Volleyball steps to success

The court dimensions were changed to 30 feet by 60 feet 9.1 by 18.2 meters, the composition of the ball was stan-dardized, players were only allowed to play the ball above the waist, and

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kenny, Bonnie,

Volleyball : steps to success / Bonnie Kenny, Cindy Gregory.

p cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-6337-1 (soft cover)

ISBN-10: 0-7360-6337-4 (soft cover)

1 Volleyball I Gregory, Cindy, 1961- II Title.

Copyright © 2006 by Human Kinetics, Inc.

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STEPS TO SUCCESS

Contents

Step 7 Digging 101

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Climbing the Steps to Volleyball Success

Are you ready for Volleyball: Steps to Success? If

so, tie your shoes, pull up your kneepads, and

get ready for an exciting new volleyball journey!

Each time you step in the gym, the sport of

vol-leyball reveals itself to you in a different way

This book is the culmination of more than 40

years of collective volleyball experience but, like

you, we are still learning something new every

day What makes this experience different is that

you now have this book to help you get started

or to use as a guide along the way So get out

there and get to it!

Volleyball: Steps to Success is written for

beginning and intermediate volleyball players,

teachers, coaches, and any other volleyball

en-thusiasts who want to improve their level of play

Everybody will find something in this book that

can improve technique, confidence, and skill on

the court

Each step includes teaching and learning gressions as well as drills to help you master the

pro-sport There are many ways to teach the primary

skills in volleyball Each chapter is organized to

show proper progressions for measuring

im-provement from basic to more advanced levels

in an efficient manner

The information in this book will help you climb the ladder to success in becoming a better

volleyball player You will gain a better

knowl-edge of the sport of volleyball You will learn

how to move and how to perform specific skills

at a more advanced level You also will learn

basic strategies and drills to help you become a

well-rounded player

This book is organized into 12 steps that follow the sequential order of each skill per-

formed during a typical game Step 1 covers

basic movement patterns and postures inherent

in the sport of volleyball This is the foundation for the skills to come Since serving begins play,

it is the next step, step 2 After the serve, players pass the ball (steps 3 and 4) to set up the hitter

to attack (step 5) Defense follows with the block (step 6) and the dig (step 7) These are the basic skills used in a volleyball game, but skill alone

is not enough After skill work is complete, you will learn basic offensive and defensive systems (steps 8 and 9), transitioning (step 10), and out-of-system play (step 11) Step 12 describes all the fine points you need to learn to be a team player on the court: player roles, substitutions, rotations, communication, and so on

Each skill sequence is broken down into the fundamental techniques for each skill Court diagrams and illustrations highlight the key points for each skill The most common errors for each skill are discussed along with the solu-tions to correct them The drills that follow increase with difficulty after you master the previous one The Success Checks enable you

to check your technique and performance for each drill Each step ends with a way for you to score your success and measure your mastery

of the skills

Volleyball: Steps to Success provides a

system-atic approach to playing and teaching volleyball

Follow the same sequence as you work your way through each step:

1 Read the explanation of the skills, niques, or strategies the step covers; why this step is important; and how to execute the skills and techniques of the step

tech-2 Follow the illustrations

3 Review the missteps, which note common errors and corrections

4 Perform the drills Drills help you improve skills through repetition and purpose-ful practice Read the instructions and record your score Drills appear near the skill instructions so you can refer to the instructions if you have trouble with the drill.

Over the last several years, the sport of leyball has changed dramatically The imple-

vol-mentation of rally scoring, serves along the entire baseline, let serves, and the use of the libero have transformed important aspects of the game Through these changes and others, the sport of volleyball has become more specialized

and powerful Volleyball: Steps to Success reflects

the growth and popularity of the sport Enjoy the journey as you climb the steps to success, and have fun!

