Volleyball- getting to the ball?

Question

i have played volleyball for two years, and i love it.

i have two problems:

I'm a alright passer, and they get to the setter. (when i started, my coach stressed form, so i always have a good platform and stuff.) but what seems to get me are shorts, and moving my feet in general. Whenever they are very hard and very vertical, i have worked and worked on getting them, but i cant. Everyday, i do squats and shuffling exercises. But i cant seem to stop 'reaching'.

Is there any technique or way i can improve on this?

also, on my hit and my serve, i tend to pull my arm back behind my head, hurting my shoulder and removing power from my serve, or causing my ball to go into the net when i hit.

i also dont stretch my arm out all the way when i hit, so i have repeditaly practiced my hitting form (acting like im hitting the ball, when im not) and its still not helping.

i have worked VERY hard on these things. Ive set aside to practice, ive been working out- i dont understand!

Answer 1

really focus on moving your feet. if you don't move your feet you will never get to a ball. sometimes, it is impossible to get a tip, but very rarely. watch the hitter's arm when they go up to hit, if it is straight up, watch for a tip, and if the elbow is dropped (near the waist), watch for a roll shot. don't have your arms locked (ready to pass), this will limit your ability to move, have your arms apart and straight in front, ready to put your platform together, or ready to set a high hit.

for serving, it sounds like you toss the ball backwards. if this is the case, practice your toss. keep your elbow back and high, but not behind your head. lead your swing with your elbow, and hit the ball with an open palm, and pop it off your palm. the ball should float.  your hitting form is not the right form for serving. this will cause you to serve into the net or too deep almost every time. the forms are similar but different.

Answer 2

I play volleyball also (it's a very fun sport).

With serving, have the ball lower to your upper leg. You know you have the ball in the right spot when you see the volleyball is where about half your leg is. Then, you pull your arm all the way back as you are bowling and then you can hit the ball with your lower palm towards your wrist and you should be okay with serving. Let me know if this helps you!!!

Answer 3

Two problems: 1 is your feet and 2 is your arm/positioning when hitting.

1 - It's already been mentioned but make sure you're staying on your toes before the serve is contacted. A lot of players have a problem recognizing where the ball is going right away, this will come with practise. However, one very simple drill to help you get to the ball BEFORE it's in a position to pass is to bounce the ball off a wall, the point is to get to the ball and get into your split step so the ball bounces on the ground right between your legs. This will help promote proper body positioning. How high and how hard you throw the ball against the wall will help simulate hard/slow and low/high serves. Remember though, to do it properly, you must be stationary with the proper platform when the ball actually bounces on the ground between your legs. This drill is easy to do but not really that easy to master. When you've mastered it, you'll have a better understanding of body positioning and the importance of moving early. The ball should bounce so that it doesn't contact any part of your body, and it should be in a position where if you were to extend your arms in front of you, you'd be able to pass it. (If this doesn't make sense let me know and i'll try to clarify further).

2 - Hitting from behind (contact is actually made behind the head) and hitting low (when you're arm is not fully extended) are very common problems for a lot of hitters. First to address the hitting from behind. This comes down to your approach and where you're taking off from. Some coaches say you should jump straight up and some say you should jump forward slightly (i prefer to tell my athletes to jump forward but only a couple inches or so). By jumping forward or into the ball, I believe it help promotes the idea that you need to keep the ball in front of you at all times. Try adjusting your approach so that the ball stays in front of you....even if it's really far in front and you smash it into the net. At least you'll have an idea of what it feels like to jump into the ball. With practise and this in mind, the day will come when you'll be smashing it into the opponent's court and not the net :-) Now, to cover your arm action...honestly, it wasn't until I was out of high school that I extended my arm properly. It's an extremely difficult thing to fix. One way to promote this is to ask your coach to hold a ball at the net in a position where you're going to have to reach to your fullest to make contact. This way the ball is stationary so all you have to focus on is reaching for it. The hits won't be pretty cause you're hitting it out of a hand, but at least you'll know what it feels like to reach, and over time your muscles will remember that too.

A couple more things, you said your shoulder hurts when you hit from behind. If this persists even when you feel like you're hitting from in front of you than you're probably swinging with your shoulder and not rotating your trunk/torso. If you're right handed, when you jump both arms should be in the air, when you bring back your hitting arm, your left arm is going to drop, this will cause a chain reaction (if you allow it), your left shoulder should drop slightly and your right shoulder will start your arm action for the hit. By dropping the left arm your actually starting a rotation in your trunk that continues to rotate your hitting shoulder/arm. This way the power is actually coming from that rotation and not just your shoulder.

Also, keep in mind that when you're teaching your body to do something new, it can feel quite akwaard and most times the results are worse than before. If this happens, DON'T STOP practising the new way. A lot of young athletes tend to try it once or twice and if it doesn't work they revert back to what's comfortable. This will not help you get better. You seem to have a great attitude towards self improvement but just wanted you to be aware that when changing something, it often gets worse before it gets better.

Good luck!

Answer 4

1.  Getting short serves:

When you're waiting for serves, stand on your forefoot and slightly lean forward with your knees bent.  This will help you react faster.

2.  Hitting/Serving

Basically, you're not following through.  Best drill you can do to correct this problem is hitting the ball against the wall continuously without catching it.

Stand about 10 feet from a wall, and hit the ball such a way that it will first hit the floor and then bounce off the wall and come back to you.  And you hit it again without catching it and repeat.  You may have to keep moving in order to hit the ball.  

This is the best way to correct and improve your armswing.  Use the correct arm swing technique and full motion at all times.  Also, when you make contact with the ball, make sure that your hitting arm is be fully staightened and snap your wirst.  Most important thing is to follow through.

Good Luck.

Answer 5

problem #1  when the hitter is hitting read the person's shoulder to see if the ball is going left or right watch for roll shots tho.

#2  lift, step swing

Answer 6

for getting to the ball, make sure your on the the part of your feet where your feet end... never flat footed. this allows you to move quickly to where you need to be. and when you pass shorts, pass THEN fall to your knees.

on your serve/hit, thats pretty much just something to work on that will come in time. try different techniques to see which fits you best. for your serve, maybe start further back and take steps. and hitting-- for me it took a year to get it perfect. so keep practicing, you will make yourself and others proud in the end., =]