Criteria for “catch”
As explained in the previous article, we believe that the most reasonable way to judge a “holding pass = catch” is to define it as a “2-way action of the elbow” (bending and extending the elbow after touching the ball). However, although 2-way action is an issue in the rules and their operation, the definition of catch must be said to be ambiguous.
In the 2024 Practical Manual for 6-man Referees (JVA Referee Rules Committee, Guidance Department), on p. 18, “Ball Handling,” it states (iii) A play involving two playing actions, first catching and then throwing, is a fault for catching.
This reflects “9.3.3 CATCH: the ball is caught and/or thrown; it does not rebound from the hit.” in the rulebook published on the FIVB.
The FIVB guidelines (REFEREEING GUIDELINES and INSTRUCTIONS 2024 Edition) state the following ”3. to better understand the text of Rule 9.2.2: A thrown ball involves two playing actions, first catching and then throwing the ball, while playing the ball means that the ball rebounds from the point of contact.”
These show that “2 way action” is the issue, but what is “first catching and then”? What defines and determines “catching”? is not written.
Since the word “catching” is mentioned in the definition of “catching fault”, I don’t think it stands as a definition. It means “catch is to catch and throw.”
Do you understand the difference between this and defining and judging a catch by “2 way action of the elbow” (bending and extending the elbow after ball touch)? This is clearly defined as a “different action” from correct, non-fault, overhand pass.
The reason why it cannot be clearly defined as a “different action” may be because the dominant idea in the volleyball world is that “pass” and “catch” are continuous and only differ in the length of contact time, and that “if you catch and throw faster, it becomes a pass”.
However, if we define “catch” as “a long contact time”, it would be very difficult and arbitrary to set a standard line from where to define “long”, and it would end up being “not a fault if the referee does not call it a fault”.
More essentially, as I wrote in my previous article that “weakening the tension of muscle-tendon complex and softening the spring increases the contact time of the ball, but the elbow movement is not a 2-way action”, there can be passes with a longer contact time than doing “catch and throw” faster, so it is possible to pass with a “longer contact time”. It is unreasonable to judge by “length of contact time”.
It is possible to define “pass” and “catch” as “different actions,” and so it should be. It is more reasonable to say, “If the elbow is bent after contact with the ball, it is a fault for catching. Even if it is not possible to discern it completely with the human eye, the standard itself would not be blurred, since there is a clear basis for it.
However, since “complete stopping with the hands” should also be included in the fault of catching, there is room for consideration in defining the fault of catching by “2-way action of the elbow”.
Possibility of defining it by “contact time”
Basically, we believe that “it is unreasonable to judge catching by the length of contact time,” but since we now have a challenge system, there may be a way to “use the challenge system to determine a catch if contact is confirmed for more than a specific amount of time”. Since “weakening the force of the muscle-tendon complex and softening the spring increases the contact time of the ball”, it is possible to have a pass with a longer contact time than doing “catch and throw” faster, but there is a limit. I think it would work well enough to set the judging criteria at a longer point than that limit.
If this is realized, players who can intentionally catch will have no choice but to “practice so as not to catch in important situations,” and it will become clear that “catching is a skill that cannot be used at the top level. If this happens, I think it will eventually be used in the under-category as well. It may be the most realistic, although it may affirm the false perception “if you catch and throw faster, it becomes a pass”.