viii

Climbing the Steps to Volleyball Success

The Sport

of Volleyball

Volleyball has come a long way in the years it

has been enjoyed by people all over the world

Even though the sport had its humble beginnings

in the United States, it is staggering to see the

effects it has had worldwide

The game of volleyball as it is played today

is a far cry from the original game that was

invented more than a century ago Volleyball

was invented in 1895 by William G Morgan, a

YMCA physical education director in Holyoke,

Massachusetts Morgan decided to combine

ele-ments from several other games—basketball,

baseball, tennis, and handball—to create a new

game Originally Morgan created the game, first

called mintonette, to provide relaxation and

physical activity with less physical contact for

local businessmen For the net, Morgan

bor-rowed a tennis net but raised it to a height of 6

feet, 6 inches (about 2 meters), just higher than

an average man’s head

In 1896 two five-player teams participated in the first real game of mintonette at Springfield

College in Springfield, Massachusetts During a

game later that year, a faculty member remarked

that it looked as if the men were volleying the

ball back and forth over the net; perhaps the

game should be called volleyball Morgan liked

the idea and changed the name

The first ball used was the bladder from a basketball, but Morgan soon decided that it was too light and slow He tried a basketball, but it was too large and heavy Since Spalding’s com-pany headquarters was in Holyoke, and Spald-ing made sports equipment, Morgan asked A.G

Spalding to make a ball for his game A special ball was designed for the sport in 1900

Throughout its development, volleyball rienced the biggest drawback to its popularity because of frequent rule changes Coaches had difficulty teaching volleyball because every few years the rules changed Many changes were made with the ball, and the size of the court The number of players on each side were determined

expe-by the amount of space available and during this time, players did not rotate

In the early years, game equipment and rules were simple The first rules of the game were

published in an article in the YMCA Athletic Handbook in 1897 The court was 40 feet by

80 feet (12 meters by 24 meters) with a net 6 feet to 6 1/2 feet high (1.8 to 2 meters) dividing the court Each team had four players, and four innings constituted a game Servers used a bat

to serve the ball over the net If the serve failed

to go over the net, that was considered a fault and the server was out If he was the last on his

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x

The Sport of Volleyball

team to serve, his side was out The serve, as well

as the return, had to be volleyed and not played

twice in succession by the same person Only

the server could score a point for his side

The game was later modified to allow any number of players on a team Play consisted of

keeping a ball in motion over the net, a

combi-nation of tennis and handball Play continued

back and forth until one side failed to return

the ball or the ball hit the floor This counted as

a score for one side, or a “server’s out” (today

the term we use is “side-out”) for the other The

game consisted of nine innings, each side

serv-ing a certain number of times in each innserv-ing If

any player touched the net or caught or held the

ball, play ended and it counted against his side

If the ball struck any object and bounced back

into the court, it was still in play Players could

dribble the ball (it had to continuously bounce)

but could not cross the dribbling line

In 1896 the sport was also introduced in Dayton, Ohio, and many of the rules were

revised The net height was standardized to 7

feet, 6 inches (2.3 meters); dribbling was

elimi-nated; and each game was played to 21 points

Volleyball quickly became popular all over the world The game was introduced to the

Philippines and China in 1910, to Japan in

1913, to Siberia and the Polish army in 1915,

to Uruguay in 1916, to Brazil in 1919, and to

Syria in 1922 In the Philippines around 1916,

an offensive style of passing the ball in a high

trajectory to be struck by another player—the

set and spike—was introduced These players

also developed the bomba, or kill, and called

the hitter the bomberino

In 1916, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was invited to aid in edit-

ing the rules and promoting the sport The net

was raised to 8 feet (2.4 meters), games were

played to 15 points, and matches were made

up of three games In the early 1920s, the game

was further modified The court dimensions

were changed to 30 feet by 60 feet (9.1 by 18.2

meters), the composition of the ball was

stan-dardized, players were only allowed to play the

ball above the waist, and a team was limited to

no more than three hits before sending the ball

back over the net

In 1919 American Expeditionary Forces tributed close to 16,000 volleyballs to its troops and allies YMCA directors who were sent to Europe at the end of World War I (around 1919)

dis-to help rehabilitate the allied armies introduced volleyball to many European countries This was the major stimulus for the growth of the sport internationally In 1920, three touches per side and the back-row attack rules were implemented

In the 1920s and 1930s, many universities

in the United States began to organize ball classes as well as intramural and collegiate teams In 1949, Florida State University made volleyball a men’s varsity sport, and it became the first college in the nation to offer volleyball scholarships and a full-time coach

