How can I be an excellent hitter....?

Question

I am 6' tall and I am in eighth grade. I am plannig on trying out for volleyball in August, and it sounds like, because I am so tall, I would be best as a middle blocker/hitter.

I know the basic tecniques of volleyball, but I am not that great.

I really need to work on my jumping, especially because I am so tall, people expect me to jump high. How do I increase my vertical jump.

My hitting and serving both need work. I am training alone, so its hard for me to practice hitting. Any ideas on how to get my hits perfect in -four months- by myself?

All I am going off of is my own judgement, so how do I know if I am doing it right......

Thanks so much!

Answer 1

ok so my team won the volleyball championships, and they said to jump higher work your leg muscles. like run.and then for hitting or serving the ball over hand get muscles. tighten them arms up. we had a strict coach and we ran and practiced alot!

Answer 2

heyy!

im in 8th grade too :)

okay; so if you are 6'; then you will most likely be a middle hitter/blocker; as you said.

thats what i am :) even though i'm kinda short; i can jump really high.

--so to hit a volleyball:

1. WAIT FOR THE BALL TO BE SET! so you know where it is going; before you take an approach; so you don't over/under run the ball)

2. if you are right handed; start with your left foot (opposite if you are left handed) then take another step with your right foot; and then plant your left foot next to your right one. then jump!

as you are doing this; swing your arms back; and swing them forward as you jump; to increase momentum

make sure you swing your arm as hard as you can (with your aim still being accurate); snap your wrist; and swing your arm all the way through; so your hit will be hard

3.make sure you have down your approach; then start to practice with the ball.

timing may be hard for you to get at first; you just have to watch the ball; and learn how to 'read' it.

4. if you have beams or a lower ceiling in your house; just practice taking an approach; and jumping as high as you can; i do this all the time; and now i can jump higher than most of the girls on my highschool's team; and i'm only 5'3!

5. do  leg exercises like squats; lunges; running/jogging; and i use leg weight lifting exercise equipment to increase my leg strength so i can jump higher

--for serving; the steps are:

1. hold the ball straight out in front of you; over your right leg (assuming you are right handed; if you are left haned; everything is the opposite) and extend your right arm back and hold it by your ear.

this is called 'presenting the ball'

2. then take a step with your left foot; as you are stepping; toss the ball straight into the air (you may want to just practice tossing until you get it down)

3. then take another step with your right foot; and swing your arm back; and hit the ball.  try to aim very high; yet still forward.

4. make sure you are strong enough to just throw the ball over the net from where you serve; becuase if you can't you wouldn't be able to get it over the net easily

5. practice; and be patient; it took me about a year to learn how to overhand serve; and it can be very tricky!

there is no way really to be able to practice hitting by yourself; but if you have a friend over or any siblings; just get a volleyball and have them throw it up; and take your approach and hit it.

or if you really want to; you could buy a special hitting trainer; called 'spike it' which costs about $100-$200; but it works very well. i got one for christmas; and i use it almost every day!

for serving; just get a volleyball and practice serving it against a wall or the side of your house (if your parents allow you to)

okay so i typed like a lot; but i could type more; but im too lazy. haha.

if you have any more questions just ask me; i know like everything that there is to know about volleyball! :)

i hope this helps! and makes sense! lol.

Answer 3

Just do alot of practicing I am also in 8th grade and a blocker/hitter and i am 5'8 but just practice!!!

Answer 4

I would just lift some weights if you can to become stronger and be able to hit the ball harder and for serving a little farther. for jumping do some lunges, they hurt but you get used it. Buy a net and set it up and buy a volleyball and practice everyday until tryouts

Answer 5

To be a great hitter you need to be able to jump with momentum and get your approach down.

Answer 6

I am not going to argue against any other answerers, just wanted to point out a few things that I feel more important, as an "old" MB/MH.

At 14, you do NOT want to go into the weight room. You may run the treadmill in the gym, but please stay away from weight machines... because you are too young to do that.

As a middle hitter, you do things differently from what OH does. OH hits the ball wherever it gets set, MH hits the ball your play calls. If you hit 1-ball, you need to jump before the setter touch the ball, and let the setter decide how the ball goes into your hitting palm (or not, which means you do the fake fast and the ball goes to the OH).

You can do some basic jump-rope stuff to train your muscles. Your coach will let you know when it would be appropriate for you to do weight training, with personal trainer on site watching you. Any mistake on a young body could cost your whole volleyball career.

While you are still in middle school, I think you just need to get to know more about the game of volleyball with the help of the following website (http://volleyball.about.com), and get ready for some fun games.

Answer 7

I used to have the same problem. Join a v-ball club or something so you can practice with out the pressure of competition.

