Steps
#1 and #2 (for right-handed hitters)
Your first step is with your left foot so that your last
step before jumping is with your right foot (opposite
for a left-handed hitter). Steps #1 and #2 put you in
a position near where you will be jumping.
Steps
#3 and #4 (for right-handed hitters)
On your third step, both arms should be behind your body
as far back as you can reach in preparation for the fourth
step. The fourth step should almost be a hop, leading
with your right foot, then bringing both feet level and
bending at the knees in a squatting position.
At
this point, the arms are swinging forward and should pass
right by your knees. The idea is to create as much vertical
lift as possible. As you lift off the ground, your arms
continue up as you bring your hitting arm into position
by extending it up and over your head. At all times of
the approach, keep your hands relaxed.
Master
The "Poke"
Good
footwork is a big part of executing "The Poke." If you
take the "lazy" approach to a poke, your body will be
in the normal hitting position: perpendicular to the net.
This severly limits your shooting options, when trying
to poke the ball to a specific spot on the court.
A
more effective position for ball control is to get your
body in a parallel position to the net. This gives you
far more control and creates an opportunity to put the
ball almost anywhere you want. With a controlled poke,
the defense is unable to defend against one, repentitive
style of hitting. Proper execution will ensure that the
poke is effective as well as suprising.
Blocking
With Da Bomb
Blocking is the quickest and the hardest way to get a
point. More importantly, however, it is the easiest way
to change the momentum in a match and/or demoralize your
opponent. Is it the hardest to coach? In a sense, it is
because sometimes no matter how well you execute the physical
skills involved in blocking, you still may not block the
ball--very frustrating for the coach and player. In other
words, you did everything right, but it didn't work. hmmmm....
Luckily, I have broken a few of the rules that I have
been coached and have experienced excellent results at
every level. First of all, it is hard to block well if
you don't jump well or if you aren't 6'6". I happen to
be 6'1" with a 38" vertical and I'm still not jumping
over everyone. It is important that you can reach about
10 or 10.5 feet in the men's game (subtract 7 inches for
womens) on a regular basis. In other words, your highest
block jump is probably higher than that, but with an average
effort on your part, your reach is around that. If you
can't reach that high, you will still be able to do the
things i will cover, just with a lot more effort and accuracy--of
course, those of us under 6'5" have been doing things
with a lot more effort and accuracy on a regular basis
anyway. Most attacks cross the net at the 10.5 level or
lower even when they are attacked at a higher level. Here
we go... INDOOR-Outside Blockers We won't discuss where
to line up according to the sidelines or middle blockers
since this will surely vary according to the opponents
offensive scheme and other variables. Instead, I will
speak in general terms and some modifications to this
protocol would be necessary in specific situations. As
soon as the ball is set and you realize that the ball
is coming to an attacker that you are responsible for,
your first step should be to the area that you are responsible
for covering--in order to move to the correct area to
block, take your eyes completely off of the ball (this
is very difficult to get yourself to do) and watch the
attacker's approach. This will help you to line up perfectly
with the attacker. Again, where you are lining up according
to the attacker (off his hitting shoulder, lining up his
attack shoulder with your outside shoulder, your right
eye with his left nostril) will all depend on the defensive
scheme you are executing at that time. Setting a good
block communicates to the middle blocker where he has
to "close" to. If you are going to move at the last second
to your "area" the middle blocker will either crash into
you or leave a huge "seam" in the block (more likely)
and your block will be very unstable leaving your defense
for target practice. Now, let's talk about the "area"
we are covering. Again, this will vary with your team's
defensive scheme that was designed to effectively defend
your opponent's attack. Nevertheless, your area should
be covered by the area your body would cover if you jumped
straight up (which, in optimal situations, would be the
best procedure)--in other words, line up on the floor
in the area that you are responsible for taking away from
the attacker. however, optimal situations usually happen
to us once in an entire tournament if we're lucky. And
here is where my blocking strategy starts to stray from
the norm--when we are airborne, we can do many things...