In 1952, the NCAA agreed to sponsor ball and conduct a national championship The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) hosted their first volleyball championships

volley-in 1967 In 1974, the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) promoted state high school championships on a national level

The YMCA had the greatest influence on the growth of volleyball during the first 20 years

of its development In 1920 the first YMCA national championships were held in Brooklyn, New York, and 27 teams from 11 states were represented In 1925 the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) assumed control over the game, and in

1928 the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) was formed to administer and manage the game both on a national and an interna-tional scale because tournaments and rules were needed The first U.S Open was held and was open to non-YMCA teams too

During the 1930s, recreational sports grams became an important part of daily American life During this time, the first two-man beach game was played In 1934 national vol-leyball referees were recognized as a necessary part of the game In 1937 during the AAU con-vention in Boston, action was taken to recognize the USVBA as the national governing body for volleyball in the United States In 1946 a study

pro-of recreation in the United States showed that volleyball ranked fifth among team sports that were being promoted and organized

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The USVBA was a charter member of the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB),

which was formed in 1947 in Paris, France In

1948, the first two-man beach tournament was

held The USVBA sponsored the first National

Women’s Open Championships in 1949, the

National Armed Forces Championships from

1952 to 1964, and the National Collegiate

Championships in 1949 Also in 1949 the USVBA

added a collegiate division for competitive

col-lege teams

For about the first 10 years, though, collegiate competition was minimal Interested students

and teachers formed teams Many of these

teams dissolved when their interested players

graduated Competitive teams were scattered,

and no governing body was in place to provide

leadership in the sport at that level By 1951

volleyball was played by more than 50 million

people each year in more than 60 countries

worldwide

The USVBA sponsored the first U.S teams in the inaugural World Championships in 1949, in

the first Pan American Games in 1955, and in

the Olympic Games in 1964 The International

Olympic Committee (IOC) designated volleyball

as an Olympic sport in 1957 and decided to

include it in Olympic competition in 1964

In 1959 the International University Sports Federation (FISU) held the first University Games

in Turin, Italy Volleyball was one of eight

com-petitions held Around 1960, several Midwestern

institutions formed the Midwest Intercollegiate

Volleyball Association (MIVA), and in 1964 the

Southern California Intercollegiate Volleyball

Association (SCIVA) was formed

During the 1960s, new techniques were added to the game, including the soft spike (or

dink), the forearm pass (or bump), the block

across the net, and defensive dives and rolls

The ball that was used for the Olympic Games

in 1964 consisted of a rubber carcass with

leather paneling A similarly constructed ball is

used today

In 1965 the California Beach Volleyball ciation (CBVA) was formed, and in 1968 the

Asso-NAIA made volleyball one of their competitive

sports In the late 1960s, the NCAA proposed the

addition of volleyball to their program of offered

sports The first televised volleyball matches were at the 1974 World Championships in Mexico They were televised only in Japan

In 1975 the USVBA created the first full-time training program for the women’s national team

in Pasadena, Texas, and in 1977 the U.S men’s team established a full-time training center in Dayton, Ohio With the implementation of Title

IX, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) developed sport opportuni-ties for women in high schools and colleges

College scholarships and full-time coaches for women’s teams became available for the first time in 1975

In 1981 the NCAA recognized the growth

of girls’ and women’s volleyball and held its first national championship for women The AIAW was absorbed by the NCAA because the NCAA became the governing body for men’s and women’s collegiate volleyball In 1983 the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was formed

After the United States boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, the U.S

men’s Olympic volleyball team won the first Olympic gold medal in U.S volleyball history

in 1984; at those same games, the women’s Olympic team won the silver medal From 1985

to 1988, the U.S men’s volleyball team won the FIVB Triple Crown—the 1985 World Cup, the 1986 World Championship, and the 1988 Olympic gold medal

In 1986 the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA) was formed, and in 1987 FIVB added a Beach Volleyball World Champi-onship Series In 1990 the World League was created in which teams from all over the world competed for huge monetary prizes In 1992 the Four Person Beach Tour was started in the United States That same year both the U.S men’s and women’s Olympic teams won bronze medals

