UEP PE Department

Volleyball: Fundamental Skills

A good knowledge of skill performance index

is essential for both coaches and athletes in all
team sports. The number of matches a team won in
a season shows how successful the team is.
Excellent execution of key skills ultimately
determines the number of points a team can score
in the course of a game.

Skills in playing Volleyball

Passing, serving, setting, spiking, blocking and digging are the six basic skills of volleyball which are
the first things players need to learn about the sport.  

Serving

 The volleyball serve is the first opportunity for a player to score a point.
 Serving is the first weapon that can generate an immediate point, begin a game, or ignite an
offense.
 A player stands behind the inline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it into the
opponent's court. The main objective is to make it land inside the court; it is also desirable to
set the ball's direction, speed and acceleration so that it becomes difficult for the receiver to
handle it properly.
 A serve is called an "ace" when the ball lands directly onto the court or travels outside the court
after being touched by an opponent; when only the only player on the server's team to touch
the ball is the server.

 Once the referee blows the whistle to start the rally you have 8 seconds to complete your serve
routine and get the ball over the net.

 If you let the ball drop to the floor, the referee will blow the whistle again and this time you
have five seconds to serve the ball over the net.  

Types of Serve:
Underhand

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(Underhand Serve)
Overhead

(Jump Serve) (Jump Float Serve)

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Passing
 The pass is the attempt by a team to handle the opponent's serve, or any form of attack. Proper
handling includes not only preventing the ball from touching the court, but also making it reach
the position where the setter is standing quickly and precisely.

 The pass also known as the bump, or the forearm pass is a service reception technique used to
contact a ball that's entered your court area when your team is on offense.

 Once the opposing team served ball crosses the net onto your side and arrives just above your
hip level, you;

 clasp both hands together

 one palm inside the other
 pointing both thumbs to the ground

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 This creates a platform with both arms that you use to contact the ball deflecting it from your
angled platform into the air towards the person most responsible for making the second contact
on the ball, your setter or if its the third contact then you send the ball over the net. 

Types of Pass:

(Forehand pass)

(Overhead
pass)
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v=siDVtYyRG_M

Spiking
 The attack, also known as the spike, is
usually the third contact a team makes
with the ball. The object of attacking is to
handle the ball so that it lands on the

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opponent's court and cannot be defended. A player makes a series of steps (the approach),
jumps, and swings at the ball.

 The hitter uses arm swing, wrist snap, and a rapid forward contraction of the entire body to
drive the ball. A 'bounce' is a slang term for a very hard/loud spike that follows an almost
straight trajectory steeply downward into the opponent's court and bounces very high into the
air. A "kill" is the slang term for an attack that is not returned by the other team thus resulting
in a point.

 An attack hit or a spike describes the technique commonly used for the third contact in a rally
that sends the ball over the net with power. 

 A spike starts with a three step or four steps approach a player uses to jump off the ground to
contact the ball with an arm swing while it’s in the air. 

 With your spike approach the first two steps are slow and the last two steps are bigger and
faster that propel you in the air gathering momentum as you go, to lift you above the top
of the net so you contact the ball with an arm swing that contacts the ball at its highest height
to attack or hit it down into the opposing court. 

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Setting
 The set is usually the second contact that a team makes with the ball. The main goal of setting
is to put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by an attack into the opponent's
court. The setter coordinates the offensive movements of a team, and is the player who
ultimately decides which player will actually attack the ball.

 The set is usually the second contact in a rally and the person who sets the ball the most is
called the setter. 

 The setter on a volleyball team is like a point guard on a basketball team who runs the offense
and calls the plays. 

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 Offensive plays consist of a combination of sets called by using hand signals to eligible hitters
who hit these sets at different heights, speeds and locations along the net in order to confuse
the opposing team's blockers in an effort to score points. 

  If you are the setter on your team, you determine

 who gets to hit each set

 how high each set will be
 how fast the set will be and 
 where along the net or backrow the set will be. 

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Blocking
 Blocking refers to the actions taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter an opponent's
attack.
 A block that is aimed at completely stopping an attack, thus making the ball remain in the
opponent's court, is called offensive. A well-executed offensive block is performed by jumping
and reaching to penetrate with one's arms and hands over the net and into the opponent's area.
 Blocking is also classified according to the number of players involved. Thus, one may speak
of single (or solo), double, or triple block.

 A block is the first opportunity for a team on defense to keep the team on offense from hitting
into their court. 

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 Once the whistle blows and your team serves the ball over the net, your team is on defense,
ready to defend your court.

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Digging
 Digging is the ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike or attack,
particularly a ball that is nearly touching the ground. In many aspects, this skill is similar to
passing, or bumping: overhand dig and bump are also used to distinguish between defensive
actions taken with fingertips or with joined arms. It varies from passing however in that is it a
much more reflex based skill, especially at the higher levels. It is especially important while
digging for players to stay on their toes; several players choose to employ a split step to make
sure they're ready to move in any direction.