There is nothing easier to hit around, over, and off of
than a motionless block. If you don't believe me then
set a motionless block against me. As you remember, you
had taken your eyes off of the ball in order to watch
the attacker's approach. When should you leave the ground
after you've set the block? The only rule i can say that
is universal is to leave the ground after they do--how
long after will depend on your vertical and theirs. Experiment
with jumping at extremes--really late, or a lot earlier
than you usually do and find what works for you against
different types of players. Now we are airborne. My great
friend, who also happens to be quite an accomplished player
himself, Gary Abramson, taught me that your first priority
in blocking is to take away your area. I remember my first
thought was, "well... not really." I have always had my
own ideas about the game and my ideas in blocking made
me quite a feared blocker, even at 6'1". My theory was
that you were to make the attacker really believe that
you had your area covered (hence, leaving the ground from
the spot along the net that would allow you to cover that
area) and then adjusting the penetration of your hands,
angle of your hands, angle of your fingers, and angle
of your arms to fit the attack. Sometimes this meant to
simply jump and reach straight up and stuff the ball.
Sometimes this meant to jump and, at the last split-second,
reach horizontally along the net and stuff a cross-court
shot, or a seam shot, or any attack meant to go beside
your block. Sometimes this meant to drop your arms at
a backward angle with the palms facing upward to soft
block someone who just out-jumped you by 2 feet or someone
that hits off the top or over the top of your block every
time. Simply put, this technique, which I'll call "Rolly-Blocking"
(hey, it sounds authentic) is one that takes practice--lots
of repetitions. Let's go through the thought processes
after you are airborne. After you've seen the approach
of the attacker, you'll probably know which shots he is
most likely to make, or the shot that will be his "best"
or most powerful one. The way his/her hips are facing
when he leaves the ground will be the easiest way for
him/her to get the maximum power for the attack. Your
hands should start reaching and penetrating in this area
first as you ascend. Now comes the tricky part (you knew
it was coming). This is where we get to use our peripheral
vision. It is now pertinent that you watch the ball while
you are watching the attacker's shoulder girdle (upper
body)--kind of like how you watch the block as you attack
the ball. This is important because if the ball is tight,
your course of action as the blocker will be different
than if the ball is farther off the net. The angle that
the ball is being attacked from is important as well--for
example, if the ball was set to the left side from 20
feet off the net in the middle of the court, the attacker's
hardest shot would be a line shot. If the ball was set
from the net to the left side and 10 feet off, any extreme
shot will be very difficult (painting the line or an extreme
angle shot). Now that you know where the ball is and where
the attacker's easiest attacks are (you automatically
react to all of the cues after many repetitions--well...
hopefully), your blocking stature will react in the most
effective and efficient way in order to prevent the attack
from crossing the net, slow the ball down, or direct the
ball to your defense--these objectives are listed in order
of priority (according to me). If we can stop the ball
from even coming to our side of the net, then that is
simply at the top of the list of priorites and so on.
As you reach the peak of your jump, your last adjustments
are made. If the ball is tight enough for you to reach
(and low enough), reach with "strong" hands around the
ball--your outside hand beside and on the top of the ball
(so that the attacker can't wipe the ball off you and
out of bounds) and your inside hand behind and on top
of the ball. oh yeah, don't touch the ball before the
attacker does. Sometimes the ref will get mad. If the
attacker is turning his/her hips and/or shoulders down
the line, cross-court or generally away from your block,
now it's time to reach. I've been known to almost land
on my side by reaching so much. The important lesson here
is to know when to reach--know your capabilities, realize
whether or not you got a very balanced jump (you don't
want to reach your way into a net violation), recognize
if you are above or below the ball and net (this will
help you decide whether or not to soft block with your
hands facing upward or to attempt a stuff block with your
palms facing downward--being above or below the net will
dictate where your arms and hands are positioned--off
and below the net or penetrating above the net, etc..