What I did was at home, I found a BIG wall (the side of my house) and everyday after school and all day on the weekends just practice hitting it hard. Throw the ball against the wall and jump up and block it. It's fun and helps! Good Luck1

Answer 8

Work on your approach, left, right, left and don't forget the arm swing

Answer 9

Well since your tall you're definately going to be a hitter. I love hitting I'm 5 "9" so I know what its like tobe tall. Anyway the first thing you need to have to be a good hitter is a good toss. A good toss should be slightly in front of you and go 2 balls higher than your fingertips. Keep your left foot in frint of your right foot and step into your swing. Make sure to swing all the way through so you get more power. Make sure your arm extends to its full length when you swing so it has a better chance of being a good hit. Jumping is something that tall are supposed to be able to do but I cant get more than 7 inches off the ground. Your jump won't be that important since your so tall but skipping for 15-20 minutes everyday will help. I hope this helps! Good luck in your tryouts!

Answer 10

You can actually do some practice by yourself - first you need to purchase a cheap practice volleyball.  Cheap because you're going to use it outside against brick or concrete walls, etc. Throw the ball up, like for a set, then go forward and spike it against the wall - at the same kind of angle you expect to.  This is to get you confident in moving forward at any set, and to get your spike working properly. Use a bent elbow and straighten it, and upon contact with the ball, add the extra wrist movement (which adds spin - so that the ball will go over the blockers, etc).  When you serve aim for the top of the net, and you should see the ball roll over the net, showing that the spin is working properly.

You can warm up - by practising the elbow flick - no need to use the ball. Just do it slowly at first, then faster and faster.

Just flicking your elbow - straightening your arm.  Your shoulder muscles should not be used at all. Shoulder spikers get sore shoulders later on - and they wonder why?

You can practise setting by yourself - use the correct fingering technique - and set vertically or against a wall (inside or out).

You just can't practice any digging by yourself.

Once you've done the above - say in 20 minutes sessions minimum - after a month of doing this, whenever you can... it's time to get one or more friends involved.

If they can practice volleyball with you - great! You can dig, set and spike at each other - your ball handling skills should improve greatly.  You don't really need a net - just get together somewhere and pass the ball around, eventually setting and spiking (and saving) at each other.

Watch some beach volleyball - to see the basic techniques in action, and study them.

A few months practice with friends - will get you well prepared.  But there's nothing like playing some games though - so if you can find an open gym, where volleyball is played, and can join in?  Some churches may play volleyball regularly - maybe you can just join in there? For the volleyball only - it doesn't hurt to ask around...

With your jumping - you just need to be balanced and land properly - not on anyone's foot.. Wear proper shoes - anything that covers the ankle - like basketball boots?  You definitely need the ankle protection.

Do a spike serve against the wall. Just hold the ball up and just hit like a spike. Then you can try throwing the ball up - either will do, as long as you add the spin.

Develop the windmill serve.  It is a great serve to have.  Watch someone do it?  China women's team seems to have used it a lot in the past... You can add extra spin with this, also when tired, it's great to use - you use your bodyweight and relax - you can do it all night...

Have fun - good luck! You won't need any luck, when you have practiced enough...

Answer 11

use this program to increase your vertical.

http://www.ultimatehandbook.com/Webpages...

i use it and it works great. i am now on week 4 and my vert has increase 2".

i have two ways you can practice your hitting. one is harder to do, but the other requires a buddy or parent. both require you to put a string, pole or net up at 7'4". for the first one, throw the ball high in the air with lots of backspin. try to get the ball to land right in front of the net (this is the hard part). do your approach while the ball is in the air (left-right-left) and jump when the ball hits the ground. then hit the ball down over the pole/string/net aiming for imaginary corners of the court and snapping your wrist. method two is the one with a buddy. have your buddy stand next to the string/pole/net towards the middle. they hold the ball, and you do your approach to them. when you jump, they toss the ball right in front of your right hand, and you swing through, elbow first. this is a toss-one, also try toss-twos, the person tosses the ball before you start your approach.

for your serve, try this method

1. stand with the ball in your left palm, and your right hand on top of the ball, left foot forward

2. bring your right arm back, keeping your elbow high.

3. toss the ball to the straight up, it should land to the right of your left foot.

4. step with your left foot

5. swing through the ball, leading with your elbow and hitting the ball with an open hand on the palm. keep your wrist firm so the ball floats more.

the only way to know if you are doing it correctly is to watch the college level of play. to know where you stand among your peers, you must watch them play. search "How to Play Volleyball" on youtube to get a few more pointers, and go play whenever you can. have fun.