Volleyball is an ever increasingly popular sport and amongst one of the top played sports globally.
Each year more and more people are playing, watching or even officiating the sport.
As more and more people get into the sport of Volleyball I see one question rearing its head time and time again.
That question is ‘In Volleyball why is one uniform different?’
In Volleyball if a team is using a Libero, they will wear a different uniform or different color jersey. The reason they must wear a different Uniform is because this clearly indicates to the officials that this player may substitute in and out of the court as many times as they like and without seeking confirmation first. That is providing they substitute in for one of the 3 back court players.
Unlike all other players on the court who must abide by not only the number of substitutions allowed but also the rules and processes of making a substitution, unless swapping out for a Libero in the back row.
Table of Contents
What is a Libero?
So now you know why one player wears a different jersey I expect you still have some questions about what exactly a Libero is.
A Libero (also known as a defensive specialist) is a player that is substituted into the back row for any player to strengthen the defensive presence on court. The Libero is often quick, agile and has fantastic core fundamentals when it comes to things such as passing or digging the ball.
The libero is a very unique position as they only play along the back line and never enter the front row.
When Volleyball was first invented and even many years after it was played, the Libero or Defensive specialist didn’t exist and even today the Libero would be considered a new staple position in nearly all teams.
History of The Libero
There is some connection between the game of soccer and Volleyball when it comes to the creation of the ‘Libero’.
The Italians invented a position in Soccer which was known as the Libero. In Soccer this player would freely roam along the defensive line and be very much a ball-playing defensive player (See the similarities?). The position of Libero was phased out of Italian Soccer in the late 80’s when it seemed to appear in the game of Volleyball.
In the Early 90’s saw the first mentions of the term Libero in Volleyball.
Libero in Italian translates to ‘Free’ which this player certainly was.
Given the green light to swap in and out with any player in the back row choose and freely roam along the back court picking up anything that comes their way.
As the position became more and more common, many other countries and teams started to take note and in 1998 The Libero was born in the USA and many other countries.
Since this time the Libero has become a staple in nearly all high level competitions and in fact has become a very desirable position for new hopeful volleyball players.
When & How Does A Libero Substitute In To The Game
So as mentioned above the Libero can freely substitute in and out of the game as they please, obviously they can’t run on court mid rally to save a ball but they can swap in and out before or after each point or when the ball is not in play.
Although the Libero can swap in for any player traditionally the Libero will take the place of the middle blocker when it comes to their turn to play back court.
Often the Middle blocker will serve and play out the rally until the opposition wins the point, at which point the middle blocker in the back row will step off the court and the Libero will take their place.
The Libero will play the same position that the middle would along the back row until it comes time for them to rotate to the front row. At this time the Libero will step off court and the Middle Blocker previously off, will return to the court for the front row rotations.
Libero Specific Rules
As the Libero became more and more popular some clarification was needed as everyone had their own interpretation of what exactly a Libero could and couldn’t do.
With that an official rule guide was set up specifically to cover Libero’s.
Some of these specific rules are as follows:
Can The Libero Serve?
Now this is actually quite a difficult one to answer as depending at what level and in which area you play this answer would differ.
If you follow the FIVB ruling then the Libero is not allowed to serve, this is the same as the NCAA for Men’s Volleyball.
However if your governing body is any of the following then the Libero can serve in a very specific circumstance.
If you fall under any of the following: USAV, NCAA, NAIA or NFHS. The Libero can serve but only in one position. This means if the Libero swaps out for Middle Blocker 1 they could serve instead of them, however when it comes time for Middle Blocker 2 to serve, the Libero would have to leave the court to allow Middle blocker 1 and only swap back on for Middle Blocker 2 after they have served and the opposition has won the point (Side Out)
Can The Libero Set The Ball From Infront of the 10 Foot Line
This is another confusing one as depending on how you define the word set may change the answer to this question.
If you are referring to the Set as the Overhand setting motion only, then NO the Libero can’t set from in front of the 10 foot line for a teammate to attack. The Libero is certainly allowed to overhand set from in front of the 10 foot line but a teammate is not allowed to play an attacking shot.
However if you define the set as the actual task of putting the ball up for a teammate to attack then yes the Libero can set the ball in front of the 10 foot line providing they bup set (Pass the ball) and do not overhand set.
Can The Libero Spike or Attack The Ball
The Libero is a back court player only and therefore must abide by the rules of back court attacking.
The Libero falls into a slightly different category as unlike their counterparts the Libero is not allowed to jump and attack the ball from above the height of the net. Whereas the players alongside the Libero can spike from the ball from the back row assuming they jumped before the 10 foot line (3 meter line).
The Libero is allowed to spike and attack the ball providing they do not contact the ball above the height of the net, as a general rule of thumb they say the Libero is not allowed to jump when attacking the ball.
Can The Libero Block or Even Attempt To Block
As stated above.
The Libero is a back court only player and therefore must abide by the back court rules.
Much like all other back court players the Libero can’t block the ball or even attempt to block the ball.
Summary
So there you have it.
The player who wears a different uniform of jersey color in Volleyball is known as the Libero.
The Libero is a defensive specialist who only plays in the back row.
The Libero can sub in and out for any backrow player however the player the Libero changes with must swap back in for the Libero.
The Libero is a relatively new position and only really became a staple position in the last 20 years.
When the Libero started to become increasingly popular a specific set of rules was written solely related to this position.
Just remember if you are a Libero you are only back row and you try avoid playing the ball above the height of the net unless jump setting from the back row.