51 Volleyball Terms Every Beginner Coach Should Know
Brand new to volleyball? This list is your “cheat sheet” for volleyball lingo! From "sideout" to "pancake," I’ve compiled 51 must-know terms and phrases that beginner coaches will hear constantly throughout the season. Whether you're leading a rec team or helping with high school tryouts, learning the language of volleyball will help you coach with confidence.
In addition to clear definitions, each term also includes an example sentence—so you can hear how it’s used on the court and better understand when (and how) to use it yourself.
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Section 1: How Volleyball Works
Understanding how the game flows is one of the first steps in becoming a confident coach. These terms describe the basic framework of play, how points are scored, how teams move and communicate, and how the court is divided for tactical instruction.
Rally – A continuous sequence of play from the serve until the point is won.
"That was a long rally—great hustle by everyone!"Rally Scoring – Every rally results in a point, no matter who served.
"Remember, we're using rally scoring, so every ball matters!"Sideout – When your team wins a rally while receiving serve and gets to serve next.
"Nice job getting the sideout—let's keep the momentum going!"Rotation – Players shift clockwise each time they win the serve back (sideout).
"Don’t forget to rotate clockwise after that sideout."Base – The starting defensive position players return to between plays.
"Get back to base right after the serve!"Call the Ball – Players yell “mine,” “got it,” or teammate names to avoid collisions or missed balls.
"We need louder communication—call the ball every time!"Let Serve – A serve that hits the net but still lands in bounds—it's legal under rally scoring.
"That was a let serve, so play it next time!"Zones – Numbered sections of the court (1-6) used for positioning and strategy.
"Serve to zone 1 and watch for the short ball in zone 3."Antenna – A vertical marker on each side of the net that defines the boundary of the court; the ball must cross between the antennas (extended to the ceiling) to be legal.
"The ball hit the antenna—point for the other team."
Section 2: Ball Contacts
This section focuses on what happens when your team is in control of the ball. These are the most commonly used touches—pass, set, and hit—but they also include softer attacks and mistakes you’ll want to identify in practice.
Pass (Bump) – The first contact, usually made with the forearms using a platform.
"Good bump—you controlled that pass well."Platform – Forearms pressed together to create a surface for passing.
"Keep your platform angled to the target."Freeball – An easy ball sent over the net, typically from a pass.
"They just gave us a freeball—let's run our offense!"Overpass – A ball passed too hard or inaccurately, going back over the net.
"Be ready to hit when they overpass!"Shank – A wild or off-target pass, usually the result of a strong serve or hit.
"That serve was tough—don’t worry about the shank."Set – The second contact, made with the hands to set up an attacker.
"Nice set to the outside hitter—that was the perfect height."Hit (Spike / Attack) – The third contact, usually a jumping overhead swing to score a point.
"Way to swing hard on that hit!"Tip – A soft, intentional touch over the block to throw off defenders.
"Smart tip to the open spot!"Dink – Another word for a tip, often used more casually.
"Try a dink when the blockers are expecting a full swing."Roll Shot (Chip) – A soft, controlled hit with topspin used to drop the ball into the court.
"Nice roll shot to the deep corner—great placement!"Downball – A standing or jumping attack without a full arm swing or jump.
"That downball caught them off guard!"Back Row Attack – An attack from behind the 10-foot (3-meter) line by a back-row player.
"Nice back row attack from position 6!"Down the Line – A hit that travels parallel to the sideline.
"Hit down the line to beat the cross-court blocker!"Cross-Court – A hit that travels diagonally across the court.
"That cross-court swing hit the deep corner—great shot!"Quick – A very fast, low set to the middle hitter, typically hit just after the ball leaves the setter’s hands.
"Great quick set to the middle—perfect timing!"Slide – A set play where a middle hitter finishes their approach off one foot and hits behind the setter, usually at a sharp angle to deceive the opposing blockers.
"Let’s try a slide to pull the blocker off the net."Tempo – The speed and timing of a set relative to the hitter’s approach.
1st tempo: A very fast set where the hitter jumps as the setter is contacting the ball (common for quicks in the middle).
2nd tempo: A moderately fast set where the hitter starts their approach just after the ball leaves the setter’s hands, allowing the hitter to time their jump and swing as the ball travels through the air.
3rd tempo: A higher, slower set that allows the hitter to fully complete their approach before contacting the ball (often used for out-of-system or high outside sets).
"Let’s run a 1st tempo quick in the middle, a 2nd tempo on the slide, and stick with a 3rd tempo high outside if the pass is off."
Section 3: Serving & Scoring
Serving is how every rally begins and a critical area for scoring points—or giving them away. These terms help coaches communicate clearly during warm-ups, drills, and matches when focusing on pressure-serving, strategy, and technique.
Float Serve – A serve with no spin, causing unpredictable movement in the air.
"Use your float serve to target their seams."Jump Serve – A serve where the player jumps and hits the ball in the air.
"She’s got a powerful jump serve—get ready to move!"Ace – A serve that lands untouched or is passed poorly and earns a point.