Volleyball celebrated its 100th birthday in

1995 In 1996 beach volleyball was added as

an official Olympic sport, and U.S men’s teams won gold and silver medals In the 2000 beach competition, a U.S men’s team won another gold medal, and in 2004 the U.S women’s teams won their first beach medals with gold and bronze

The Sport of Volleyball

In the United States, volleyball has NCAA national championships for both men’s and

women’s teams Internationally, different

championships and tournaments based on the

four-year Olympic quadrennium are held The

sport of volleyball has grown and developed all

over the world Even though it originated in the

United States, volleyball is just now achieving

the type of popularity in the United States that it

has received around the world Volleyball ranks

only behind soccer among top participation sports Today more than 46 million Americans play volleyball Worldwide, 800 million players participate in volleyball at least once a week

What would Morgan think of his game today? The number of people worldwide who enjoy the sport as participants or as fans is staggering and a far cry from the small gym

in Massachusetts where the game was first played in 1895

Figure 1 Dimensions and markings of the volleyball court.

RULES

During play, 12 players are on the court at a time,

6 on each side Often players have specialized

positions They switch to these positions in the

front and back rows after the first contact is

made with the serve Each position is different

Position specialization occurs at more advanced

levels of play Beginners usually play each

posi-tion that they rotate to This helps them learn the

game better Contact with the ball is minimal,

which means that all movement on the court

needs to be precise Most movement is

per-formed before contact is made with the ball

Volleyball is played on a 30-foot-by-60-foot court (figure 1) The net divides the court in half;

each side is approximately 30 feet by 30 feet

Some organizations measure the court

metri-cally, making each half of the court 9 meters

by 9 meters Lines define the court Each line

is named based on its function and position on the court: sidelines, attack lines, baselines, and the centerline The baselines are at the end of the court on both sides The two sidelines are perpendicular to the net and are 30 feet long

on each side The attack lines, or 10-foot lines (also referred to as 3-meter lines), are used as guides for frontcourt and backcourt players and are located 10 feet away from the centerline on each side Front-row attackers usually begin their approach to the ball from here, and back-row attackers cannot jump in front of this line The centerline, which divides the court in half, runs the width of the court and goes under the net

Figure 2 The six areas of the court Players rotate as shown.

Play is fast; players are in constant motion because the ball travels from one side of the

net to the other Each player on a side rotates

clockwise around the court when rallies are

won and points are scored (figure 2) The

easi-est way to identify the areas of the court is a

simple numbering system, 1 to 6, as shown in

figure 2 Right back is area 1 At one time right back was the serving position, but recent rule changes allow servers to serve from anywhere along the back line The right-front position on the court is area 2, middle front is area 3, left front is area 4, left back is area 5, and middle back is area 6

Figure 3 Player positions on the court.

Player positions on the court are named based on which side of the court they play,

always facing the net (figure 3) The left side

of the court (areas 4 and 5) is called left front

and left back Outside hitters primarily play in

these two positions They specialize by playing

only on the left side of the floor in the front

row and the back row Middle hitters play in

the middle of the court (areas 3 and 6), and

right-side players play on the right side of the

court (areas 1 and 2) By specializing in this way,

each player learns to play one primary position

in the front row and one position in the back

row Players switch to the area of the court that they are responsible for once contact is made

on the serve, if their team is serving, or once their team has sent the ball back over the net,

if they are receiving serve

Play begins with the serve Every play ends with one team winning a point Whoever wins the rally wins the point; you do not have to serve to score Play is terminated when the ball touches the ground, when the whistle blows, or when the ball goes out of bounds or contacts the antenna on either side The ball can touch the net on the serve and remain in play

165

234

The Sport of Volleyball

Many rule infractions can occur during a rally that also will terminate play The ball may not be

held or come to rest No hit, with the exception

of the first, can be a double contact (A double

contact occurs when the ball contacts two

differ-ent body parts not simultaneously.) The player

who rotates to the right-back position becomes

the next server The server has five seconds to

initiate the serve from behind the baseline The

serve may touch the net and still remain in play

The server cannot step on or over the baseline

until he or she has made contact with the ball

Once the ball is tossed, contact must be made

The ball cannot touch the floor off the toss If

it does, the other team receives a point The

server must also toss the ball in the air before

making contact with the ball The ball cannot

be hit out of the hand when the serve is

initi-ated Servers cannot step over the service line or

baseline until after they contact the ball This is

very noticeable with jump servers because the

rule states they must jump and take off from the

floor from behind the service line but can make

contact with the ball in the air and land on the

court after doing so

Part of the confusion in the game of volleyball regarding rules is that a number of governing

