Rotation & Lineup Builder
Pick a system (6-6, 4-2, 6-2 or 5-1), type in your players and see where everyone stands in all six rotations, both when your team serves and when it receives. Drag players to try your own spots: the builder checks the overlap rule after every move, under FIVB or US rules. Then copy a link or print all six receive rotations on one page.
Build your lineup
Names never leave your browser: there is no account, nothing is stored on our server and nothing you type is tracked.
Rotation 1: Receive
Drag a player to move them. With a keyboard, press Tab to reach a player, then use the arrow keys to move them 0.25 m (Shift + arrow: 1 m).
- S
- Setter
- OH
- Outside hitter
- MB
- Middle blocker
- OP
- Opposite
- L
- Libero
- P
- Player (6-6 and 4-2)
- !
- Red dashed line: overlap between two players (also listed in words)
- ?
- Dotted line: too close to call, because the players' feet decide (also listed in words)
The small number on each player is their rotational position (1–6), which the overlap rule uses. An orange ring marks a player you have moved.
The builder treats each player as a single point. Standing exactly level with a neighbour is legal, and the builder accepts it. Referees judge the feet, so if a player is on the wrong side by no more than one arrow-key step, the builder marks it as too close to call instead of an overlap.
How the overlap check works
When the ball is served, each player must be in the right order compared with their neighbours: in front of or behind the player in the same column (4 in front of 5, 3 in front of 6, 2 in front of 1), and left or right of the players beside them in the same row (4, 3, 2 and 5, 6, 1 from left to right). Diagonal players aren't compared. If a player you drag breaks the order, the builder draws a red dashed line between the two players and writes the fault out, for example “6 must be behind 3”. The overlap rules page explains it in full.
- Receive views: the same check under FIVB and US rules.
- Serve views: FIVB (since 2025) doesn't check the serving team; US rule sets (USA Volleyball, NFHS, NCAA women's) check every player except the server.
Pick your system
- 6-6 basic rotation: everyone takes a turn at every job, and whoever is in zone 3 sets.
- 4-2: two setters, and whichever is in the front row sets.
- 4-2 with middle blockers: the front-row setter sets from zone 2, and middle blockers and outside hitters move to their own spots after the serve.
- 6-2: two setters; the back-row setter sets and the front-row setter hits, so three attackers are always at the net.
- 5-1: one setter all match and five hitters; the opposite doesn't pass serve.
- 5-1, opposite receives: the opposite also passes serve, an easier way into the 5-1.
Every position in the builder comes from the animated court on that system's formation page, so the builder and the formation pages always agree. Drag players to try your own variations.
New to rotations? How rotation and the serve and receive views work
How rotation works
Six players start in the six court zones: 4, 3 and 2 along the net (left to right) and 5, 6 and 1 in the back row. Each time your team wins the serve back from the other team (a side-out), everyone moves one spot clockwise: 2 to 1, 1 to 6, 6 to 5, 5 to 4, 4 to 3 and 3 to 2. The player who moves into zone 1 serves. After six rotations the team is back where it started.
Serve and receive: two views of every rotation
- Serve: your team serves. The server stands behind the end line, and the other five get ready to defend.
- Receive: the other team serves. Players line up to pass, often stacked so the best passers take the ball and the setter can reach the net quickly. They must keep their rotational order until the ball is served.
Deep dive: the libero, US rules and what the builder simplifies
Libero substitutions
In the 6-2 and 5-1 the libero replaces the middle blockers in the back row, exactly as on those formation pages. Turn the libero off and the middle blockers stay on court in every rotation, on the same spots. The 6-6, 4-2 and 4-2 with middle blockers pages don't use a libero, so the builder doesn't either.
Can the libero serve?
Under FIVB rules the libero may not serve, so in the rotation where a middle blocker is in zone 1, the middle blocker serves. That is what the builder shows by default. In the US (USA Volleyball, NFHS high school and NCAA women's), the libero may serve in one rotation position per set: choose the US rule sets and pick the rotation. NCAA men's rules don't allow the libero to serve. See the libero page for more.
One point per player
Referees judge the position of the players' feet, and standing level with a neighbour is legal. The builder uses one point per player, so it accepts players who are exactly level. If a player is on the wrong side by no more than one arrow-key step, it shows “too close to call” with a dotted line instead of an overlap, because only the feet can settle it. Anything further out of order is an overlap.
Your data, links and printing
Names stay in your browser. “Copy link” puts the system, names and moved positions in the part of the link after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server; anyone you share the link with sees the names. The builder keeps your last lineup in this browser's storage until you press “Clear lineup”. “Print receive rotations” prints all six receive rotations on one A4 or Letter page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the serving team have to avoid overlapping?
Under FIVB rules (since 2025), no: only the receiving team must be in rotational order at the serve. USA Volleyball, NFHS and NCAA women's rules require both teams to be in order, except the server. In NCAA men's play from the 2026–27 season, players may leave their positions once the server's motion begins.
Where does the libero play in a 5-1?
The libero replaces the middle blocker in the back row. Under FIVB rules the libero doesn't serve, so the middle blocker serves in that rotation; USA Volleyball, NFHS and NCAA women's rules let the libero serve in one rotation position per set, but NCAA men's rules don't.
Are the names I type stored anywhere?
Only in your browser. Nothing is sent to Learn Volley: the builder keeps your last lineup in this browser, and "Copy link" puts it in the part of the link after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server.