High School Volleyball...help!?

Question

I've never played volleyball for school, and I'm only ok at it. But I have a huge interest in it, and am taking a volleyball class next semester so that I'll know the proper way to play, because I'd like to try out for the team. But in case that isn't enough, are there any volleyball players with some tips? Any tips will help, and if there are any good web sites for this, I'd be grateful if you'd let me know. But some things I'm concerned about:

1 How do you hit the ball correctly? Whenever I use a bump, it really hurts, no matter how I do it.

2 Serving. Plainly put: I suck. Tips and even step by step instructions, I really don't care how you tell me.

3 spiking- do you have to know how to do this in order to make the volleyball team? If so, how do you do it? I'm not that tall, I'm only 5''3 1/2. And I can jump high, but not that high.

And if you have any other advice that you have, please let me know. I really want to make the team next year. Thanks! :)

Answer 1

http://volleyball.about.com/ check out the left hand side for more information

Answer 2

1. your forarms have to get use to the ball hit  in there when I first started playing I would really hurt to.

2.If you are right handed put the ball in your left hand and then hold your arms stright out, then bring your right elbow back, then toss the ball over your or a little higher  and when the ball gets like to the top of you head like swing your arm with alot of power and hit the ball with your palm. Also take a step with your left foot while you swing and it will give you more power.

3.yes you do.

Answer 3

Okay this is my 6th year playing varsity volleyball at my school because i started in 7th grade and now i am a senior so i wll give you all the help i can and i hope it helps.

1. The easiest way to learn how to pass is to buy a one gallon milk jug. Set the milk jug on the floor and then stand above it, feet slightly wider than your shoulders, keep the milk jug slightly in front of your bod. Then bend your knees keeping your back straight and eyes forward, lock your arms into the passing position until you can feel the handle of the milk jug with your index fingers. Then pick up the milk jug with your two fingers and rise up with your knees still keeping your back straight and eyes up and the jug squarely between your legs. This technique is excellent for learning not to bend at the waist making it difficult to see your target. If you learn this early it will help train your body to always maintain the proper stance when passing and eliminate many of the bad habits that creep into player's technique if you are not taught correctly from the beginning. As for having pain when you pass it is likely you are doing it wrong. Try this: start with your arms apart (while waiting for the serve or attack) with your hands in front of your slightly pointed forward (at a 45 degree angle to the floor). It is hard enought to get to the ball so dont try moving with your hands clasped together. Second look at your feet make sure they are not side by side but staggered to stay balanced. 3rd sit, get your butt down. if your butt is stuck up in the air and you are bending completely at the waist then dont expect to be pain free. And 4th dont swing your arms just let the ball hit your arms push up with your knees to get the ball up not your arms...you will have no control over the ball once you swing at it

2. In preparing to serve, stand in a semicrouched position with the lead toe pointing toward the target and with your body weight predominantly on the back foot. your nonserving arm should be bent at a 90 degree angle at your elbow and should be head comfortably so the the ball is in the front of your navel when placed in your hand. Your hitting arm should hang comfortably at your side. Your hitting hand can be held in a variety of forms, fist, paddle hand or open hand. In any case, your contact point will be the same in the meat part of your hand. All seriving techniques use a two contact rhythm. On the count of one, your hitting arm is ****** and is brought back past your hips and the weight of your body is transferred from the back foot to the front foot. On the count of two your hitting arm is swung forward and your hips are turned toward your target and then the ball is contacted by the lower part of your palm. Contact should be made with the middle of your hitting hand as the weight shifts to the front foot. it is important to swing yyour arm in line with the intended flight of the ball. In addition you must focus on the ball during the hitting motion. To complete an effective serve, your hitting hand should accelerate throughout the swing with the greatest acceleration occuring just prior to ball contact.

3. you have to work on your jumps. Get a jump box which is about 2 feet off the ground and start on the top and jump down and right back up with out pausing. do about 10 of these repeditive before stopping. I usually do 3 sets of 15 everyday but you have to work up to that. Also do alot of jump roping and make sure you bring your knees to your chest when you jump rope that will also give you more height. Also weight bearing exercises that work your legs will give you more strength which will make you jump higher. If you have stairs run up them several times a day. You have to build your legs up to make you jump higher and when you increase the height of your jump then your hands will come over the net. I am an outside hitter/blocker and i am 5'3'' and i thought i would never be able to get over the net and now i can jump higher then the 5'8'' players on our team it just takes practice dont give up. It is not required on most teams that i know of in Alabama to know how to spike in order to be on the team but it is usually a good thing to be able to it sets you apart from all the rest.

Well i hope all of this helps and i hope you do try out and make the team. Volleyball is an awesome sport. I love it...i cant believe that i only have 2 weeks left of my high school volleyball season. But i plan on playing in college. Good luck to ya and if you have any more questions just contact me!