bodies are in the sport, and each adheres to

slight modifications of the rules In the United

States, the National Federation of State High

School Associations (NFHS) determines the

rules at the high school level The NCAA governs

the collegiate game United States Volleyball

(USAV) regulates club and open games, and

FIVB governs all international indoor and beach

competitions Available Web sites for each of the

governing bodies are in the resources section at

the end of this introduction To simplify the text,

we present the current NCAA rules for

intercol-legiate volleyball

The volleyball court is 59 feet (18 meters) long and 29 feet, 6 inches (9 meters) wide

The court lines along the sides of the court are

sidelines, and those at the end are baselines

The centerline divides the court into two equal

playing areas The attack line, also called the

10-foot line or 3-meter line, is 9 feet, 10 inches (3

meters) from the net on each side of the court

All lines are in play; if any part of the ball lands

on the line, it is “in.” For the women’s game, the net is 7 feet, 4 1/8 inches (2.24 meters) high The net in the men’s game is 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches (2.43 meters) high

Teams submit lineups before each game The rotational order that a team begins in is the rota-tional order that they must maintain throughout that entire game If an overlap occurs, it means that they are out of rotation In the overlap rule, you basically need to worry about who is directly

in front of you, behind you, and directly on either side of you During the game, if players are not in the correct positions, possibly the wrong person went back to serve the ball and served it out of order If that does happen, the rotational order and the score are corrected The serving team loses the point and the ball Each of these situ-ations results in a point being awarded to the opposing team

The officials begin a match with a coin toss between the designated captains of the two teams The team that wins the toss may choose

to serve or receive serve first Once this is decided, the serve is alternated between teams until the last or fifth set when another coin toss occurs Before the coin toss, teams can decide to either change sides at 8 points or remain on the same side of the court during the entire game

This switch occurs only in the deciding game because it is played to 15 points under NCAA rules A match is composed of either the best

of three or the best of five games Each team is allowed two time-outs per game

A player can break the plane of the net to play a ball if any part of the ball crosses the plane of the net In general, contact with the net is not allowed The only exception to this rule is an inadvertent contact such as a player’s hair If a player does make contact with the net, play ends and the opposing team is awarded the point as well as possession of the ball if they did not already have it

Each team is allowed a maximum of three successive contacts with the ball before the ball has to be sent back over the net Usually these contacts are a pass, a set, and a hit If the block touches the ball, this does not count as a con-

tact and the team is still allowed three contacts

This allows the rally to continue The ball may

inadvertently contact any part of a player’s body

and remain in play, although it does count as a

contact

A ball that is in play and is contacted taneously by two players from different teams

simul-is called a held ball The ball must be replayed

A replay is also called when two opponents

commit a violation at the same time during

play

A double contact occurs when the same player makes contact with the ball more than

once in succession The exception to this rule

is during the first contact If a player is

receiv-ing serve or diggreceiv-ing a hard-driven spike, she is

allowed to make ball contact with more than

one body part and keep the ball in play because

the ball is traveling so fast At any other time a

double contact occurs, it is a violation and results

in a point for the opponent

The ball remains in play even if it touches the net during play The ball must pass from one side

of the net to the other side of the net inside the

antennae to remain in play

A player can substitute into the game for only one player A player cannot enter the game for

one player in one rotation and then another

player in another rotation unless he or she is

the libero The designated libero must wait at

least one possession before entering for another

player The libero is discussed in more detail in

step 8 (page 119)

Several rule changes have occurred since 1996:

