What posistion is best for me...and what should I do to train??

Question

I am going to be a freshman in the fall, and I plan on trying out for Volleyball. I am 14 and 6'0 tall. I have heard that coaches would want me to play as Middle Hitter/Blocker.

What are some qualities/characteristics of a good Middle Hitter? Is that even the right postition for me?

I don't have much experience playing in organized games or much experience otherwise! :) But I know the basic skills and I am willing to learn, do you think coaches will still want me???

Answer 1

Def middle blocker. You'll need to work on hitting, tipping, blocking, everything in the front row. As blocker, you keep your elbows in and your hands wide and jump to block the ball just as the hitter is hitting it. For blocking, I'd practice with another hitter and try to block her balls. For hitting, work on your approach and reaching up high for a nice arm swing and start your approach when the balls reaches its highest peak when it leaves the setter's hands. If you need more practice, try going to an open gym or joining some leagues and camps, they REALLY help.

Answer 2

you have a definite advantage being tall. without much experience you still have a chance at the freshman team but you will need to get the skils too. You HAVE to be aggressive. a tip for blocking...dont jump with the hitter, jump with the ball and keep your hands open and firm. A good middle needs to be an aggressive blocker. to work on hitting go to youtube and watch some footage of great vb games like nebraska observe their middle hitters. keep your eye on the ball at all times and ALWAYS be available to hit. with your height you should use it to your advantage! good lukc! i hope this helps!

Answer 3

u'd be a good middle because your tall.

middle are almost always tall.

all you have to do is block and hit and maybe serve

Answer 4

you are pretty tall, but your going to want to reach your maximum height to play. you should do different jumping excersises EVERY DAY. your going to need a good jump, trust me! lol and if there is a gym nearby you should lift weights about three times a week. on each machine pick a weight that you can do 2 sets of 8-10 reps. then after yo9u use that same weight for 3 weeks, increase the weight. you can continue this all summer. what i do is monday=arms, wednesday=legs, and friday=shoulders. it really improves my hits. after all that strengthening on your legs, you will also be a better jumper.

Answer 5

Your coaches are right you should be a middle hitter/bloker you are tall but you have to jump alot and you have to have strong shoulders good luck and yes you would make a good volleyball player

Answer 6

Because you are tall everyone is going to assume you should play middle blocker. You may end up playing there, but be sure to get training for all volleyball skills.  You never know how you will develop as a player, and if you do decide (and are good enough) to play further down the road in college or even afterwards,  you want to get practice and be good in all areas of volleyball.  You may tower over girls now, but at the next level, all the girls will be tall.  If you are tall and can pass/set really well, you'll have a good chance of going further with your career.  

So don't worry at this point about specialized skills of a middle blocker.  Work on developing ball control, setting ability, and developing coordination in hitting and on the court in general.  Coaches will decide where you end up playing, but be sure to develop skills that allow you to play multiple positions. Believe me, you're early in your career and can't appreciate yet what it would be like to be a 6'0"+ setter down the road.  While coaches seem excited now that you could be a tall middle blocker, they'll be jumping all over each other to recruit you if you can develop into a great setter. :)  

Bottom line: Play where they tell you, but take all the opportunities to learn ALL the skills you can.

Answer 7

the blocker position is definatly for u! lol.. ur tall and you'll be fine so chil! its ok really

Answer 8

There are not a lot of 6' teenagers out there.  My guess is you will continue growing a bit more.  While I would think your coach will want you to play middle, it depends of the needs of the team.  Most tall people concentrate on their front row skills and ignore their backrow play.  Focus on passing improvement as well as your front row blocking and hitting.  At 6'0", colleges will be interested in you if you have some mobility and hops.  

I would recommend you attend a local volleyball camp and get some instruction from a college coach.  They will show you proper blocking and attacking footwork and hopefully get you working on your passing.  Make it a goal to play all the way around and not be subbed out in the back row.  

Play club ball.  Find a club team in your area so you can play and train year round.

Good luck.  With hard work and good coaching, you have a lot to look forward to.

Answer 9

Middle Hitter/Blocker is definitely the position for you because you are tall. I play middle as well, but I'm only 5'10''. Some good qualities are: height, ability to jump, and endurance. I found that the hardest thing about being a middle hitter is having to assist the outside and left side hitter when they block. You need to be in good shape to be able to sprint to either side, block, then go back to your base and be ready to hit. To train, it is so important that you run and do some weight training. In fact, this is a great schedule to help prepare you: http://www.smashvolleyball.com/id368.htm  - it will definitely get you in shape. It is kind of late now, but maybe there are some local camps that have some space available that you can sign up for. Check at local colleges. Most colleges with volleyball teams have volleyball camps for teens. You could also just go buy a volleyball and improve your ball handling skills, which means that you pass and set it to yourself and keep it in control. If you have a YMCA in your area, they might have a net you can set up and practice with a friend. Based on your height, coaches will definitely notice you and take your height into consideration, but make sure you have some practice before you go into tryouts. If you put 110% effort in at the tryout, coaches will definitely notice. Also, go online and look up how the different rotations and line ups work out so that you can have an idea of what to do if you have to scrimmage at the tryout. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 10

Middle Hitter/Blocker is best for you, and you may also consider getting trained as a setter and OH. To be a good player you want to have all around skill set, understand each position's responsibility and limit, so that you can excel in your "best-for-you position".

From a coach's standpoint, I want a middle hitter/blocker to have enough height (6'0 is great for a 9th grader), right attitude, quick movement, good jump, endurance, perseverance, good reading of opponent's offense, and understanding of the game.

From a player's stand point, as I used to be MH/MB, you have to be ready to run a lot, jump a lot, and cover a lot when in back row. In real life (game time).

A MH/B should be able to block - back step - approach and swing for quick hit - block when in front row on a "constant basis". You should be able to move side way when staging up for a block. You should be able to coordinate with your OH and your right side player to set up double or triple blocking.

When in back row, you will be the one covering deep from corner to corner, and getting ready to cover wild pass and to dive into front corners when needed (normally middle back only needs to dive to dig the middle when other options are not available).

You are the last line of defense, and first to jump up in offense.

There is a very good book about weight training for volleyball, and it has some 4-week to 8-week programs that you can follow, even without access to a gym or even without sophisticated weight equipment.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Wei...

You might also consider going to open gyms to play some open volleyball games during the summer Check out http://volleyball.org/usa/index.html and see whether you can find one near your house (we have lots of free open gyms in southern California).

Answer 11

be ready to jump high!!!! so just practice jumping really high with your hands jumping. also just gain arm muscle in general so you will have a hard spike and serve. Tall players are really valuable so you wil probally make the team just on that