Answer 4

when i started my arms hurt to i think its normal. i am a spiker but no u dont have to be able to spike to make a team it helps but it is not essencial the best way i find to spike is.

stand in the bass position for recieve (2m in from side line 1m behind 3m line) when the ball is thrown in or passed to the setter take 2 big sidesteps to the lefthave your left leg back and wait till the ball has left the setters hands as the ball is reachin its peak in the air you should step with your left leg 1st swing arms infront together then right swing arms behind as the 3rd step your left leg comes paralell with your right leg ant you reach up with both arms as you jump. keep left arm up like a sight where you want the ball to go and pull right arm back to take a big swing when the ball crosses your path swing with right arm and pull left arm into body keeping good posture this is how i hit and it works well i hope it dose for you this is for a right handed hitter!

Answer 5

1. when u hit, squat and raise up to hit it. dont swing your arms with it.and the reason it hurts is cuz u havent played long enough 2 get used to the pain.

2.its easier 2 over hand serve. all u do is throw it in the air and lean into it and the slap the ball as hard as u can.

3.to spike u need to swing ur arms behind u 2 get a higher jump and then hit it. when u hit it pop ur rist and the bring ur arm all the way through. then it should go far and not so deep. u dont want it to go deep cuz u might hit it to hard and make an out.

GOOD LUCK AND EMAIL ME FOR ANY OTHER ANSWERS!

Answer 6

the best way to hit the ball is if is up your chest with your arms and if is down your chest you bump(no it doesn't hurt)

1-when you serve you don't trow it to height then  do like a circle with your hand. And you have to practice a lot i have played 6 years volleyball and i started serving good 1 year ago jeje i know. I'm smaller than you and i don't usually jump but if you know how to jump it might help

Answer 7

i have a great idea...s***w all the tips and join and volleyball club. its like travel soccer of whatever. You play a lot and its good for you. tryouts are around the end of october;

Answer 8

1. bumping gets easier the more you do it. Your arms will get used to the sting and shortly you won't even notice it.

2. serving takes practice. it takes a nice hige toss and a strong step into the ball.

3. spiking will come with practice. the higher you jump the better. practice is key.

you may want to look into your local colleges and highschools to see if any camps are offered.  in the northeast there are several camps available in the summer for highschool age girls and boys. also in the southwest there's alot of playing throughout the year. depends on where you live.

good luck!!

Answer 9

try asking the volleyball coach if he/she knows of any club leagues that are around your area that you can join while your in off season

Answer 10

when u hit the ball bump it dont swing ur arms and its ok if ur not good at serving jst keep on practing well i dont really know how to spike the ball and setting the ball is okay but if u do set the ball always put it up not across up

Answer 11

Don't worry about your size.  Shorter players are often used in the back row away from the net, because it's easier for them to react to balls hit near the floor.  Playing in the back row, it is a disadvantage to be tall.  As far as serving goes, concentrate on accuracy.  If you keep playing for a long time, you can learn to hit hard, aggressive serves.  But for a beginner, it is very important to just get the ball over the net and in bounds.

Answer 12

Hey Chika good luck... i just wanted to say that you want to be as simple as you can when you pass, hit, and serve. I am a middle blocker for a varsity team in Wyoming and itz the bomb. When you learn your 4 step aproach, use your arms, they help you jump higher, swing through and snap your wrist, it will make the ball drop onto the court, and never leave early, always wait for the setter to set the ball... thats for hitting. For serving you want to stoss... and in stoss i mean 1. step, 2 toss, and 3 swing. always follow through and swing towards target, well i hope i helped you and good luck!!

Answer 13

I played volleyball when I was in jr.high and in highschool.So I don't know if this will help but I will try!!

1.we always said make a tabletop with your arms and get down real low,and shrug your shoulders when you hit.

2.don't worry i sucked at it too but i got better,to some people its the easiest thing to me it was the hardest.it depends on what kinf of serve u are doing.if u are doing the overhand throw it up -straight up and make sure u aim your arm where you want it to go.and hit it hard!

3.i think u can spike if you really tried there was this one girl on the time she was about your height and she was an awsome spiker!! as long as you use the correct form the u will hit it over,do exercises to work out your calves on your legs,to improve your jump..it really helps!! good luck,i hoped i helped.

Answer 14

1.) Until your forearms get used to bumping or are numb, yes, it's going to hurt a bit. To get used to it, try practicing more at home. As for correct hitting, just make sure your arms stay straight and bend your knees instead of swinging.

