A Libero can either spoil or add value to volleyball for teammates
Volleyball is a team sport that involves six players on each side of the court. Depending on how it is played, it can both be a fun game or frustrating for some of the players.
The starting position of the players on a team is such that three players stand in front of the net while three cover the back court. When the ball is served from the opponent’s side of the court, it is generally received by one of the back court players
in an act that is called the service reception. In volleyball, the service reception is mainly done by the libero. Libero is the person who takes up the defence of a team and is not allowed to play in an attacking mode.
Given a team with a dominant libero, it is not uncommon to find that the rest of the back court players do not contribute much while the libero makes the maximum number of contacts with the ball. Now, in the scenario of professional volleyball, where a team
is relatively new and has to face stronger opponents, having a dominant libero may as well work to the advantage of the weak team.
However, if you consider a situation in which the players are not playing on a professional level or are in a learning phase, let’s say playing in school or with friends and family, a dominant libero would most likely have a frustrating effect on the rest
of the players who became part of the team just to have a bit of an exercise and fun.
Imagine a scenario in which you and your friends have decided to play some volleyball and even though you are not too good at it, you can still keep the ball in the air. However, the libero on your team is quite good at what he or she does and once the game
starts, makes it apparent by hitting all the balls. You let it happen once, twice and maybe even a couple of times more but eventually you realize that all you are doing is standing idle with your arms by your side. That is not a very pleasant scenario if
you had come out to have some fun.
So rather than feeling relaxed you end up feeling frustrated.
On the other hand, a good libero would be the player that acknowledges the relative weak skills of his or her team mates but rather than playing the entire game alone, facilitates them by giving opportunities to hit the ball. This can be done by passing
the ball to a fellow player at an easy angle or giving space when the ball is coming towards another back court player.
Therefore, depending on the libero, a game of volleyball can be both a fun and rewarding game while at the same time it can also be a sport that becomes the cause of anxiety and frustration among the other players that stand at different positions on the
volleyball court.
As an anonymous person put it, all volleyball should be about is the following, “Give it your all on the sprawl, Drop a pancake and keep it clean, Find the target, put ‘em on the hook then dish it up, flare and catch some air, Check the set, bring some
heat and watch them bail!”
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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