Blog – Page 19 – Better At Volleyball

If you’re new to the volleyball world you may hear someone refer to the 3 types of hits in volleyball and wonder - which 3? The 3 types of hits are: bump, volley and spike, or more modernly called pass, set and kill (or hit). This may seem like a confusing list to start with but it really is quite simple once you understand each category. Is It A Bump or A Pass? When I was growing up it was always called a bump. This is the first hit when the ball comes over the net whether it’s a serve, a hit or a free ball. This is the hit where the player is creating a platform with their arms and hitting it underhand. So why do coaches and players call it a pass? The answer is one of intention. Coaches have realized over the years that simply coaching a player to “bump” is creating the idea that it’s okay to just send the ball up into the air with little thought as to where you are sending it. The word “pass” implies that you are sending the ball to your teammate, giving it to them on purpose. This is critical to being successful at even the earliest beginner levels. Proper passing takes focus Coaches and parents should refrain from celebrating for just keeping the ball up in the air. Our players need to be passing the ball in a controlled, targeted way to their setter to help their team progress through the play. Think about what’s implied in any other sport when you refer to a pass that goes nowhere near the correct teammate. It’s a negative thing, a busted play. In football, this leads to an incomplete pass or interception. In basketball, you’re giving up a turnover. Volleyball is no different when a player simply bumps the ball up with no direction, it becomes a busted play that has to be rescued. Coaches should absolutely celebrate when players execute good passes to the setter’s position whether it’s off of serve receive, a free ball or a hit. When your team can consistently make good passes to their setter you’re laying the foundation for a good game. Communication is key in volleyball and players should be calling the ball as early as possible with a “MINE” or “I GOT IT”. As they are making the hit they should be aiming for their setter’s position, whether they are there or not. If the setter is scrambling for some reason they may choose to give the ball a little more height to give their setter time, but they need to still be sending the ball to the right location. To learn about the fundamental skills of volleyball, click here. Setting and Volleying Almost every time the ball comes over the net, the plan will be to use all 3 hits to execute a very aggressive play back at the other team. The second of those hits will be the set. The majority of setters use the volley as their main tool for setting. The volley is an overhead hit that uses both hands where your fingers are absorbing the ball and sending it back up. The hands must make contact simultaneously to prevent being called for a “double hit”. The volley is used for maximum control of the ball because a good setter can become extremely accurate and consistent in providing the ball to any location to set their teammate up for a great striking opportunity. So why is it called a set instead of a volley? Again the idea is intention. “Volley” is the mechanics of how most setters will play the ball the majority of the time. Setting the ball implies you are delivering a quality ball for your next player’s attack. Think of the other ways we use the word set or setting; setting the table or setting an appointment. You are arranging things in order and making a plan. This implies a calculated decision, the setter intends to deliver the ball at the right time, to the right place. Your setter is often referred to as the quarterback of your volleyball team and this is why: they are controlling how this offensive play is going to develop. They are not simply volleying the ball into the air to see what happens or who might come to get it. They are making a plan and setting a goal. Ultimately your team wants to make the point, but to do their part, the setter is placing the ball into the air at the right height and distance from the net to help their hitter absolutely dominate the competition. Communication between the setters and hitters is crucial. The hitters and setters need to know as many details about where they’re agreeing the ball will end up as possible. At beginner levels hitters usually call out their position if they are ready and wait to see if the setter chooses them. The setters select the hitter and give them the best ball they can while calling out their name. At more advanced levels the setting becomes more and more precise. Will it be a quick set (just barely rising above the net) or will it be several ball heights at a traditional pace? My daughter’s high school team uses a system that’s more like coordinates to place the ball, it takes the targeting to a whole different level. You may see teams that have multiple players approaching and calling and going through the motion of the attack. This is completely normal and usually planned. This makes it more difficult for the defense to know who to block until the ball leaves the setters hands. When the decoys are convincing, the defense may have to defend both the actual hitter and the fake. You may have picked up on the fact that I hinted to earlier, that not every setter makes their volley their default hit. Some setters have developed such strong and controlled bumping passes that they are actually more consistent and successful at setting using that as their main tool. While that’s not traditional, it can certainly be effective. Typically players don’t have as much control with a bump pass as with a volley, but coaches may find especially in the middle school years that they have a player that excels at this. Although this is not normally encouraged, it can be used if that’s the most effective way for your offense to set. For a more detailed guide to setting, click here. Spiking, Hitting and Killing So this is where the magic happens, in the third hit. If your team has executed the first 2 hits properly, your team should have a great opportunity to score at this moment. So why do they call it a “hit” or “kill” instead of a spike? If you read the above sections, you’ve probably already guessed it. Intention! When a coach tells a player, “I want you to kill that ball,” the meaning is different. You can feel it in your gut. It’s not just about jumping up there and swinging, it’s about ending the point, putting that ball on the floor. So the hit is when the player approaches the ball, aggressively jumps, loads their arm back and spikes the ball to the target they select on the other team’s side. Some players are outside hitters and others play the middle. Although their positions look the same, they are surprisingly different. But they are both focussed on taking that third hit in the most offensive way possible to attack their opponents. To learn more about hitting, click here. What About All the Other Kinds of Hits? Of course there are so many other legal and necessary hits in volleyball. We haven’t mentioned serves or tips. There are one-armed saves and all variation of blocks. There are a wide variety of hits that can happen. But these 3 types of hits are the core of volleyball. If your team masters these 3 types of hits they will be a strong team who executes strong defense and offense which means they will be a very tough team to beat. Photo Credits: Feature Image from pixabay.com: https://pixabay.com/service/license/ Passing image by skeeze on pixabay.com: https://pixabay.com/service/license/ Setting image by KLM volleyball on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ Beach spiking image by Funk Dooby on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ - cropped for size Dig image by AJ Guel on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/