6.11 Screening
12.5 SCREENING
12.5.1 The players of the serving team must not prevent their opponent, through individual or collective screening, from seeing the service hit and the flight path of the ball.
12.5.2 A player or a group of players of the serving team make(s) a screen by waving arms, jumping or moving sideways during the execution of the service, or by standing grouped, in order that both the service hit and the flight path of the ball are hidden until the ball reaches the vertical plane of the net. Should either be visible to the receiving team this is not a screen.
12.5.3
Any player of the serving team is forbidden to raise hands above the head during service, until the ball has passed beyond the net. The 1st referee is permitted to caution (advise) a team through the game captain, if he/she suspects that it is deliberately screening.
Guidelines, Rule 12 (5)
Referees must be more zealous in taking care of the teams' intentions to create a screen and prevent from the beginning of the game that the teams abuse the screening rule with the excuse of "tactical strategy." Therefore, when a team is CLEARLY GROUPED with the intention of screening, or players are with hands above head height (they may, however, protect their heads for safety reasons but must not rise their hands above the head), the referee can indicate this to the serving team, by blowing his/her whistle, to separate the players, and, if they do not do so, the 1st referee MUST CALL THE SCREEN after the service. It is necessary that ALL referees apply these instructions from the beginning of the matches, to reverse this trend that affects the fair play.
The wording of this rule makes it clear that a team must restrict the view of the service hit AND at the flight path of the ball. If one or more players are moving or irritating the opponent by waving their arms or jumping at the moment of the service hit, a screen should be called.
However, the addition of 12.5.3 means that the referee must issue a warning once when players are standing grouped and/or raising their hands above their heads (see guidelines) and, if the players do not comply, call a screen.
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