Now it's time to talk about the disadvantages to this
technique. There aren't any! Just kidding. Actually, this
technique can work against you if you don't develop it
correctly. Judgement is a big part of this technique--knowing
when, how much, and where to reach; knowing the correct
angles to place your hands and arms; simply learning how
not to get used. After using this technique for about
3 or 4 months, i would bet that my ratio of blocks (or
keeping the ball from coming over the net) to getting
"tooled" was something like 2 to 1. I'd say that was pretty
good. Now that I have developed my skills, I'd say that
ratio was more like 5 to 1(about 2 years after I started
developing the skill). It should be noted, however, that
even after a couple of months of using the "Rolly-Blocking"
technique(I sure like the sound of that) I had become
one of the best blockers in my area. Subsequently, this
technique can be very successful if developed correctly
and very hazardous if developed incorrectly. Here's some
quick tips on blocking-- Like every other part of this
game, blocking is extrememly hypocritical. In other words,
you asssume that the attacker has no control over the
situation, but that you, the blocker, have complete control
over the situatuion. While, at the same time, when you
are attacking, you feel that you are in total control.
This is so essential to this game in part and in whole.
You must always believe that you have total control over
anything that happens on the court at all times--no excuses.
Give credit where credit is due, but not during the game.
If the ball gets past your block, it's your fault. Touch
that ball! While following the protocol I discussed earlier,
have a hunger and determination for getting your hands
on the ball in a strategic way. Once, during a match last
semester, I growled in mid-air right before I stuffed
someone. When asked how I knew I was about to stuff the
guy, I said, "I could feel it coming. I was in rhythm
with the set and the attacker. I knew where he was going
and I knew I had him clamped." I growled continuously
for the rest of the game--I think that's normal... isn't
it? Keep strong hands and shoulders. There's nothing worse
than being lined up perfectly for a block and the ball
getting hammered through your hands or arms. Shrug those
shoulders and extend those fingers while flexing every
muscle in your body (including your abdominal muscles).
Keep your eyes open. Watch the ball and the attacker according
to the protocol discussed earlier. Getting hit in the
face doesn't hurt that much anyway. When in doubt, be
static. If you're off balance, out of position, or simply
out of control, it's better to set a block that doesn't
end in a net violation or an unreadable floating, flailing
block that ends in an unexpected attack angle that couldn't
be dug by 50 defenders on the floor behind you (note:
only six players per team). Penetrate! If you penetrate,
you take away a lot of attack angles from the oppeonent.
If you don't penetrate, well.. you're easy If you're short,
use your arms to help you jump. Practice using your arms
effectively without bringing the bottom of the net with
you on the way up. Keep your hands apart. I know that
there are a lot of coaches that would disagree with me
here, but keeping your arms less that a ball with apart,
in my mind, is ridiculously ineffective. Sometimes my
arms are a lot less than a ball width apart, and sometimes
they are 3 feet apart--the better to cover many attack
angles, my dear. I hope that this "Rolly-Blocking" session
hasn't been too confusing or too long. Any questions can
be e-mailed to me and I will gladly answer. Good luck!
Begining
Basics of Weightlifting:
There
are many different exercises which can be used to enhance
muscle strength and indurance for volleyball. These are
just a few basic suggestions for the main muscles used
in the sport. For beginners 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions
is suggested with enough weight so that the last lift
of each set is extremely difficult to complete. Remember
to consult your parents and coaches before attempting
any of these exercises to see what they recommend you
do.
1.
Triceps: Rope extensions or triceps curls.
2. Shoulders: Military press, upright rows, dumbbell lift
to the side and back.
3. Forearms: Curls, both for the top and bottom side of
your forearm.
4. Low back: Roman chair.
5. Legs: Squats, lunges, power cleans.
6. Calves: Calf raises, either individually or together.
7. Abs: Crunches, bicycle-there are many different ways
to choose from.