• The libero is a new position

• The server is allowed to serve from where along the baseline

any-• The number of allowed substitutions has increased

• The pursuit rule has been implemented

• Centerline violations have been altered

• Allowable contact on the first contact has been modified

• Scoring has been modified to rally ing

scor-The libero plays only in the back row This player is easily identified because he or she wears a different-colored jersey than the rest of the team Under NCAA rules, the libero can enter the game for any player in the back row and is allowed to pass, play defense, and serve for one person At the high school and club levels, the libero can enter the game for any player in the back row and is allowed to pass and defend but

is not allowed to serve The libero must sit out one rally before reentering the game for another backcourt player The libero’s entrances and exits do not count as substitutions The libero is not allowed to jump and attack the ball over the plane of the net or set the ball with her hands inside the attack line The libero is an important position at all levels On most successful teams, the libero passes and digs as many first contacts

as possible

Until recently the right-back player, who becomes the server when he or she rotates to that position, served only from the right-back area of the court Today the server serves from anywhere along the entire baseline This pro-duces a lot of creativity in serving In the past, float and topspin serves were the primary types

of serves used Today, players have a whole arsenal, including topspin jump serves and baby jump float serves

In the NCAA women’s collegiate game, the number of substitutions increased from 12 to

15 The NCAA rules state that the men’s game allows only 6 substitutions per game This means that only 1 substitution is allowed per player per game

The addition of the pursuit rule in volleyball added yet another dimension to the game The pursuit rule allows a player to pursue and play

a ball on the other side of the centerline as long

as it does not interfere with the opponent For

a player to pursue the ball, 6.5 feet (2 meters)

of clearance must be outside the net pole and referee stand If, after the first contact, the ball travels over or outside the antennae to the opponent’s free zone, a player may retrieve that ball by traveling outside the net pole The return path of the ball must be over or outside the antennae

The Sport of Volleyball

point while maintaining the serve The original serve-scoring method made matches longer because side-outs did not result in points, only

a loss in the possession of the serve The ent scoring system awards a point at the end of each play to the team that won the rally

pres-With rally scoring, serving tough and tently is much more important than it was under the old method of scoring Missing a serve gives

consis-an easy point to the opponent Serving along the entire baseline has opened up the serving and passing game tremendously

Rally scoring is used at all levels of tive play The score is kept by the scorekeeper

competi-at the officials table Additional informcompeti-ation and

a complete listing of all rules for volleyball can

be found at www.usavolleyball.org

Centerline violations are somewhat ent as well In the past, no part of the foot was

differ-allowed to touch the centerline or a violation

occurred Today a player’s foot can touch and

actually be over the centerline as long as it does

not interfere with play The foot is the only part

of the body that is allowed to cross the line

The rules allow a double contact, but not a lift, to be made on the first ball contact Because

of this change in the rules, it has become much

more common for players to receive serve and

dig balls overhead with their hands

Rally scoring replaced the serve-scoring method in volleyball Rally scoring means that

a point is awarded to the team that wins each

play In the original serve-scoring method, teams

could win points only when their team earned a

EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS

The ball cannot be less than 25.6 inches (65

centimeters) or more than 26.4 inches (67

cen-timeters) in circumference and has to weigh

not less than 260 grams and not more than

280 grams (9 to 10 ounces) The ball must be

spherical with a flexible, smooth leather or

leatherlike cover of 12 or more panels with a

separate bladder It needs to be uniform and

light in color or a combination of colors; at least

one-third of the surface must be white or light

The air pressure in the ball must be between 0.3

and 0.325 kilograms per square centimeter (4.3

to 4.6 pounds per square inch) All balls used

in a match must have the same characteristics

regarding color, circumference, weight, inside

pressure, and manufacturer

The antennae on the net are flexible rods made of fiberglass that are 1.8 meters (6 feet)

long and 10 millimeters (3/8 inch) in diameter

The upper half of each antenna is marked with

alternating white and red or orange bands not

less than 10 centimeters (4 inches) and not more

than 15 centimeters (6 inches) wide Antennae

are considered part of the net and laterally

define space

The net is 1 meter (39 inches) wide and at least 9.5 meters (31 feet) long It is constructed

of 10-centimeter (4-inch) square mesh

The player’s uniform consists of a jersey plus shorts or briefs, pants, or culottes Gym shoes are required equipment for indoor play With the exception of the libero, teammates must wear uniforms of the same color, style, cut, and trim, including sleeve length The libero’s uniform will

be a different color than the uniforms of the rest

of the team, and he or she will be the only person

in this jersey Manufacturer logos and lettering are not required to be identical Shoes, socks, and kneepads are not considered a part of the uniform and are not required to be identical

