When jumping to hit a volleyball is it ok to jump forward?

Question

i've played on a few teams with members that jump forward instead of straight up like what is traditionally taught. is this wrong or is it just preference. what are the gains or losses by using this jumping approach. and yes, the guys that i play with are extremely good.

Answer 1

There is nothing wrong with jumping forward. It gives you more power behind your spike. If you watch any college or Olympic level volleyball thats all they do.

As far as gains or losses go, if you jump too late or close to the net you may end up in it. Usually making contact with the ball helps to stop or slow down your forward momentum as you transfer power from your body to the ball. I've rarely seen anyone end up in the net after jumping forward to hit.

Answer 2

The traditional "straight up" way is the best. This is because if you jump forward, you may land in the net and lose the point. However, I can see why it would be easier. I'd focus on the proper straight up technique.

Answer 3

Jumping forward was taught in the basic skills as a NO!!!! when you jump forward you lose inches off your vertical, more than likely run into the net, and have a great chance of rolling an ankle. Learning to jump upward you will gain a better vertical which will lead to a better attack on the ball.

Answer 4

i really sugggest to jump up cause if you jump forward your like floating into the net and then they call something and if its too close to the net tip it.

Answer 5

depends where you are respective to the net.  if you're all the way pulled off, then no worries.  but just be aware

Answer 6

if you jump in the front row, you shouldn't jump forward (aka floating) you will probably hit the net

but if you are back row hitting, you should jump forward

Answer 7

It is ok to jumpo forward as long as the you are a safe distance from the net. But if you are tight to the net, you need to jump straight up. It's all about knowing where you are on the court. Both are useful. I recommend practicing both.

Answer 8

to me i do it yeah it is ok do it

it is not a good techquine

Answer 9

yes it is o k, but if you do jump forward u have 2 make sure that u give yurself a big enough space so that u don't hit the net.

Answer 10

I find it interesting reading these answers as most are against jumping forward. However, if you were to mark where those "straight up" hitters jump and land, you'd notice that they moved forward also.

You should always move forward, especially on jump serves and back row attacks. On regular front row attacks you should be moving forward a few inches in your jump. This will give you some extra power as you can use your bodies momentum to hit through the ball during the attack. If you're jumping forward a foot or more, you probably have a very high vertical and would benefit by starting your approach further back. Even middle players can jump forward a bit, although usually they don't jump as far forward as an outside hitter because they're usually closer to the net.

Answer 11

my coach always yells at me when i jump forward, because he doesnt want me in the net even though i am hardly ever in the net! oh well, my best thought would be jump straight up, because they dont want you flying, my off season coach was the hitting coach for mu, he played for the china olympic team, im told to not change anything he taught me

Answer 12

My experience is that jumping forward to hit is not bad technique.  When hitters begin their approach in the proper position in serve receive (for an outside hit, this is about 20 feet away from the net and 2-3 feet out of bounds), I don't see how anyone could get to a properly set ball without jumping forward a little.  Most hitters jump at an angle from out of bounds landing in-bounds which helps them avoid the net.  As has already been mentioned, it's darn near impossible to hit effectively from the back row without jumping forward.

Turn on a few international or NCAA men's volleyball matches and you'll notice that the only players who jump even close to straight up when they hit are the middle blockers.  All the outsides, swings, and opposites have some forward motion to their jumps.

From a physics standpoint, jumping forward allows you to transfer some of that forward momentum into the volleyball.   What's the point of gaining momentum in your approach only to kill most of it by jumping straight up.  I don't buy that jumping forward hurts your vertical because anytime you see people do non-standing vertical jumps tests, no one ever takes a few steps and then jumps perfectly straight up to touch the tape.  They always jump forward.

The key to jumping forward in hitting is to not jump forward so much that you net on landing.

Answer 13

If you can hit from 3.5 ft - backrow, and you are playing with a setter who does not set inside 3 feet 90% of the time, then yes jump forward. Just work on your court awareness and don't hit the net or cross the line.

You will get more speed / power behind it. If you are are hitting while your body is moving toward your target, your arm is traviling faster than if your body was not moving forward. This is why pitchers in baseball move forward when pitching.

If you are a beginner hitter first master the striaght up and down hit, and then work on the forward approach. Normally, as your skill level / athelic ability increase, so will the skill level of the setter so it should work out.

Answer 14

well actually jumping forward is not effective and neither is jumping straight up. in order to maximize your approach and hit harder you should jump at a 45 degree angle. this allows you to jump high but still keep you momentum so you can hit the ball harder. if you jump straight up then all that momentum built up in your approach goes into the ground, but jumping at a 45 degree angle allows you to keep you momentum.

Answer 15

depends on how far away you are from the net. i have had problems where i woould spring forward instead of up and i went into the net.=]

Answer 16

it OK as long as you don't hit the net or pass under it.

Answer 17

After you do your approach, you should jump straight up.  That's my preference because if you do, you get more power.  You kind of lose power when you jump forward cuz you're losing balance?  But iono. It's up to you.

Answer 18

It is not unusual to teach men to jump more forward on the jump.  The sets try to be farther from the net to help get around the block.  And Steve Timmons used to hit the back row set and land near the center line.  

With that being said, I still prefer the more straight up jump.  You can hit all the sets with that jump.  With the jump forward approach, you will have trouble with the tight sets.  But if the sets are off the net, you can use either approach.

Answer 19

thats fine for higher levels.

you cant touch the net though.

make sure you have enough space to jump forward without touching the net.

Answer 20

In my expiriences I have learned that it is ok to jump to get the ball is ok in the back row because there is nothing you can get penalized for. But, it is extremely hard to jump forward and hit the ball forward cause you can get penalized for jumping into the net or crossing the line.It just depends on where you are I think.But, I am not exactly a proffesional.jus a player assistant coach.

Answer 21

well, it depends. when you jump forward, do you hit the net or are too close to where you cant swing closely? if you are, you hit will be off. hope this helps.

ps- this happened to me, i kept jumping into the net, so now i just get closer than i was, and jump straight up.  GOOD LUCK!!