What Is A Good Hitting Percentage In Volleyball?

In volleyball, hitting percentage is a tracked statistic that is actually quite important. While you may not see these stats unless you’re in a high-level program, many coaches do track this statistic and use it to help improve their team.

What is a good hitting percentage in volleyball? A good hitting percentage in volleyball is a total of 0.300 and up. Anything over 0.300 is excellent and anything in the range of 0.200 is considered average. The 0.100 total range is slightly below average but still shows that a hitter is scoring for the team.

When you’re talking about the stat, we say 300, not 0.300 or “point three hundred.” People that know the sport will understand it if you just say the number as if it’s not a decimal.

How To Calculate Your Hitting Percentage

How is it worked out? Hitting percentage is calculated by tallying up all the kills, deducting the hitting errors, and then dividing the result by the total number of attacks made, or swings taken.

So if you wrote it in a formula it would be (K-E)/TA=PCT.

Where…

K = Kills

E = Errors (when you make a hitting error)

TA = Total Attempts

PCT = Your Hitting Percentage

Tracking And Calculating The Statistics

When you track these stats, you will put a + for every kill, a – for every error, but what about an attack that is kept in play? Those are called zero attacks, and when we’re tracking the stat, we put a 0.

So an example match would be +00++-0+00-0-00+-++0

So tallying the results would be 7 kills, 4 errors and 9 zero attacks for a total of 20 attempts.

So then 7-4=3 3/20= 0.150 or what we would call 150.

Why Is Hitting Percentage Even Calculated?

Your hitting percentage is basically your measurement for hitting efficiency. So looking at these stats can provide valuable insights into your volleyball game. It is not unusual for coaches of competitive teams to spend time scrutinizing the statistics after a volleyball match.

Do you want a hitter who attacks over and over but never seems to get a kill? Or how about the hitter that gets just as many errors as kills? When you track hitting efficiency you may find out one of your hitters is actually earning a lot of points and being efficient and going unnoticed.

Calculating your volleyball hitting percentage is important to your overall game strategy, as it indicates whether you score more points for your own team or help to make it easy for the opposing team. No team wants a mediocre hitting percentage.

Most competitive teams want to see a hitting percentage of 0.300 and above, but this takes time, dedication, and a lot of practice. Read on to learn more about what hitting percentages mean and how to improve the hitting percentage for your team.

Is it time to begin the recruiting process? If so, make sure to check out our Complete Volleyball Recruiting Guide.

Calculating Volleyball Hitting Percentages Is Important, But Not The Only Factor

Calculating hitting percentages is important, as the totals you get can be used as a guide and tool to effectively determine just how skilled your hitters are. However, it is important not to get caught up in the numbers.

A volleyball team is about more than just stats and calculations. There is a lot more to be taken into consideration when sizing up each of your volleyball team’s players.

Strengths and weaknesses alone might be impressive or disappointing, but certain team members just work better together and this can sometimes warrant a slightly deflated hitting percentage.

As a rule of thumb in the volleyball world, hitting percentages mean less for younger players and start to mean more the older a player gets. This means that an older and more experienced player is expected to have a good hitting percentage with minimal errors. Younger players have time to grow and develop better hitting strategies and skills.

Another consideration is that like any statistic, they show a more true measurement over time. If you get on a bad streak you may have a very low, a zero, or even a negative hitting percentage for a game. That is not an accurate measurement of your skill.

So when evaluating a player’s statistics, the larger the sample, the more accurate that measurement is. Players shouldn’t obsess over each game’s statistics but instead reflect at the end of a tournament, or after several matches.

Deeper Insight Into Volleyball Hitting Percentages

As already mentioned, 300 and above is the ideal range for hitting percentages, with 200 still being good, and 100 is just below average but still workable.

What does it mean when the hitting percentage is 0? When a hitting percentage is 0, it means that statistically, they are a wash. This means that while they are not losing points for the team, they are also not scoring any points for the team.

This type of player is probably not going to fill you with inspiration, but it is a decent starting point for training and developing better hitting skills. Someone who starts out as a 0 hitter can actually become the best player on the team by focusing on making better choices during their attacks.

What is a bad hitting percentage in volleyball? If your hitting percentage is a negative number, your team is in trouble. Negative hitting percentages are often seen in younger and beginner players. This means the hitters are putting the ball in the net or out of bounds instead of putting it on the opponent’s floor.

This is why tracking hitting percentages is usually done for older or more experienced teams, as younger and beginner teams usually experience negative hitting percentages until skills and strategies are better developed.

What Is The Importance Of Hitting Percentages For The Player?

Most volleyball fans and players mistakenly place all of their attention on kills. Each kill seems to make a team or player more successful, but it is about more than that. The hitting percentage is more important because it uncovers just how efficient a player is overall, not just in certain situations, or by fluke.

