Volume 14 Discussion Thread
Start Date: July 30, 2023
Previous: Volume 13 chapter 117
Home ThreadReading Schedule
| Reading | Page numbers | Reading start date | Read aloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ch 118 | 7 - 26 | Jul 30 | Aug 5 |
| Ch 119 | 27- 46 | Aug 6 | Aug 12 |
| Ch 120 | 47 - 66 | Aug 13 | Aug 19 |
| Ch 121 | 67 - 86 | Aug 20 | Aug 26 |
| Ch 122 | 87 - 106 | Aug 27 | Sep 2 |
| Ch 123 | 107 - 128 | Sep 3 | Sep 9 |
| Ch 124 | 129 - 148 | Sep 10 | Sep 16 |
| Ch 125 | 149 - 168 | Sep 17 | Sep 23 |
| Extras | 169 - end | Sep 24 | Okt 30 |
| Watch along | s2 e17-18 | Okt 7 |
In light of this chapter’s short little scene (ch. 121, p.69)
I thought I’d give a bit more of an in-depth explanation as I got the experience of playing both positions.
Summary
In theory playing Wingspiker (WS) or Opposite (O) looks like the same, just mirrored: one is attacking from the left, the other from the right. When you’re actually on the court though it’s completely different and not just from the new perspective you have to get used to.
The most obvious difference is in the receive.
In the back row the WS is usually moving to the middle (at least on higher levels) and the Middleblocker (M), who gets replaced by the Libero (L), to the left. (I think that has to do with the M mostly getting replaced by the L (bc M are mostly the tallest players so it’s harder for them to get down on the receiving level ^^') who is a bit quicker to catch short balls and balls coming down from the block.) For the WS this means he’s mostly responsible for longer balls from the cross attack and those that get tossed to the far back of the right corner. Anyway, to react to the attack he has comparativly more time wether the attack comes from the WS, M or the O of the opposing team. As most attacks come from the WS-side, the O is mostly covering the straight attack and short behind his teams block on that side. As he’s on the same line as the attacker, the ball will get to him much quicker thus giving him less time to react.
For bringing the ball to the setter the O also has to be more precise as the distance is shorter as well. Coming from the WS, the setter has more time to adjust to any errors as the ball travels for a longer time.
It’s also more difficult, especially as someone right handed, bringing the ball to the setter when you’re standing on the right side. A small excurse on technique: when receiving it’s important to bring your body behind the ball and face your front towards the direction you want to play. For standing on the side of the court that means you’re putting your outer foot slightly more to the front. For right handed people often feels more natural to bring your left foot forward. But as an O you’d have to bring your right one in front, bringing the ball slightly to the left of yourself.
Now onto the attack:
The most obvious one here’s as well the time you have to prepare. The ball for the WS has to travel across almost the whole court and has a relatively high arch making it pretty easy to do your approach run (start about when the ball is at it’s highest point) and gauge where you can best hit the ball. When playing with three attackers, setter in the back row, the setter is standing roughly between the M and O for the toss. Therefore the ball’s flight-curve for the O resembles more that for the M which is way shorter. So the O has to start their approach run much earlier (start about at the moment the setter tosses the ball) than the WS.
Another difference which is probably a bit less obvious, is the arm with which you’re hitting the ball. Most people are right handed which for the WS means the ball needs to be a bit more inside the court and for the O that the ball needs to be a bit more to the edge to be able to hit well. For a cross attack that does not make that much difference but for a straight attack you’d be way more close to the line and consequently to hitting the ball out. If you’re also not turning your body properly towards the net you’d have to twist your arm at an unnatural angle to hit the ball straight.
Lastly is about facing your opponents: in general attackers tend to be on the taller side while for setters it’s ok to be a bit shorter. As a WS you’re facing your opposing S/O and M as a block, as an O the opposing WS and M. So the block on your teams right side tends to be a bit taller, especially on the outside for the straight attack. As an O you’d also be more frequently involved in blocking yourself, as I said before, most attacks will be coming from the WS.
So while technically you’d know where to stand and what to do, switching from WS to O does take some adjusting to do.