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 Some specific techniques are more common in digging than in passing. A player may
sometimes perform a "dive", throw their body in the air with a forward movement in an
attempt to save the ball, and land on their chest. When the player also slides their hand under a
ball that is almost touching the court, this is called a "pancake". The pancake is frequently used
in indoor volleyball, but rarely if ever in beach volleyball because the uneven and yielding
nature of the sand court limits the chances that the ball will make a good, clean contact with the
hand. When used correctly, it is one of the more spectacular defensive volleyball plays.

 The dig is a slang term used to describe an underhand technique made on the first contact of
a ball in a rally that's been sent over the net with an attack hit.

 You sink your hips low to the floor, below the ball before it gets to you and you use your
extended arms clasped at the wrists to create a platform with your forearms to "dig" or
deflect the ball up in the air. 

 If you are the 'digger" or defender your job is to dig the ball up high enough in the air and
ideally to the middle of the court close to the ten feet line, so that the second contact in the rally
can be made.

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Building technical volleyball skills

Volleyball drills for skills

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Volleyball drills that improve individual skills are particularly important for beginners. Drills reinforce
a beginner's volleyball moves. Effective youth volleyball drills should be done using the proper
technique, and with purpose.

Volleyball drills for beginners should:

 Be repeated until the skill becomes habit

 Be progressive
 Be player and age-appropriate
 Suit the level and ability of the player
 Focus on individual playing skills

Jumping and spiking volleyball drills

Tips:

 Jump off both legs

 Establish an effective footwork strategy
 Land on your toes with knees bent to avoid back and knee injury
 Don't ball forward off the hand, don't slap
 Keep your eyes on the ball
 Widen your vision to the opponent's court
 Know where your opponent's key players are

Drills:

 Hit the ball against the wall, catching it each time

 Hit the ball from different angles high above your head

Blocking volleyball drills

Your first line of defense against a powerful spike is a block. The key is knowing how to execute one.

Tips:

 Know your hitter's strengths and weaknesses

 Observe the hitter's body language and style
 Anticipate where and how the hitter is going to contact the ball
 Stay "on the ball"; position yourself where the ball is, not where the hitter is
 Keep your hands above your head and jump with your legs

Drills:

 Pepper block drill ? players on the same side of the net alternate blocking spikes
 One-on-one block drill ? players on either side take turns blocking each others spikes

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 Live team block drill ? players on the same side work together to block an attack

Serving volleyball drills

Tips:

 Stand far enough behind the serving line to avoid stepping on it

 Face your target; follow through with a smooth overhead arm motion
 Open the palm and use the heel of the hand
 Keep eyes on the ball while tossing up
 Serve to specific areas, target the weakest players
 Serve with calculation and control; it doesn't have to be hard-hitting
 Advanced players should practice deception when serving. Face one area but serve to another
 Serve in a "ready, place, swing" pattern, running to your defense position after each turn
 Practice tossing the ball up before hitting it, keeping eyes on the ball

Passing volleyball drills

Tips:

 Face the incoming path of the ball, not its target

 Wait for the ball, don't rush to it
 Ease into the pass rather than swing at it
 Rise up to meet the ball, using your legs

Drills:

 Toss the ball in the air several times in a row without stepping out
 Practice the arm and body motions without the ball
 Individual players practice digging off the wall
 Teams practice catching the ball near the stomach with hands close to sides

Setting volleyball drills

A team can win any match just by mastering the art of setting. Setting is lightly hitting the ball with
the hands above the head, thumbs and fingertips together to form a triangle. To 'place' the ball, open
the hands up slightly before contacting the ball. Great setting involves timing and control.

Tips:

 Wait for the ball, stay in control

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 Know your opponent's blockers and where they are

 Develop a consistent style
 Master the art of deception. Don't let the opponent anticipate your next move
 Become a great jump setter
 Use consistent footwork and technique

Drills:

 Volley the ball against the wall

 Toss the ball into the air
 With a partner, run forward, backward, and sideways on the set
 With a partner, simply tip back and forth

Let’s move around our community and look for an area to practice each skill. Try to familiarize the skills
in playing volleyball.

Summary

The six basic volleyball skills are passing, setting, spiking, blocking, digging,
and serving. Passing is often thought of as the most important skill in volleyball. If you can't pass
the serve, then you won't ever put your team in a position to score a point. The importance
of serving is often undervalued. Many coaches don't teach players to serve aggressive and use
this opportunity to give the team an advantage for scoring points. Blocking is perhaps the least
taught skill in volleyball. Players can get away with poor blocking skills because not blocking
isn't going to hurt the team as much as being poor at executing other skills in volleyball.
Digging is another skill that isn't focused on quite as much as most skills in

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volleyball.The setter position is considered to be the most important position in volleyball. The

setter basically runs the team offense.

Reference:

 https://www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com/basic-volleyball-skills.html

 Kinda S. Lenberg,(2006) Volleyball Skills & Drills: American Volleyball Coaches

Association, American Volleyball Coaches Association.

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PE 4 (Team Sports: Volleyball)