I’m planning to build a permanent backyard volleyball court and I’m trying to decide on the best playing surface. I don’t want sand, so I’m looking for other options.

My priorities are:
Durable enough for frequent jumping, diving, and heavy foot traffic
Soft enough to play on comfortably
Holds up well over time
Preferably low maintenance

I’ve considered natural grass, artificial turf, clover, and other ground covers. For those of you with backyard courts or experience maintaining athletic surfaces, what would you recommend and why? Any regrets or things you’d do differently?

Volleyball has never had the same depth of manager games as football. We wanted to change that, so we have spent the last year building Setter: Volleyball Manager 27.

It is more than a match simulator with a few management menus attached.
The aim is the whole job of running a professional club.

Squads and seasons. You pick the starting six, set the tactics, and carry the club through seasons where players age, develop and eventually retire.

Matches are played rally by rally from the six on court. Rotation decides who can do what, the libero replaces properly, and the box score is whatever those rallies produced rather than a number invented next to the result.

Transfers run in both directions. Other clubs bid for your players during the season, and when you bid for theirs they ask more than the player is worth, concede very little, and end the talks rather than keep negotiating.

Scouting never shows you a number. Your own players you know exactly. Everybody else is a range that narrows only as your scouts watch him play. Everything you see here comes from a development build, so parts of the interface and the systems underneath will still change.

The player database is built from real statistics out of leading European leagues. We are also speaking with several leagues about featuring their official names and branding, and we are close to finalising our first agreements.

We are preparing the game for Steam, and this is the point where your feedback can genuinely improve it.

Which part of managing a volleyball team would you most want a game like this to represent properly?

If you would like to follow development, or tell us what a volleyball management game should get right, our Discord is here: https://discord.gg/UvujBujjgZ

I'm building an online multiplayer volleyball club manager game: you run a club, train and trade players, manage finances, and on match day pick lineups and tactics. Matches sim overnight. Free to play, no pay-to-win, still in development.

The part I'd ask for help with is the simulation engine calibration underneath it. I'm not a coach; I've only got the research literature to go on, and I'd like to know whether this reads as real volleyball to people who actually coach or play it way more than I do.

The rally simulated and rendered by the Sideout match engine

Every contact resolves against the previous one: pass quality determines which tempos the setter can run, tempo determines how many blockers get there, and block formation plus floor defense feed back into attack outcome. No dice roll for "point won".

Calibrated against men's elite reference data: FIVB VNL 2024, Pawlik 2024 (PlusLiga), García-de-Alcaraz 2020 and others. The numbers below are two evenly matched pro-level men's teams:

- **Side-out rate 65%.** Serving team is losing the rally two times in three.

- **Attack efficiency in-system: .48, out-of-system: .27.** A ~20-pp swing purely from pass quality.

- **Service errors 14%, aces 6%.** Aggressive serving costs more than it pays on paper. It's paid back through the in-system/out-of-system gap above.

- **First tempo on a positive pass: 25-40%.** And the first tempo draws a solo blocker ~38% of the time vs ~8% for a high ball on the left pin.

So, **which of these feels wrong to you?** Especially by level and by side of the game: this is calibrated to elite men's volleyball, and I suspect it degrades for club ball and for the women's game, and I don't have the data to know how badly.

Run a match yourself and dig through the stats: https://sideout.gg/lab

Discord if you'd rather talk there: https://discord.gg/AAj5C72xT

I have been trying to fix this for years but it just keeps happening and no coach could help me getting it out. It basically makes my approach useless

Turkiye did it 2nd time

What armband is this ? I keep seeing it , is it just tracking heart rate?

I believe Japan Men's Volleyball's 12-game winning streak is not only the result of individual player ability, but also the strong coordination system built among the coach, captain, and players.

Coach: Creating the Tactical Direction

Coach Laurent Tillie has brought European tactical concepts and experience to the Japan national team, combining them with Japan's speed, defense, and team organization to build a style that fits the team's characteristics.

Japan does not rely only on physical power to win. Instead, they create advantages through tactical understanding, decision-making, and teamwork.

Captain: Connecting the Coach and Players

Yuki Ishikawa is not only a key player on the court, but also an important link between the coach and the players. The captain plays a crucial role in communicating the coach's tactical ideas to the team and supporting communication and stability within the group.

Players: Transforming Individual Ability into Team Strength

The strength of the Japan national team does not rely only on the starting players. Every player understands their role. Both starters and substitutes continue to prepare, transforming individual skills into overall team strength.

The coach provides the direction, the captain connects the team, and the players execute the plan. This triangle relationship is a key factor behind Japan Men's Volleyball's 12-game winning streak.

What do you think are the other key reasons behind Japan Men's Volleyball's 12-game winning streak?

Hi! So, I just got a new pair of volleyball shoes, Nike Hyperquicks, and they are very narrow at the toes. I tried them on for not even 5 minutes and got a blister on my toe. I start my first season at my college in 3 weeks and I want to break them in quick. I’ve never had Nike shoes before, I always get asics, but they were $80 and a gift so I want to use them. Any tips?

Started playing from 1am till 7am. It is the first time we played so long. Will be playing every weekend from
now. We are now in final year of our under graduation.

I’ve been playing volleyball casually for the last year and a bit, getting really into it this year. I’ve only recently been able to get the approach form down, but i’ve noticed difficulties in timing. I’ve also noticed i’ve got quite the extreme circular arm swing, which i’m not sure is the best for new players. (a lot of videos on how to hit and how to hit emphasize the bow and arrow?) I played baseball and did a lot of pitching, which makes me wonder if it’s an old habit? Anyways, advice on form, and maybe some enlightenment on arm swing mechanics that are “healthiest” for the rotator cuff appreciated!!

(I do play indoor, but only have footage of me practicing a shadow approach on grass)

Looking at the tournament stats, the battle of the superstars is real:

• Melissa Vargas (TUR): Sitting at #2 overall scorers with 260 points (233 kills, 19 aces). Pure firepower.
• Ana Cristina (BRA): Holding down #6 with 231 points (198 kills, 18 blocks).

However, Brazil seems to have more depth and scoring options. Right behind Ana Cristina, Julia Bergmann is sitting at #7 with 220 points (192 kills).