2.) Overhand is hard. If you're a beginner, I would use underhand. If you're right handed, start with your left leg back. Hold the ball in your left hand. Pull your right hand back and make a fist with your palm up. Then step forward with your right leg and at the same time swing your right hand forward and make contact with the ball. Keep in mind the height of the ceiling and the angle of your arm.

3.)I can't help you with spiking. I'm not sure how important it is on your team, but my sister and I are terrible at spiking, but we both made the team.

* team work and sportmanship are musts.

*practice outside of school. esp. with stretches and other excercises

Answer 15

Teamwork is the key.  Ask your friends on the team for tips and listen to your coach. Practice Practice Practice

Answer 16

I am in a volleyball team, tip, when serving dont throw the ball too high, u need 2 learn with a friend that knows, it took me 9 months 2 learn the usual serve, now i am a bad ***, once got 20 poits 4 it!!!

Answer 17

Hey dont worry i suck at Serving to!!! i am in Volleyball and Hey you are about Tallness as me!! LOL!! well anyways!! Volleyball isnt that hard all that you have to do is:

These are the 3 main words in V-ball!!

1. Bump

2.Set

3. Spike  

Well anyways thats all that you pretty much need to know!!

Good Luck!!*

Answer 18

First of all, I think it's great that you are showing so much interest in the sport and care enough that you are asking people for ways to make yourself better.  That, in my opinion, is the first step to success.  I've been playing volleyball since my 4th grade year, and I'm a senior and captain of my varsity squad now.  I'll try to explain things thoroughly but at the same time, short sweet and down to the point.

Before I start answering your questions, if you would like, you can e-mail me at [e-mail] or MSN message me at [e-mail] with more questions or if you want a one on one question and answer session.  I'd be more than happy to help!

1)  Passing aggravates almost all players when they start because their forearms aren't used to the contact.  Make sure your hands are clasped correctly, either in a two-handed fist with your thumbs pointed down to the ground or slightly cupped around each other with the thumbs also down.  Create the flattest platform you can with your forearms, "sit" low instead of bending over, and try to make contact with the ball on the flat area between your wrists and elbows.  Always remember that the lower you are to the ground, the better and more controlled your pass will be.  Shrug your shoulders as you contact the ball, don't let your arms swing above your shoulders, and always face your target, or where you want the ball to end up.

2)  Serving is always a difficult task for those who haven't had the opportunity to learn the underhand serve first.  I'm assuming you haven't, so I'll try to walk you through an overhand nevertheless, as most high schools demand overhand serves.  Judging from your height, you're going to need to generate as much power as possible from your preparation, so I'll walk you through a two-step overhand.  The crucial component is your toss.  If your toss is off, then your whole serve is in jeopardy.  Now, assuming you are right-handed, stand with your left foot forward and pointing straight at your target destination.  The ball should be gently cradled in your left hand, and most of your weight should be centered over your right foot.  Your right hand can be in one of two positions:  I prefer resting lightly on the top of the ball, but you can have your arm resting loosely at your side.  Now, your first step is forward with your right leg, just to gain some momentum.  When you continue on to take a step with your left, toss the ball around four or so feet in the air straight up.  Try to place the ball directly in front of the right side of your body.  Now, using your left arm as a guide (in other words, keep it up and pointing at the ball as it makes its way up and down) time your swing to where you make contact at the highest point you possibly can.  You want to make contact on the side of the ball, not under it or on top of it.  Keep a stiff hand, and don't be afraid to swing!  It takes a bit of practice, so I suggest you practice against the wall until you get comfortable with the motions and with your swing.

3)  Taking into consideration your height, it doesn't sound like you'll be playing a front row position.  My team is pretty good, but we aren't a real powerhouse when it comes to the regional and state levels, and our shortest front row player (front row meaning playing on the net blocking and hitting primarily, just for reference) is around 5'6''.  For other reference, I'm a middle blocker and 6'.  So while you probably won't be doing much hitting, it's still important to know how to hit.  Our shortest player can still hit the ball very very well.  The trick to hitting is knowing how to hit the ball when you are at different areas of the court.  For instance, if you can get up high enough and are on the net, then you need to make contact with a stiff hand (just like on the serve) on the top of the ball and snap your wrist to get a topspin effect.  Of course, if you're halfway back on the court, then you need to go for more of a serve-type hit and contact the side or, if you're really far back, the bottom of the ball, but still snap your wrist to keep the ball in bounds.  Now, the fundamental to hitting is your approach.  Put simply, "Left Right Left."  Start with your right foot foward, then when the timing is right, start forward quickly with your left.  Then, push off of your left and land right foot first and left foot second immediately after, then explode upwards towards the ball.  Swing your arms forward for the first left step, then back for the next to to get leverage.

I'm sorry if this came out a little shaky and messy, but like I said, I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible.