Volleyball tryouts....plz help me?

Question

ok so im trying out for my upcoming middle school volleyball team.I have not been on a team before but i do play just for fun...well everyone that has seen me play or has played with me says im am really good and all of my friends who play volleyball say i should really try out and that i am really good(for a beginner), i also loooovee playing it.

so the tryouts are in august and i really want to make it......and i need to know what they test me on in the tryouts and what i should do to pass them...i will be very thankful if you could give me any tips....advice....or anything that can help me make it

also can you give me any good ways of practicing these things alone or with one other person...like in the back yard?

thanks...:d

Answer 1

wow me & u kinda had the same expierence

im in seventh grade & i also tried out for volleyball & i had never played before on a actual team. the tests that they usally give u are the spiking, setting, & serving tests. but the coaches will usally give u sometime before the tests to work on the skills. but u need to try ur best & if the coaches see that you work hard i would guartee u a spot on the team! but sometimes ur district hosts volleyball camps or u can join a summer league 4 ur school. if your friends are planning on trying out & live nearby u can practice with them... but if they cant practice u can practice serving & bumping

i hope this helped :)

Answer 2

Well since your friends say you are pretty good and that you should try out, then there is a good chance you will make the team. Just go out there and do your best.

I have watched a few tryouts and I think they test you on the basic skills: spiking, passing (bumping the ball), serving, and blocking. So if you have a basic idea on how to do those I think you will be alright. You should also be in pretty good shape, meaning you can run and move around pretty well. They might have you run at the tryouts or do sprints or something, but it never hurts to be in shape.

As for practicing, you could practice passing by having a friend lightly spike the ball to you and you could bump it back to them. Then rotate, you spike and they bump it back to you. For serving, find an open court and serve a bunch of balls to get a feel for how hard you hit it / where you can serve the ball (on the line, deep in the box, etc.).

You should also have some sort of knowledge of the game. Maybe go to your local library and check out some books about volleyball and the rules. You could get a leg up on some of the other girls if you know most of the rules.

I hope this helps, feel free to e-mail me if you need more information.

Answer 3

Below are some tips that I give to beginners and those who need basics. Hope this will help.

No matter how much you play, FIRST learning the basic skills and using the right forms, motion, and posture is most importanat. If you don't do this, you'll never reach your full potential. I know people who have been playing volleyball for decades but still suck because they never picked up the basic skills. Once you pick up bad moves and it becomes habitual, you're in deep trouble because it's very hard to lose them. Basically, you would always use wrong techniques to pass, set, and hit.

Passing:

1. Contact point - Put your hands and forearms together with both arms straight.

You can use the whole forearms to pass but there's a sweet spot right above your wrists. Do not hit the ball with your wrists or fists.

2. Posture - Bend your knees and keep your arms up making arms and thighs parallel and 90 degrees to your body. It's all about eye-hand coordination. When you keep your arms up they're closer to your eyes.

3. Motion - Lean forward slightly standing on your forefoot when waiting for serves. This helps you react faster.

Chase the ball, position yourself, get in to 'the posture,' wait for the ball, and let the ball hit your forearms and bounce off.

Don't swing or jump at the ball. You should have the arms up and ready to pass before making the contact.

Setting:

Locate the ball, position yourself facing where you're setting not the ball, and place your hands above your head. Make a triangle with your hands without touching. See the ball through the triangle making your head, the triagle, and the ball in a straight line. Push up the ball by snapping your wrists and fingers while extending your arms and legs. Most important - Hands should be up before you make the contact. Also, use all five fingers with thumbs being the most important. Don't just use the fingertips but the whole lengths of your fingers for better control.

3. Hitting/Serving;

When you swing your arms up to hit, place your elbow, bent about 90 degrees, above and behind your shoulder. The palm should also face away from your head. Swing and fully staighten your arm when making the contact with the ball.

Tips on Serving:

ARM TOSS-

With firm wrist, arm toss the ball 18 inches - so that the ball falls to the spot just inside of the lead foot and in line with the hitting shoulder.

HAND UP AND BACK BEFORE THE TOSS-

Elbow and hand are at shoulder height or above throughout the entire serving motion.

SHIFT-

Shift weight to lead foot, or step forward, as you make contact with the ball.

SWING TO TARGET-

Wrist firm throughout serve.

Contact with heel of hand through middle back of ball.

The contact should sound like a "thud", not a "slap" sound.

Hand follows ball to target.

Finish with hand alongside or within body line.

Best way to master the basic skills is to pepper and when you do this, always use the correct posture and full motion. Just pepper a lot whenever you get chance. Repetition makes perfection. Build the right techniqes into your body. Good Luck.

Answer 4

well coming from my personal experience with volleyball (ive been playing since middle school and am now on varsity in high school) middle school sprts arnt usually taken to serisouly so making the team shouldnt be all that hard so your probably just phycing urself out...but i guess everyone gets nervouse with tryouts right? well anyway when i was practicing i would go in the yard and see how many times i could bump or set the ball in a row without it dropping or without it going out of control. that seemed to help a little i guess. but there really isnt anything to worry about theyll teach you everthing you need to know during tryouts...Good Luck!!! :)