VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 1 VOLLEYBALL Playbook: 4-2 WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
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VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 3 Volleyball Playbook: ow to Run the 4-2 Introduction The 4-2 is one of the most basic formations in volleyball and is good for several things. It is easy to learn for inexperienced teams and provides an excellent starting point for more advanced formations. It is easy to build on and is quickly learned by players. It is also a good formation to use if a team is somewhat weak on hitters and needs to maximize the playing potential of each teammate. Overall, the 4-2 is considered to be the first real offense developed in the game of volleyball and came from the mastery of the bump, set, spike routine that became successful for the many teams enjoying volleyball. Formation The 4-2 formation consists of 4 hitters and 2 setters. In this formation, 1 setter is in the front row and 1 setter is in the back row. The front row setter sets for the front two hitters while the back setter passes to the front. The setters should always be opposite each other, or caddy-corner to have the entire playing area covered. Basic 4-2 Formation The letter abbreviations mean the following things: setter hitter middle blocker The following formations are basic starting positions for the game. There are variations provided so that a coach can choose where he/she wants to start each player. As a rule, the players with the same position play opposite each other. Figure 1 WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 4 In this basic formation, the setter starts as the server, but this is not required. The formation could look like this: Figure 2 Notice that in both formations, the setters are opposite each other, or caddy-corner in their side of the court. Figure 3 ere, the middle blockers and the hitters are switched, but everyone remains opposite of their respective counterparts. Offensive cenarios The 4-2 can be run many different ways offensively. The following offensive diagrams will be broken down into serves and attacks. Each diagram shows the position of each player. It is up to the coach to determine what area, within those positions, that players should manage. For instance, if one setter is in the front right position, they can cover just their area or also some of the middle. It does not matter how a coach determines this distribution of space, but it is important that this is determined ahead of time, so that players know exactly what area they have to cover. Though the 4-2 does has the advantage of being simple, so it works well with new players and teams, it does have its disadvantages. With this formation, there are only two hitters, which leaves a team somewhat weak offensively. The setters can be seen as offensive players, but they are not on the same level as the trained hitters. Offensively, setters can tip the ball back over the net if it comes to them in the front row, forcing the blocker on the other team to jump into action when they are not expecting it. owever, the 4-2 is usually seen as the hardest formation for playing offense. Ideally, with any 4-2 offense the setter will be in the front right or front middle position. The receiver will get the ball and hit it to the setter, who will set it for the attacker, whose goal it is to get the ball over the net and WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 5 make it unreturnable. To keep confusion down, offensive players should turn toward the receiver so they can keep an eye on the ball and let the hitter know that they are not going to be receiving it. As said earlier, many coaches prefer to start with one setter in serving position. If you choose not to use this model, the setters should be placed according to Figure 2, with a hitter in the serving position. Figure 4 In Figure 4, the team starts according to Figure 3, with the middle blocker as the server. The setters are opposite each other and the second middle blocker and one hitter are in the front middle position, ready for a return serve right down the middle. As soon as the first serve is returned, the hitter in the middle position will move back to their designated position in the front left quadrant to ensure that all areas are covered while the ball is in play. Figure 5 In this serving scenario, the hitter starts as the server. The setters are in the middle here but will move after the ball is served. The team as a whole is grouped toward the middle, with the server responsible for covering the entire right side. WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 6 After serving, the position looks like this (Figure 6): Figure 6 Another offensive lineup looks like this: Figure 7 From here, the front setter moves to the front right position and the back hitter moves to the back right position while the front hitter moves to the front left position so that the hitters are opposite each other and the setters are opposite each other. This basically requires the setter and the hitter to switch positions in the front row and the back hitter to move over to make room for the setter, who has finished serving. With the setter in the middle of the two hitters to start with, they have more control over the movement of the ball and can help out where needed. It also puts the front hitter in the optimal position for offense. The formation ends up looking like this after the positions have finished switching: WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 7 Figure 8 Defensive cenarios To defend with the 4-2, hitters must control a large area of the court. Usually, the front middle blocker moves horizontally through the front row to assist whatever other player is defending against the ball. In the following defensive formations, the back hitter is responsible for the entire back row while the back setter and back middle blocker control midcourt. The front three players defend the front, teaming up as needed depending on where the ball is. In the following diagrams, the star denotes where the attacker is on the opposing team. In Figure 10, the front middle blocker and the front setter defend against the attacker while the front hitter covers the front left and front middle. The back setter controls the middle left and the back middle blocker controls the middle right and the area just behind the two defenders. The back hitter is responsible for the entire length of the back row and must be ready to move