Tips for Middle Hitter / Blocker?

Question

I am trying out for freshmen volleyball in high school, and tryouts are in 2 weeks. I am 5'8'' and I play middle. I played in 7th and 8th grade on the middle school team. Do you have any tips to make me stand out as a middle hitter/blocker??

Thanks so much in advance!

Answer 1

I play middle hitter on my volleyball team and i have to practice blocking and hitting a lot, so here are some tips. If you want to hit the ball call for it by saying middle and then when you see it coming to you do your approach, jump, watch your hand hit the ball, and swing. For  blocking jump at the same time a the hitter and put your hands over the net . When the setter is setting the ball to some-one on the other team jump and try to block in case they don't set anyone up  and try to fake you out. Then if the do fake you out you will be able to block it and maybe get a point. One main thing for blocking that I always forget is that if you block the ball but it comes off of your hands and falls in between you and the net you can hit the ball again, a block doesn't count as a hit.

Answer 2

Watch the setters.  Most setters do something to tip off where the set is going.  (An example is most setters will set the ball forward if the ball is on their forehead or in front of their forehead.  If the ball comes down on the top of their head, it will be a back set.)  I used to be a slow middle blocker.  But since I read the setter well, I did not have to be fast to the outside.  I did my share of double blocking even as slow as I was.  

On the offensive side, get ready quickly.  Get ready every time.  And scream for the ball.  And make sure your setter knows that you are going to be screaming every play.  Setters tend to set the players yelling for the ball.   Even if you rarely get set, your primary job is keeping their middle blocker at least one step from getting to the outside and making a good double block against your power hitter.

Answer 3

I am a middle, and I'm 5'8" too! (of course, I'm not in colledge yet)

For hitting, make sure you stay close to the setter, and snap your wrist in different directions (so your thumb ends up pointing up or down) so the opposing middle blocker doesn't push it right back over. Make sure you try to hit everything, even if it is really bad, still try to get it over the net.

For blocking, just make sure you don't jump too early, and get in the way of their arm swing. Don't forget you can put your hands over the net, as long as you don't touch it.

Answer 4

Well I also have been a middle hitter and blocker for a while now so take my advice.

You need to be the most aggresive person in the front row. You always have to be moving, shifting from side to side, and following the ball even when it isnt on your side. You also have to be quick to move to the other sides to double block.

One thing when your hitting is to read the blockers. Dont hit straight into their hands. Thats the worst thing you can do. Try to hit in a gap. Get on top of the ball and slam it down!!!

I reently learned some good hits to do to throw the blockers off when your up to spike. When you go up, act as if you are going to kill it turn your thumb down so your hand is sideways and push it down and to do the side. This takes practice but it works really well =]

Also attempt a cross-body hit. Go at an angle like your going to hit cross-court then bring your hand down so it hits the ball to the opposite corner. This also takes practice and dont get down if you miss a few. It takes lots of practice.

Hitting tips

Get on top of the ball and bring it down with you as your jump decreases. Hit it with your palm and let your hand curve around it to take the shape of the ball.

Blocking

Dont watch the ball. It will go in a completely different direction depending on the hitting techinque the hitter uses.Watch the hitters arm. When they go up to hit it wait until they are just about to hit it to bend down and explode. Keep your hand strong and squeeze your ears with your arms to keep your arms straight.

Hope all of this helps. I have been playing for 6 years, so take this advice and use it!!! Good luck.

ps I am also going into HS =]]

Answer 5

1. Hitting: You have two shots - power and cutback. If you're a righty, your power shot will be to your right and your cutback to your left. Basically, you want to open up your chest to the setter when you jump, so that the hit to your right side is the most powerful. Therefore, the other blocker will try to shift to that side, allowing you to trick them later on with a cutback shot to the left.

2. Blocking: As the middle, you are the leader in the front row. If someone accidentally overpasses a ball after a serve, it is your responsibility to either kill the ball, or let someone else know that they're supposed to kill it. Otherwise, you're the one that's blocking all the hitters. No one should be hitting without you jumping as well. That's why middles get tired a lot, because they're jumping a whole lot more than other blockers.

3. Using your head: Since middle specialize in hitting and blocking, many people believe the "big and dumb" theory for middles. Be aware of where the ball is and never be afraid to pass and set if you need to. Lots of middles in the high school level become awkward when asked to pass a short free ball. Learn how to balance yourself - you can still prioritize hitting and blocking, but if you can also dig, serve, and pass well, I think your coach will be very impressed.

Answer 6

I was playing middle hitter/blocker and middle back in college... let me tell you what I was doing starting from a block action:

... block (cover yourself for any tip), on-your-feet, back one step, up for quick hit (1 or 2), on-your-feet, move-block/pass (if it is for "free" come back quickly and ready to receive and pass), up for quick hit...

I would be in attacking mode whenever there was a "good-enough" pass, and my setter could always find me in the air whenever he thought about setting for me.

If the setter decided to set for the outside spiker (when the pass was not that good, you would not need to jump in the air), cover for any block and dig the ball up whenever possible.

When in back row, I was assigned to be at middle-back, who would cover from corners to corners, diving for tips and spikes. I would also run out to help my teammate when he was rushing to get a hard-to-get. When there was a bad pass going backward, I was always ready to set for hitters as soon as the setter called for "help".

I was trained to assume that the ball would never die (it would be always in play till you hear the whistle). I tend to run for every hard-to-get even after the ball had hit the floor, which helped me develop a good habit of fighting for the last chance. I move myself frequently to the best defense position when the ball was being moved on the other side of the net.

So you have a picture of me, more foot work, more movement, more diving (rolling over to the standing), more blocking, and more jumping in the air. I did sometimes have to hit outside when we called special play, but most of the time I was the middle blocker who also did most other "dirty job".

My hard work and "aggressiveness" paid off when we had championship game and I blocked two consecutive back row spikes from a star player...

By the way, I do talk a lot on the court, and most time I was loud :) Calling the score, calling the ball, and give high-fives when my teammate did anything good.