A Volley & Rally Game
Set Point Features:
In a team net sport with multiple point scoring in an offensive and defensive scoring system, the task either team is challenged with, defines their competitive identity. The team with the serve is in the offensive position. The team receiving the serve is in a defensive situation. The offensive team has the scoring and game playing advantage. In addition to volleyball's traditional side-out system of scoring points (volley points), the offensive team has more different plays in which to earn multiple point scores. Furthermore, the offensive team has "exclusive closure". A set or game cannot be won under conditions of defensive scoring (rally points). Teams will not win a set or game if they do not serve for the set or game's winning point.
The defensive team works against the offensive team's game playing advantages, for the control of the offensive team's competitive conditions of play. In general terms, the rules for defensive scoring is also based on volleyball's traditional side-out scoring system.
Set point is fluid:
In an offensive and defensive, multiple point scoring team net game, set point is fluid. In order to win a set, the offensive team must be at or over set point when it serves. If a set of play is designated at 20 points, the offensive team must have 19 or more points to win a set. If the offensive team is at 18 points and scores a 2 point play off the serve or during volley, the offensive team will then have 20 points and their next serve will be for set point.
In situations where the defensive team has scored beyond the set point, the set point for that particular set of play is increased by the outcome of whatever rally points were scored. For example; if the offensive team has 15 points and the defensive team has 19 points, and the defensive team scores a 3 points in rally, set point is 21. In order for either team to win the set, they must prevent their opponents from scoring rally points, and have the serve with 21 points.
And, because set point is fluid, winning a set by a predetermined margin of points would be redundant and unnecessary. A set is won or lost by the total number of volley and rally points either team has scored. This is the system or framework under which multiple point scoring works to provide a balance of challenges in an offensive and defensive scoring team net sport.
Game Point Features:
An offensive and defensive, multiple point scoring game is played under a quarter/set system. The quarter/set system of play was developed by combining and modifying two different methods of measuring game time. The clock system in which teams win by totaled points scored in a specific amount of time. And, the set system of play where the winner of a game is based on the amount time it takes to win a certain number of sets.
In an offensive and defensive scoring game, the serve is the catalyst that precipitates competitive action. The serve characterizes possession, offensive identity, control, and the position of advantage. The serve is what starts the competitive action to begin a game and it is the process in which the beginning of the end of competition is completed. After the serve, the competitive nature of a team net sport game with offensive and defensive scoring is customed to quick, erratic, and unpredictable sequences of activity. This makes it a difficult, if not awkward, task of organizing a game under the rules of a clocked system of play. However, their are features of a clocked system of play that can be incorporated into an offensive and defensive scoring team net sport.
In a sport where a game is divided by quarters of play and organized by the clock, the points a team scores, is measured against the expiration time of each quarter and the game. The team that scores the most points within the limits and definitions of playing time, will win a regular game of play.
One of the advantages of a sport that is organized under the clocked system, is that certain plays, offensive and defensive strategies, team signals...etc, can be worked out before competition begins. This is done to manipulate or take advantage of the known and measurable limitations of game time. These are some of the mechanics of a clocked game and it works well where a team wins by total points scored. The difference between team scores at any one point of a clocked game, is a measure of a team's success. What this does, is it creates an atmosphere of sustained anxiety and anticipation from the time the game begins until it is finished.
However, there are disadvantages to the clocked game that need to be avoided. Sports organized under the clocked system of play, have one common weak trait, the lopsided score. A game can, for all practical purposes, be finished in three quarters of play or less. In a clocked sport, if by the end of the third quarter, the difference between team scores is so much that there is no sensible or sensational competitive action or series of competitive actions that will alter or change its unavoidable conclusion, the game implodes and becomes an anticlimactic experience.
In a sport where a game is organized by sets, a team's playing time is measured against how long it takes to play for a fixed number of points per set, for a majority of a designated number of sets. The team that wins each set by a certain difference between scores and wins the majority of a designated number of sets, wins the game. However, in sports where sets determine the winners or losers of a game, a team can actually outscore their opponents in total points and still lose the game.
A quarter/set system of play has been developed to counterpoise the pitfalls under which the present and traditional methods of both the clock and set system were organized. In the quarter/set system of play, the points a team scored in each of the four sets is recorded and totaled at the end of the fourth set. The importance of calculating the total scores, is that they are significant references that best characterizes sorts of predictable outcome, definitive moments, and conclusive strategies. The quarter/set system of play has an irreversible measurement of action parallel to that of sports organized by timed intervals of play. However, in a team net sport where competition could start and stop off a bad serve, or end in two hits and three seconds of play, there is a different momentum and course of expectations to be taken under consideration.
The mechanics of a quarter/set system game have been worked-out so that a team's success can be measured by how many points it scored in each set, the total points it scored in a game, and how the fourth set is played. In a quarter/set system of play, a team cannot win a game in a losing set and a team cannot win a game if they haven't outscored their opponents. In the quarter/set system of play, a team must outscore its opponent's after four sets of play by at least three points and win the fourth set in order to "Juice Out", win the game. This is the combination of circumstances and the method under which the elements of quarter/set system of play functions, maintains, and provides competitive interest from the beginning to the end of a game. And, if neither team juices out, the game goes into overtime.
Overtime Features:
In an overtime system of play in a team net sport with goals at either end of the court, it is the first team that either scores 10 points or a goal, that wins the set and/or game. When a goal is not scored, only the offensive team, the team with the serve wins the set. However, whichever team can score a goal before the 10 point overtime set is completed, regardles of the point differences between teams will win the set or game. The team that had the most points scored at the end of the quarter/set system of play where neither team juiced out, would only need to win one overtime set. The team team that scored the least amount of points at the end of a quarter/set system of play where neither team juiced out, would need to win two overtime sets of play.
The quarter/set system of play was developed for Rocball. Rocball is the first team net sport ever developed that incorporated hitting and kicking, offensive and defensive scoring, backcourt scoring, multiple point scoring, penalty point, and vertical areas of play. Rocball is a game derivative of volleyball with its roots of play founded in the Pre-Columbian, Meso-American sport of Tlatchli.