Volleyball help?????

Question

Okay so I made the 8th grade volleyball team. I played in 7th grade but we had 2 teams that year. Our school levy failed so we only have one team for each grade now and the 7th grade coach (not the one I had) took over the 8th grade position. It seems like she only wants to play the girls that were on her team last year. I know I'm just as good as every one of them but apparently thats not enough. I was wondering if u have any tips on ways I can improve my skills (bumping,setting,spiking, etc) and REALLY stand out. Right now I'm peppering (bump,set,spike) every night with my mom and passing to myself. I've also been running and lifting weights. Any other suggestions?

Answer 1

I hate to tell you, but sometimes coaches tend to favorite some players over the others. In 8th grade, I had a coach that always played three girls and not a single one of them was even decent. Coaches these days tend to like certain players because they know them or know their families. When you get to high school, you'll get to play more because the coaches want to win. They don't want to use players who aren't even good.

If you become really good and you still aren't getting that much playing time, I say rebel . In the last game we played in my 8th grade year, those three girls I mentioned honestly missed a lot of balls and the coach laughed about it. Now, when the rest of us would miss one, we got yelled at. So during the final game, nobody went for the ball - really!

Now, in high school, I get the recgonition I deserve because I'm good. - not because of my last name.

Answer 2

Well first of all I think you should talk to your principal about your coach. But about working out, Have you every heard of Toby Mac. Well he has a song called stereo system or something like that and doing squats all the way through it helps my leg muscles build up for a game. Don't over do it tho. Let your body adjust.

Answer 3

It's good that you're running and lifting weights. Also work on jumping, and you can practice this at home. Just jump up and down on the first step of your stairs about thirty-fifty times. You can work your way up, like jumping two steps at a time and then three steps at a time (I did this and reached five stairs at a time, and then my dad started taking me to a trainer). Even if you're tall, this is a good exercise.

I used to go to about four volleyball camps each summer, and they always did the same thing for bumping. Go against a wall and bump to yourself 1,000 times. You don't have to do 1,000, but it really helps. A tip to bumping, don't let the ball hit your wrists or thumbs, let it hit your lower forearms. Don't swing at the ball, let your legs do most of the work. When you're returning a serve, never set the ball. Take a couple steps back and bump it. Don't use you legs if it's a hard serve or a hard spike. That way the ball can just bounce off of your arms in a controlled way.

I am a setter, so I hope I have some good tips. You want your pointer fingers and thumbs to make a triangle. You want the triangle at your forehead. When you push the ball out, keep your hand in the triangle, and your elbows should be locked straight. You want the ball to touch your fingers, not your palm. Setting you can practice laying in your bed. A good way to learn control when setting is to set to yourself standing up, and then slowly go down your knees, and then sit down. Keep setting and stand up. It's a really good way to learn control.

Spiking you want to have a good approach. You go left foot, right, and then left again jump with your feet together. So it's only three simple steps (If you're left handed it goes right, left, right). When you're spiking you want to bring both arms up together. Your spiking wrist should snap when it hits the ball. Your arm should follow all the way through too. If your coach says to do off-speed hits, then don't follow all the way through. You want your shoulders to face the direction of your hits. If your set isn't very good, then you can either hit an off-speed hit or set it to an open spot.

I don't know if you're serving overhand or underhand, but I'll help with overhand. First, you want your serving arm to be in a L shape. Your toss is very important. It needs to at least a foot above you, and it needs to be positioned in front of your serving arm. Make sure your arm isn't flying back when you serve, you want to keep all your power compacted. So make sure your arm stays in a L shape. When you hit the ball, your serving arm shouldn't fly back. It should go up and hit the ball. Don't wait for the ball to come to you, reach for it when you serve so it doesn't hit the net. You don't have to follow through with your serves either.

A tip to make your coach happy is always pay attention. Don't just keep talking to your teammates, show her that you're very focused. Don't stand with your arms folded over your chest either, she might think you're bratty. Stand with your hands clasped behind your back, and your full attention on her. I hope I helped!