Re: Lines

[Todd <tdh@vbref.org>]

Hi John,

This comes up in various forms on this newsgroup periodically.
Actually, it came up in April of 97:
        http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=236253419

And Wally posted this clarification of rules including this issue in
April of 95.
        http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=101350714

So, as it's April of 1999, it seems we're on a 2-year cycle.  :-)


The ball is out once it touches outside the line.  The smush factor is
not entertained, as the human eye can't see such things in slow
motion.  

See the thread below (or go to the Wally link above and click "thread"
tab) for more details and iterations on this.

        http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/viewthread.xp?search=thread&recnum=%3c3neatd$ke7@netope.harvard.edu%3e%231/1&AN=101223358&svcclass=dnserver&frpage=getdoc.xp

Best Regards,
--
                  Todd H.   tdh@vbref.org
USAV Regional Referee, Great Lakes Region, Palatine, IL
Todd's Volleyball Referee Page http://www.io.com/~tdh/vball/
"So you're a Ref and an engineer? Oh that explains it...."


John Hunley <john@jrh.com> writes:

> Question for the collective experience of the group:  When calling
> lines, does one attempt to take into account the flattening of the ball
> when it hits the floor?
> 
> One line of reasoning observes that the rule book states (at least in
> USAV) that if *any part* of the ball touches the line, it's in.
> Therefore, the answer would be yes.
> 
> The alternate reasoning says that since the ball does not flatten out
> until *after* it touches the floor, one should simply call based on
> where the center of the ball touches, ignoring flattening.  At the
> instant the ball initially touches the floor, the rally ends, and
> anything that happens subsequent to that (namely flattening) has no
> bearing on the call, just like if a player touches the net after the
> ball is down.
> 
> If you answer yes, then please explain to me how you determine how much
> flattening occurs.  Surely no human eye is fast enough to actually see
> the ball flatten out, and you couldn't just guess, because it would vary
> 
> from play to play, depending on (among other factors) how hard the ball
> was hit, the angle at which it hits the floor, and the air pressure in
> the ball.
> 
> --
> John Hunley
> USAV Provisional, and still learning
> 
> Want long distance for 7.5 cents/minute?
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