"That’s your second ace in a row—keep it up!"Service Error – A missed serve (into the net or out of bounds).
"Tough miss—let’s get the next one in."
Section 4: Defense
Defense is more than just reacting—it's about reading, positioning, and communicating. These terms will help you describe how to handle powerful attacks, soft tips, and everything in between.
Dig – A defensive move used to pass a hard-driven attack.
"Awesome dig! Way to stay low."Pancake – A flat-hand dive that keeps the ball from touching the floor.
"Nice pancake save on that short tip!"Block – A jump at the net to stop or deflect an opponent’s attack.
"Close that block tighter next time."Roof – A block that stuffs the ball straight down to the opponent’s court.
"You just roofed their outside hitter—great timing!"Touch – When a blocker or defender contacts the ball before it lands out.
"Call for the touch—the ref might have missed it!"Coverage – Players behind the hitter prepared to dig a blocked ball.
"Set up your coverage before every attack."Seam – The space between two defenders—often a target for serves and attacks.
"Serve deep into the 5/6 seam!"
Section 5: Positions
Each player has a specific role on the court, and understanding those positions is essential for setting up rotations, offensive systems, and defensive coverage. These terms will help you talk strategy with your team and guide your athletes into roles that match their strengths.
Setter – The player who usually touches the second ball and sets the hitter.
"Our setter is doing a great job spreading the offense."Libero – A defensive back-row specialist who wears a different jersey, and who can serve in one rotation for another player.
"Let the libero take those seam balls!"Defensive Specialist – A back-row player subbed in for a front-row hitter to improve defense, but unlike the libero, they can serve and wear the same jersey as the team.
"We’ll rotate in a defensive specialist to strengthen our backcourt."Middle – A front-row player who blocks and hits in the center.
"Middle, be ready for a quick set!"Outside (Left Side) – Primary hitter, often taking a lot of sets on the left.
"Outside, you’ll get the ball in serve receive if it’s tight."Right Side (Opposite) – Attacks from the right and often helps block the other team’s best hitters.
"Right side, shift over to help block their outside."Pin Player – A general term for a hitter who plays at either sideline (outside or right side) near the antenna.
"That set was too tight to the pin—give your pin player more space."
Section 6: Systems & Strategy
As your team gains experience, you'll want to introduce the bigger-picture elements of volleyball: offensive systems, strategic decisions, and terminology used when things don’t go perfectly. These terms are especially helpful once your team begins running structured plays and coordinated offenses. For newer or younger teams, simple rotations and focusing on three contacts is usually enough—so don’t worry if you're not ready to implement a 5–1 or 6–2 just yet.
6-2 Offense – A system with 6 hitters and 2 setters; setters only set from back row.
"In the 6-2, setters come from the back row only."5-1 Offense – A system with 1 setter who sets from both front and back rows. Typically only one player.
"We’re switching to a 5-1 so the same setter runs the offense throughout the match."4-2 Offense – A basic offense with 2 setters and 4 hitters; only front-row setter sets.
"For now, we’ll keep it simple with a 4-2 system."Out-of-System – When the setter can’t take the second ball, and someone else must set.
"That was out-of-system—great job getting it over cleanly."Tool (aka "Wipe") – When a hitter scores by intentionally hitting the ball off the blocker’s hands.
"Nice tool off the block—smart play!"
Section 7: Ball Handling Violations
These violations are among the most common called in matches and can feel confusing for newer players and coaches. Knowing what they are—and how to coach clean technique—helps your team avoid giving away free points and builds better ball control.
Lift/Carry – An illegal contact where the ball is momentarily held or carried, rather than being cleanly struck or directed in one motion. Often called during setting, tipping, or digging when the contact is too slow or “scoopy.”
"You got called for a lift—next time, make sure it’s a quick, clean hit."Double – An illegal contact when a player contacts the ball twice in a row, or when the ball comes out with prolonged or uneven control (like excessive spin from uneven hands).
Note: While this is still considered a violation in most levels of play (youth, high school, club, and international), NCAA women’s volleyball no longer calls a double contact on a second ball that’s played with hands unless it’s also a lift. However, this rule change does not apply to most youth or high school competitions.
"That was a double—try to release the ball faster and keep your hands even."
Final Tip: Print this list and keep it handy in your coaching binder or clipboard—especially during those first few practices when everything feels a little overwhelming. It’s totally normal to not know every term right away, and it can feel a little embarrassing at first. But here’s the truth: asking for clarification is one of the fastest ways to learn!
If you’re in an assistant role and the head coach uses a term you don’t understand or asks you to lead something unfamiliar, don’t fake it—ask! It shows that you’re eager to grow, builds trust that you’ll get things right, and helps you strengthen your coaching foundation with confidence.
Need more than just vocabulary help?
The Volleyball Coach “Starter” Packet – $34.99 was made specifically for coaches like you. It includes tryout forms, practice planning sheets, goal-setting tools, and more—all designed to take the stress out of your first season so you can focus on what matters: helping your players learn and grow. If you liked this terms guide, the Starter Packet is your next best step.
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