How to rank passes statistically in Volleyball (3/perfect, 2, 1, 0/shank pass)
Posted: 2/8/24
Last updated: 5/26/24
Written by: Thalia A. Urena
How to rank passes (statistically) in volleyball
In Volleyball, it's important to get data on how your team is performing in matches if you want solid evidence for continual improvement, and the possibility of future improvement. Game statistics are vital not only for the team’s athletes to view, but for a coach as well. Coaches can use game statistics to plan a more effective practice plan, and future game line-ups.
Game statistics can help a coach understand important details that put them at an advantage over a coach who doesn’t use statistics throughout a season.
Coaches who utilize statistics can see things like:
What rotations are performing the best/worst
How athletes are performing in game (passing, hitting, setting, serving, etc)
Comparing stats from differing matches
Overall season statistics
In this blog post, we will cover one area of statistics which is one of my most used features during a match.
That feature is ranking my team’s passes statistically whether it is on serve receive, digging, or free ball passing. Passing goes into a ranking system.
In this post we will go over:
How Coaches rank passes (no its not subjective like you think!)
3 ball pass (aka a perfect pass)
2 ball pass
1 ball pass
0 (aka shank) ball pass
If you’re interested in learning more about what apps I use for game statistics and how I utilize them to get the most out of it, comment below for that to be a future blog post!
How coaches rank passes
Many athletes/coaches wonder if a passing rank is subjective, but logic goes into ranking a pass and goes beyond a coach's/statistician's biases.
To start we first must understand that an initial pass is usually ranked around the basis of how a setter receives the pass. Remember, in an ideal situation, the setter gets the second ball following that first touch.The basis of ranking a pass is going to then be based on how many options the setter has to set after your initial first pass.
So it is definitely not subjective rankings!
Now, lets (dolphin) dive into how we as coaches differentiate passes quickly in a game to give rankings/accurate statistics.
3 ball pass (Aka perfect pass)
A 3-ball pass in Volleyball is also called a “perfect” pass for a reason! A 3-ball pass is the highest possible ranking an athlete can receive after a singular pass.
Simply put, a 3-ball (perfect) ranked pass means your setter has 3 options to set following your pass. This means the setter can set the right side, middle, or outside.This is huge in Volleyball because having all hitting options available opens up your offensive opportunities.This perfect 3-ball pass often looks like a high pass to the setters position (inside the 10 ft line). An important note is the less a setter has to move from their ideal setter spot to get the second ball, the closer you are to achieving this perfect pass!
Below I’ve inserted an image that shows the availability allowed of the setting options from a 3-ball pass. Notice how the setter in that drawing is inside the 10 ft line, and in an optimal position to set all three hitters with ease!
2 Ball pass
A 2-ball-ranked pass is defined as a pass that gives the setter two options to set their offense. Concerning a perfect 3-ball pass where the setter has all 3 options, this just means the setter may have had to move a bit to get that ball, the height was a bit low, the pass was too close to the net, etc.
There are many possibilities for why a serve receive, dig, or free ball pass may be a bit hard to handle as a setter, but the most important difference is that the ball allotted the setter just 2 setting options. Typically this includes the outside, and one other hitter (middle or right side).
If you’re looking at the image from the 3-ball pass, the 2-ball pass gives the setter any two of those options to set, and the setter may run a bit off the net or be tight on the net from the 2-ball pass. A 2 ball pass isn't perfect, but should still be celebrated as it’s almost there!
1 ball-ranked pass
A 1 ball-ranked pass gives our setter only 1 option to set. A 2-ball pass looks closer to a 3-ball pass in that it is just slightly off from perfect, but a 1-ball pass looks closer to a 0/shanked pass since it is closer to a shanked/unplayable pass.
A 1 ball-ranked pass might look low in height, make the setter run to get that ball up and playable, or be so tight on the net that the setter had to play it off of the net.
Usually, a 1-ball ranked pass is pushed to the outside from a setter since they have very few options from a lower-ranked pass (like a 1). The outside is often the scapegoat for any passes (perfect-1 ball passes) because pushing the ball to the outside is easier due to where they are transitioned. Imagine a setter running to get a ball and are now way off the net, so they couldn’t successfully set up the middle as much as they could the outside due to the angle both those hitters would be transitioned at.
The more a setter has to work to keep a ball playable after your initial pass, the lower your passing score will be for that singular pass.
Be thankful that your setter (or other court players who got a touch off your initial pass) worked hard to keep the ball up after a 1 ball ranked pass because if they didn’t it could have been ranked a 0, since a 0 ball ranked pass is categorized as no second touch.
0 (shank) ball pass
A 0 ball (aka a shanked pass) is categorized as a non-playable pass which cannot get a touch following the pass.
We detail what a “shanked” pass means in our post titled ‘5 common Volleyball terms you should know’ so check that out if you’re interested in learning the definition of this terminology!
Click the link below to read more about it:
https://www.defyinggravityvolley.com/blog/blog-post-title-two-ync5w
A 0-ranked pass means your setter had 0 possibilities to set, and additionally, it means any of the other players on your court couldn’t get a touch as well.
A 0-ranked pass might be too low, in the net, or have gone way off the court (into the bleachers, way behind you, etc). Essentially this means the pass is 100% unplayable because the play is dead following that 0 ranked pass.
There is usually 0 conflict/confusion on biases for 0 ranked passes as that factor of the play being dead (whistle blown) makes a clear distinction, as well as no following touches from other players on your court. Don’t be sad if you get one, or even a few 0-ranked passes in a match. Always remember to shake it off and prepare to redeem yourself in the next pass coming towards you! Volleyball is mental as much as it is physical!
In conclusion…
It’s important to remember that although the ideal scenario is for the setter to get a second ball, your passes can still be ranked 3,2,1, or 0 if another player besides the setter gets the second touch. Usually, if you get a 3-ranked pass and the setter didn’t get that second touch, it could mean the setter messed up, the right side got it, etc.
Just try to remember many different scenarios can play out in the sport of Volleyball, so if you are confused about a ranking just ask your coaches or watch your game clips!
Ranking passes is one of my most used statistics as a coach when analyzing statistics after a game. Plan to add game statistics to your to-do list as a coach if you haven't already. It gives you such a huge leg up against your opponents for an overall season, and my journey as a coach would be so different without those numbers.
We hope to see you in future blog posts!
-Coach T