at any time. Figure 10 The next two diagrams are similar defensive strategies that just change where the attacker is coming from. The other players in the backfield must change their area of defense somewhat, but the back hitter always patrols the entire back row. WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 8 Figure 11 Figure 11 is much like Figure 10 except that the back middle blocker is farther back to accommodate for the available front setter. The back setter covers more of the front left area than in the previous formation because the front hitter is now engaged with the front middle blocker to protect against the attacker, who in this diagram is coming from the middle. Figure 12 The final defensive position places the attacker on the opposing team at the front left, requiring the front middle blocker to assist the front hitter in defending. This forces the front setter to come to the middle to defend more of the front line, including the front middle and front right. The back setter is in basically the same spot but covers more of the middle instead of the front, since both the front hitter and front middle blocker are there to defend. The back middle blocker continues to defend the back right and back middle, while the back hitter controls the entire far back row. 4-2 Plays The following are several important plays that will allow a coach to walk players through formations from the serve to the defense to the receive and finally, the attack. That is the order that the following formations are presented in and work together well when paired as a series. These plays will need to be run repeatedly until everyone understands where to move and when, as well as what their area of coverage is depending on if they WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 9 are on offense or defense and depending on where the ball is if they are on defense. There are infinite variables here, so changing things up during practice is the best way to prepare a team for a real game. If possible, run the plays often and in different combinations. Use different starting lineups and develop a strategy so that players can get to their assigned positions without running into each other or leaving an area open to attack. By forcing your team to remain alert and on guard for the next variation you discover, they will be wellrounded by the time they meet a real opponent. Play 1 Figure 13 serve Figure 14 defense The front middle blocker and the front setter have both moved right to defend against an attacker from the opposing team. In this scenario, the attacker is coming from the front right side, but as the defensive diagrams showed previously, this defensive formation can be changed as necessary to accommodate the position of the attacker. WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 10 Figure 15 receive For the receiving formation, the front hitter moves to the right to join the front setter and front middle blocker. The back positions even out so they are in a straight line and more able to change positions as necessary. Figure 16 attack The final position of the play is the attack, where the front hitter and front middle blocker move back left. The entire team shifts somewhat left, with the back hitter moving forward to help the front two players and the back middle blocker also moving left. The two setters are the farthest right players and serve to protect the middle and right court areas. WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 11 Play 2 Figure 17 serve Figure 18 defend In this play, the setter, who is also the server on the left side, crosses the court in the back to get to the back right, where they defend the right middle. In this scenario, the attacker is coming from the middle, so the front hitter joins the front middle blocker to defend against the attacker and the front setter moves across the court to defend the front right and front middle areas of the court. Figure 19 receive WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 12 Figure 20 attack In this final formation of Play 2, the back setter moves right while the right hitter moves forward to become the front hitter. The front setter moves left to play opposite the back setter and the front middle blocker moves forward center to protect the front area. The front setter will set for the front hitter, while the back setter will pass forward if necessary. Play 3 Figure 21 serve WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 13 Figure 22 defend The defensive position requires the middle blocker, the server, to come to the middle back position while the front setter moves back slightly and the back setter moves from back left to back right to help the front setter defend. The middle blocker and front hitter move left, assuming that the attack is coming from the left. As with all the defensive strategies, variations require practice and flexibility. Figure 23 receive This receiving position is a bit difficult to assume after the defensive position, but it will allow your team to get in the best possible position for receiving the ball and then attacking. It requires the front setter to move to the back left while the back setter moves forward. The back hitter moves to the right and the front hitter moves to the middle. This formation is almost evenly spaced throughout the court, giving maximum coverage for any ball received. Figure 24 attack This final attack position requires the front setter to move left while the front middle blocker moves to the middle. This position assumes that the attack will go from the middle. WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO
VOLLEYBALL PLAYBOOK: 4-2 14 Conclusion The main thing to remember when planning your 4-2 strategy is that the team is weak on hitters, so this must be made up in other ways, such as treating the setters as hitters sometimes and ensuring that the hitters are doubled up on attacks. Players must be trained to practice each position in different orders, so that they feel comfortable changing in mid-play based on how the game unfolds. By teaching a team the steps to a complete play, such as the plays outlined in the set, defend, receive, and attack series, teaches players how to move from one position to the next depending on where the ball is and who has it. With just a little practice and a lot of patience, even inexperienced teams will feel comfortable using the 4-2 in regular play and coaches will feel comfortable moving players to new positions or trying a new formation. WWW.VOLLEYBALLPRACTICEPLAN.CO