More On High Balls

We know that high balls are the least effective method of attacking. They score the least often, they have the lowest efficiency and they result in the least won rallies. Overall, if analytics were a major factor in volleyball, there would be less of them. And yet they are the thing we typically practice the most. Weird.

Watching a lot of Plus Liga games it is interesting to see the different transition / high ball tactics. Some teams will look for opportunities to play fast even if a non setter has to set the ball. Some teams have very strict rules that player X must set the high ball and he must set it to position 4. This is something that pops up every so often and I have mostly just assumed that they have figures that high balls from position 4 are more effective, but I’ve never personally checked it out. I decided fix that.

Below are figures for the current Plus Liga season and the last one. In both those seasons the high ball from position 4 is NOT the most effective. The lessons are question everything, don’t assume anything and sweeping statements are mostly wrong. Also don’t set high balls.

2020-21
SET	TOTAL	KILL RATE	EFFICIENCY	RALLY WIN RATE
Pos 4	776	0.335	0.165	0.563
Pos 2	289	0.311	0.121	0.547
Pos 1	157	0.357	0.178	0.611

2019-20
SET	TOTAL	KILL RATE	EFFICIENCY	RALLY WIN RATE
Pos 4	4675	0.326	0.145	0.56
Pos 2	1553	0.361	0.186	0.607
Pos 1	939	0.343	0.103	0.535

Tagged Volleyball Analytics, Volleyball Statistics, Plus Liga, Science Untangled, Conventional Wisdom, Spiking Statistics, High Ball Spiking

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