QUICK GLANCE: NFHS 2018-19 RULE CHANGES
Enquiring minds like ours want to know…what are the rule changes for next year? Well, the new rule books with the exact wording are not yet available, but thanks to Referee magazine, we have a pretty good heads up for you.
Signal 21 for unnecessary delay was revised. Remember last year the signal was sort of awkward, but now it is closer to USAV and NCAA. The vertical arm is on the side of the offending team beside the head with the card held against the back of the wrist…no longer necessary to motion toward the offending team.
Warmup Restriction 11-5-3…”Between Sets”… Article 3 was added saying teams may warm up in their playing area. However, volleyballs may not be hit over the net.
Rule 2-4-1b wording clarifies who cannot support a teammate to give them an illegal advantage: A referee shall stop play when: “A player gains an illegal advantage by contacting [change another player to read team member. This better addresses the situation where a coach (or other non-player) provides support for a player playing the ball. We still must differentiate between merely contacting and “illegal advantage by contacting”.
Rule language was added to complement verbiage in the officials manual regarding the second referee’s responsibility to ensure head coach remains in replacement zone and no closer than six feet to the side line. Rule 5-5-3b was changed to address when to use timer’s audio signal verses second referee’s whistle when multiple courts are in use.
Verbiage was added to 9-8-2, 10-2 penalty 2 and 11-4-1b to better define what happens when the referees stop play for an injury or illness.
In addition to rule changes, language in other rules was modified. In rule 1-5 and 1-7 new language provides consistency by listing all reasons why a match shall be declared a forfeit and clarifies that a forfeit is considered a termination of a match and not a suspension.
Rule 5-4-1c clarifies that prematch duties of the R1 include inspection of net antennas.
Changes to 5-5-3 indicate R2 is to use a double whistle to indicate a warning when 15 seconds remain in a timeout or interval between sets.
Verbiage is added to rule 6-4-5 addressing when a team is playing with fewer than six players…the vacant position remains open throughout all rotations.
Look for detailed explanation of these changes in August.
