Im gonna try out for the volleyball team...?

Question

at my school. what can i do to get to be a really good player? anybody out there that can help?

Answer 1

Yeah I Have A Few

Another skill that often makes or brakes a team is how well they execute spike defense.  Blocking a spike is often the most effective way to do this.  A successful block is accomplished when either the ball rebounds of the hands of the blocker and directly back into the opponent's court or deflects of the hands in such a way that the blocker's team may play the ball.  Blocking comes in two forms, single and multiple.  This week we will discuss single blocking.

A single block, where one person blocks the spike, is often not effective enough to stop a good spiker.  The idea is to take away as much as the court possible from the spiker.  Thus, leaving less of the court the blocker's team has to cover.  Ergo, by adding another player, double block, even less of the court is available to the hitter.  Usually, time dictates whether your team will employ a double or single block.  However, if time allows you should always put up a double block.  Another advantage to blocking is that by blocking the ball immediately back to the opponent's court this forces them to put up another attack.  The longer that a team has the ball the more likely it is that they will make an unforced error.

Single blocking is relatively easy.  The most important factor is where you set up your block.  Usually you want to be no more than one foot of the net and of course facing the opponent's.  Keep you hands up at shoulder level and palms facing forward.  Once the ball is set keep your eyes on the attacker.  Position yourself on the attackers hitting arm, aligning half a body length to the side of the hitter's hitting arm.

Timing is key and you want to time your jump so that you jump immediately after the attacker jumps.  Reach your hands over the top of the net penetrating into the opponent's side of the net and positioned on both side of the attacker's hitting arm.  You want to angle your hands slightly so that the ball will rebound off your hands and toward the middle of the opponent's court.  Whether or not you make contact with the ball, bring your hands back and land on two feet bending your knees to cushion the landing.  Immediately turn away from the net and look for the ball.

Normally net contact errors are made on blocking because the blocker penetrates too much, resulting in hitting the net on the way up, or fails to withdraw his hands on the way down.  Inexperienced blockers will also set up too far from the net and actually jump forward to block the ball subsequently jumping into the net.  Also, if you find that when blocking the ball the ball contacts your hands falls between you and the net, then you need to square your shoulders to the net more

Bump, Set, SPIKE!

Position (6-8 feet off the endline) - Move the server back behind the endline about 6 feet (2 meters or so). How can this help? Well, this not only eliminates foot fouling, but also removes the mental barrier which unconsciously lingers in a server’s mind, which is to stop when the serve reaches the endline to keep from foot-fouls. But we don’t want servers to stop: we want them to swing through and dash to their position on the court. Instead of thinking "Stop," they must be thinking "GO."

Posture, left foot pulled back (right foot for a lefty) - Have the right handed server plant her RIGHT foot forward. Then, as she tosses, she steps at the same time with her LEFT foot. Now, her entire body is moving with forward momentum toward the far court. Guess what? Without any great refinement on the toss and contact of the ball, the server will see an immediate increase in distance, because the laws of physics demand that greater force makes the object go further.

Aim for a target; while holding the ball with both hands at chest level.

Breath deeply.

Step with the left foot in the direction of the intended target, with hips swiveled bit to the right; (opposite for a left-hander) - Won't that give away my serve direction? A step with the left foot does not immediately give away the desired placement of the serve to the opposition, since they are usually watching the ball (which is why coaches ought to train their receivers to watch the server’s foot!).

Toss in one fluid motion, thinking "Nose to Toes;" and keeping your eyes on the ball - Another objection is that the one-step will mess up the toss. Let’s consider the toss: most beginning servers toss too low and too far, so I have found that beginners gain more control on the toss using both hands and releasing the ball at about eye level. Furthermore, the conventional wisdom of a low toss may work with experienced servers, but beginners need to make a good 8-10 foot upward toss.

c**k the hitting arm back with elbow high and thumb down (the archery position).

Contact the ball high with the palm shaped around the ball (middle of palm to middle to ball), following through the swing toward the intended target.

Go to your position, ready to play

Tips:

I have heard, "we must eliminate any excess motion where errors may happen." True enough, but what’s better: a serve which dies at the attack line, or one that clears the net? The step also helps to direct the ball in the desired direction, as the arm swing tends to follow the path of the lead foot.

Starting with a planted lead foot may limit the intended aim, as the server would have to swing across the body in a rather unnatural motion. A step with the left foot does not immediately give away the desired placement of the serve to the opposition, since they are usually watching the ball (which is why coaches ought to train their receivers to watch the server’s foot!).

It’s much easier to adjust to an errant high toss than even a good low one. Besides, we teach servers to contact the ball with a high swing, which is mighty hard to do with a low toss.

But if they take an extra step, will they not tend to toss the ball out too far? Perhaps at first, but I have devised a little poem which helps to insure an up and in toss. It’s called, "Nose to Toes," and that’s the entire poem. The idea is to toss the ball in a straight line in front of the nose so that the ball would drop to the floor just in front to the lead toes; thus, "Nose to Toes."

