

If the M1 starts closer to Zone 3 or Zone 4, offensive attack options include a quick middle attack or a slide.

When deciding where you want the M1 to start in this rotation, do what’s most comfortable for the M1 and the setter, and have them start where they will be most effective from. Keep in mind that whatever you do will probably have an impact on what the opposing blockers and defense will do, which could also help your H1.

Because we’ll mix and match the M1 starting positions in each possible formation in this blog post, we’ll discuss the advantages and drawbacks to the possible starting positions here right now.

M1 Starting on the Right Side

Advantages/Benefits:

1. Four offensive attack options are available: Quick, Back Quick, Slide, and Red.
2. The Setter can start the rally at the passing target.
3. There isn’t much traffic or anything distracting in front of the three passers.
4. Opposing blockers will have a harder time defending the H1 and the M1 at the same time when they are on opposite sides of the court.

Disadvantages/Drawbacks:

1. The M1 needs to be able make adjustments based on the pass (for example, if a “quick” is the play call, but it’s a bad pass, the M1 might want to audible into a Red).

M1 Starting in the Middle

Advantages/Benefits:

1. Three offensive attack options are available: Gap, Quick, or Slide.
2. The M1 might be more comfortable running these attacks from the middle of the court rather than from the right side of the court.

Disadvantages/Drawbacks:

1. The Setter can’t start at the passing target.
2. There is more traffic in the middle of the court in front of the three passers.
3. Opposing blockers have less area of the court to focus on at the beginning of the rally.

ROTATION 5 – Traditional Serve-Receive Option

Player Assignments by Position:

S: Starts in Zone 4, 3, or 2

H1: Passes in Zone 5 and hits Gos

L: Passes in Zone 6

OP: Moves back to the end line and doesn’t pass

H2: Passes in Zone 1

M1: Starts in Zone 3 or 2 and hits Gaps, Quicks, Back Quick, Slides, or Reds

Advantages/Benefits:

1. The Libero is passing in the middle of the court.
2. The Opposite can help call “in” or “out” for the passers.

Disadvantages/Drawbacks:

1. It might be easy for opposing teams to try to wear down the H1, by making the H1 pass and also hit in this rotation.

Important Overlap Rules Considerations:

1. The Setter must be to the left of the M1.
2. The Setter must be to the right of the H1.
3. The H1 must be in front of the Libero.
4. The Opposite must be between the Libero and the H2.

ROTATION 5 – Opposite Passing Option w/out H1 Passing.

Player Assignments by Position:

S: Starts in Zone 4, 3, or 2

H1: Starts on the left sidelines and hits Gos

L: Passes in Zone 5

OP: Passes in Zone 6

H2: Passes in Zone 1

M1: Starts in Zone 3 or 2 and hits Gaps, Quicks, Back Quick, Slides, or Reds

Advantages/Benefits:

1. The H1 doesn’t have to worry about passing and can focus on attacking.
2. The Opposite may be a better passer than the H1, especially if the Opposite is now a Defensive Specialist sub.

Disadvantages/Drawbacks:

1. The Libero isn’t passing in the middle of the court.
2. If the Opposite is also a good back row attacker, it might be easy for opposing teams to negate the D by serving to the Opposite.

Important Overlap Rules Considerations:

1. The Setter must be to the left of the M1.
2. The Setter must be to the right of the H1.

ROTATION 5 – Opposite Passing Option w/out H2 Passing

Player Assignments by Position:

S: Starts in Zone 4, 3, or 2

H1: Passes in Zone 5 and hits Gos

L: Passes in Zone 6

OP: Passes in Zone 1

H2: Steps back to the endline and doesn’t pass

M1: Starts in Zone 3 or 2 and hits Gaps, Quicks, Back Quick, Slides, or Reds

Advantages/Benefits:

1. The Libero is passing in the middle of the court.
2. The Opposite may be a better passer than the H2, especially if the Opposite is now a Defensive Specialist sub.
3. The Opposite is in position to hit a D.
4. The H2 can help call “in” or “out” for the three passers.

Disadvantages/Drawbacks:

1. It might be easy for opposing teams to try to wear down the H1, by making the H1 pass and also hit in this rotation.
2. If the Opposite is also a good back row attacker, it might be easy for opposing teams to negate the D by serving to the Opposite.

Important Overlap Rules Considerations:

1. The Setter must be to the left of the M1.
2. The Setter must be to the right of the H1.
3. The H1 must be in front of the Libero.
4. The H2 must be to the right of the Opposite.

Gap, Quick, Slide, or Red?

The Slide is a very effective attack option for Middle Attackers because it forces the opposing blockers to defend the entire length of the net. Your Outside hitter is hitting on the left side of the net, and your Middle Attacker is hitting on the right side of the net. This requires opposing blockers to defend all ten meters of the net instead of just a portion of that.

In women’s volleyball, Middle Attackers hit Slides with a high amount of frequency in Rotations 4, 5, and 6.

In men’s volleyball, Slides are much more rare. The reason for this is because the men’s game regularly has Opposites that will hit a back row D attack. You can’t have a front row player running a Slide approach and a back row player running a D approach because they would crash into each other. This back row D attack forces the opposing blockers to worry about the entire length of the net, similar to what a Slide would.

This is why Slide usage differs so much between the women’s game and the men’s game. However, this is also dependent on your team and your players. Regardless of the gender of the team you are coaching, you can have your players hit any of these types of attacks. Do what is best for the skill sets and strengths of your players. You might also consider not doing the same thing every time, because that will make your team too predictable.

In Rotation 5, the M1 has the opportunity to hit a Red when the M1 starts on the right sideline. This can help prevent opposing blockers from keying in on the H1 when there is a bad pass.

Look at the strengths of the M1 to determine what you want to do with your offense in Rotation 5. It would be a good idea to have all of these options in your arsenal that can be used at different times throughout a match and/or season.

Earlier Posts in this Series

1. Introduction
2. Rotation 1
3. Rotation 2
4. Rotation 3
5. Rotation 4

Later Posts in this Series

1. Rotation 6