When hitters want to be recruited to competitive teams, it is a good idea for them to know what their hitting percentage is. This is actually a good starting point for a hitter to know what their strengths and weaknesses are.

In some instances, a team member will believe that their hitting skills are fantastic simply because they get a few kills towards the end of the game at just the right time, and score for the team. Often, they fail to consider the many missed hits that they may have made at the start and throughout the game.

What is a college volleyball coach or competitive external coach looking for when recruiting hitters? This is where hitting percentage plays a rather important role. Coaches (and team members) want hitters that attack zeros and pluses with very few negatives. Coaches want hitters who play a clean game and do not take chances just for the sake of a swing at the ball.

Most middle schools and junior volleyball teams will not take much time to calculate hitting percentages. Players can actually learn to determine their own hitting percentage by noting down hitting stats.

This is also a great way for parents to keep track of how their young hitter is doing, keep count of that statistic for them and use it for something to talk about to show them you’re engaged.

Take a moment to read over our 8 Fantastic Volleyball Hitting Drills for ideas on how to improve your hitting.

Hitting Percentage Goals For Different Volleyball Positions

When it comes to game strategy, hitting percentage is quite important. Swinging for a kill is not always the best strategy. In most instances hitting a controlled shot is the better move.

Some players can feel that they need to swing for a kill rather than play the ball and defend because the team places importance on kills instead of on hitting percentage. When hitting percentages are put on the back seat, you might make unforced errors and give free points awarded to the opposition team as a result.

Each player position should aim for a hitting percentage that is based on the type and quality of sets they are being served. As a team, the following positions should aim for the following approximate hitting percentage goals:

• Overall team hitting percentage goal: 300
• Middle blockers hitting percentage goal: 400
• Outside and opposite hitting percentage goal: 250

How To Improve Volleyball Hitting Percentage

Being a smart hitter is the best way to improve your hitting percentage. Younger players may try to prove themselves by unloading on every hit. You shouldn’t do this if you want to improve your hitting percentage.

To improve your volleyball hitting percentage, it is highly recommended that you look at the block before hitting. Players do not often get the chance (or think) to look at where the block is positioned before hitting the ball, especially if the play is fast at the time.

To improve hitting percentage, take the time to look at their block before hitting. When you are aware of the block, note how many blockers you have facing you.

If there is only one blocker on you, unload on the ball away from the block. A good move is for hitters to hit an angled shot that is diagonal across the court. If you have a single blocker on you, swing aggressively to get the kill across the angle. This will raise your hitting percentage as it is a calculated and strategic move that’s most likely to result in a kill.

When you have multiple blockers you have to look for a gap and decide if you can play the ball through their block. Sometimes you’ll be able to hit around the block because they haven’t gotten into the right position quickly enough. You have to make that decision in the heat of the moment.

Another option is to play a tip or even a volley if the situation calls for it. When you get a bad set or when the other team is well-positioned for a double block, consider making the smart play and tip it just over their reach or volley it deep to an open space in the court.

By not forcing every opportunity to be a predictable, normal attack, you’re going to be more efficient. You’ll keep the other team more off-guard and avoid some frustrating stuff blocks.

The Outcomes Of Monitoring Your Team’s Volleyball Hitting Percentages

Obviously, hitting percentages can help to highlight the best hitters in a team, but monitoring and tracking volleyball hitting percentages can also tell the coach and team captains imperative things about the hitters and team. Some of the outcomes and questions answered include:

• Are some of the hitters making it too easy for the opposing team to score when the sets being given are not ideal?
• Which hitters are hitting shots that make it hard for the opposition team to defend?
• Which hitters are underperforming and easy to get digs off of?
• Do hitters know when to play conservatively like possibly pulling up for a tip or a lob hit instead of hitting with the same old swing?
• Can the team be coached to make better hitting decisions, so as to improve hitting percentages?
• Should players be shuffled around so that stronger hitters take on more of the responsibility?

Last Word On Hitting Percentages In Volleyball

While an excellent hitting percentage in volleyball is an important aim for any team, there is no need to lose hope if your team’s hitting percentage is a little less than perfect. There is every reason to believe that with consistent training, strategic hitting, and teamwork, that your hitting percentages can steadily climb and even start to exceed 300. If you aren’t already monitoring your hitting percentages, now may be the perfect time to start.

A critical part of improving your hitting is executing with solid technique. Check out our post on how to Nail Your Hand Position While Spiking next!

Photo credits:

Feature image by 2017 Canada Summer Games on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Florida attack image by Matt Pendleton on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Player #13 image by Neon Tommy on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Player #5 attack image by Grzegorz Jereczek on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Beach attack image by Funk Dooby on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, cropped.