Coaches actually know we want the toss to be more on a line between the hitting shoulder and hitting side knee, but Shoulder to Knee doesn’t rhyme, whereas, "Nose to Toes" has the same desired effect. See if that helps.

Always stretch until you just start to "feel it".  As you progress through each exercise, gradually increase the stretch so that you are always at the point where you are beginning to "feel it."

If you simply "go through the motions" while stretching, remember this: you are not preparing yourself to fully succeed that day!  Honestly, if that doesn't matter to you, then why are you in the gym.

Always hold the stretch for the entire time your coach has set.

Do not "mess around" and start the stretch late so that you will not have to do it so long. Again, you must focus on the benefits and also on preventing the "negatives' that can arise from sloppy stretching.

Always stretch again at the end of practice on your own, or at home later on (Unless you enjoy being as sore as possible the next day).

If you come in early to work on something before practice (coaches love this by the way), make sure to allow time to stretch completely.  By coming in an hour early, you can get completely ready and give yourself a good 45 minutes to work while everyone else is stretching.

Realize that pre-season is the most physically demanding time of the entire season and you must do everything you can to keep yourself as healthy and pain free as possible as you go through it.

The dink is an effective tool when your opponents have learned the timing of your attack. A well placed dink behind the opponent's front line will often demoralize the opponent and let your team gain the momentum.

The off-speed spike is like a dink but delivered deeper into the opponent's court.

The hard-driven spike is hitting hard with the idea of getting the ball to the ground as fast as you can.

Whether you dink, off-speed spike or slam down a hard driven spike the approach to the ball should always look the same.

Wait for the spike with your weight shifted forward and ready to move. Be careful not to start off to early and keep an eye on the setter until the ball is set. After the set maintain eye contact on the ball and start your approach when the ball is half the distance from yourself and the setter.

Plant, Swing, Transfer and JUMP!

As you approach you last two steps should step to jump with both of your arms swinging back to at least waist height. Plant your heels to stop your forward movement and swing your arms forward and up transferring your weight to the balls of your feet and jump.

At this point you can decide how you will hit the ball. If you want to dink the ball, contact the ball when your arm is fully extended and in front of your hitting shoulder. Contact the ball on the lower back half of the ball with your fingers. Make sure you keep your eyes on the ball even after you contact the ball. Follow through with your hand in the direction of the dink careful not to make contact with the net.

How to Spike Hard or Soft

Both the off-speed and hard-driven spikes differ in that you make contact the ball on the center back of the ball with the heel of your open hand. As you make contact with the ball roll your fingers over the top of the ball snapping your wrist. To make a off-speed spike, you contact will be a little higher on the ball and you need to control how hard you are hitting it and make sure to snap that wrist. You can choose to hit down or up and over a blocker. To make a hard-driven spike merely increase the intensity of your swing paying particular attention to increasing the force of your wrist snap and hitting up and over the ball.Some Common Mistakes when Spiking

Players will often make two major errors when attempting to attack the ball.

Starting the Approach Early - Anticipation drives the hitter to approach too soon and contact the ball behind the hitting shoulder. You know you are leaving to early when you have to stop your motion and wait for the ball. Usually you will end up well under the ball's flight path. Hitting the ball behind your shoulder almost always results in the ball traveling behind the back line and out-of-bounds.

Not getting to the Ball - If you find that your shots are doing the opposite and traveling into the net then you are hitting the ball too far in front of your hitting shoulder. You are probably jumping too soon in your approach or you are not getting to the right spot in time for the ball to arrive.

The key is always wait for that ball to be at that highest point in it's flight path before starting your approach.

Like the serve, approaching the attack the same way every time will leave your opponents guessing your next shot.

How To Attack Hit or Spike a Volleyball

Wait near the 10 foot line, watching the setter

Keeping your weight forward, anticipate and plan your approach

Wait until the ball's trajectory is at its peak and then begin your approach

Start your approach using a couple of steps with the last two steps being a right and close left, or step to jump

Swing your arms back and together to at least waste level and bend your back and knees

Explode into the jump, jumping as high as you can and swinging both arms straight up in front of you

Point at the ball with your non-hitting arm and bring your hitting hand to your ear

With your fully extended arm contact the center back of the ball in front of your hitting shoulder with heel of open hand

Snap your wrist and hit through the ball

Bring your hitting arm down across your body and land on both feet, cushioning your landing by bending your knees

Tips:

You can gain even more speed and power on your hit by crunching your stomach muscles and bending at the waste when hitting

Big arm swings mean bigger jumps

Contacting the ball in front of your shoulder allows for more visibility of the court and more ball control

Ball Handling Error"

Definition: This is improper handling of the ball as restricted by the rule book. Most common ball handling errors are double hits, throws, and lifts.

Also Known As: lift, carry, throw

Just A Few I Know Of.

-Haley

Answer 2

You need to go to like a volleyball camp or something because volleyball is a tough sport. It's really hard to make the team especially a school team. A few of my friends who have been playing for years didn't make it so good luck!

Answer 3

be aggressive but not a ball hog