Players’ jerseys must be marked with bers not less than 10 centimeters (4 inches) in height on the chest and not less than 15 cen-timeters (6 inches) in height on the back Uni-form jerseys worn by teammates must display numbers of the same color and size

num-Shirts must be numbered 1 through 99 inclusively Duplicate numbers may not be worn Once the lineup is submitted for the first game, players may not change numbers for the remainder of the match unless blood gets on a jersey and it has to be changed

SAFE PLAY

Figure 4 Ankle stability Balance on one leg and hold

the other leg in front with eyes closed.

Providing an environment that is safe for play

is very important when preparing for class or a

training session Make sure that any

unneces-sary objects are moved out of the gym or at least

away from the court so that they are not in the

way Remove anything with a sharp or pointed

edge if at all possible

The upright poles used to hold the net can have padding, as can the official stand if you are

playing games Players should remove all their

jewelry Rings, necklaces, and even earrings can

get caught in the net or can harm another player

Players should dress in shorts and a T-shirt or

sweats and always wear sneakers

Warming up and cooling down properly before and after volleyball training are important

practices Consider time constraints when you

put together a plan for each day Over the years,

we have found that players and students benefit

from a movement-oriented warm-up much more

than a stretching-oriented one

Instead of coming into the gym and jogging and then sitting down to stretch as a group, we

set up individual routines for each person to

follow before doing any ball-handling activities

These activities include ladder drills, jump rope,

medicine-ball movements, core exercises,

move-ment patterns, and stretching that individual

players need to improve By warming up this

way, players increase core temperature fairly

quickly and work on details that help them

become better volleyball players This part of

the warm-up can take as long as you feel

nec-essary We usually spend about 7 minutes on

these types of activities and then go right into

ball handling with a partner The whole warm-up

takes approximately 15 minutes At the end of

this time, everyone is focused and ready to

prac-tice By designing warm-ups this way, the coach

or teacher has the flexibility to help individuals

while the rest of the team or class is busy with

their own preparation Here are some of the

activities we use in individual routines

• Ankle stability: Balance holds on each leg

with eyes closed; balance holds on each leg in

four directions; or balance hops with four hops per circle

• Balance on one leg for 30 seconds with the opposite leg straight out in front, eyes shut (figure 4) Perform two sets per leg, 30 seconds each set

• Balance on one leg, rotating your lifted leg in four directions Imagine you are standing on a clock face, facing 12 o’clock Hold your raised leg toward 12 o’clock for 10 seconds and then rotate

it to 2 o’clock and hold for 10 seconds

Rotate your leg to 4 o’clock and hold for 10 seconds and then to 6 o’clock and hold for 10 seconds Repeat; then switch legs

• Balance on one leg and hop while ing in a complete circle You are allowed four hops to complete a full circle After each hop, hold your knee up for 5 sec-onds before hopping and turning more

turn-Repeat; then switch legs

The Sport of Volleyball

• Rocky solos: Two sets of 10 full circles each

way, feet on floor Start in regular sit-up position

with a medicine ball behind you on the floor

Twist and reach for the medicine ball Come

all the way across your body and put the ball

behind your back again, twisting to put it back

on the floor Complete 10 full circles and then

switch direction Repeat

• Rotator cuffs: Two sets of 10 repetitions for

each arm Tie an elastic band or surgical tubing on

the net pole at shoulder height Do a set of

inter-nal and exterinter-nal rotations; then switch arms

• Medicine ball seated twists: 20 right and

left Start in regular sit-up position with a

medi-cine ball to your left on the floor and feet up

and off the floor; feet stay up the entire exercise

Twist and reach for the medicine ball (figure 5)

Come all the way across your body and touch

the ball on the opposite side of your body before

twisting back to the starting position That is one

repetition

knees and keep your body upright as you get

your fingers under the medicine ball (figure 7a)

Straighten your legs and bring the medicine ball

to your waist (figure 7b) From here, lift the ball overhead with both hands (figure 7c) Bring the ball

back to your waist and then lower the ball back

to the floor Hands hold the ball during the entire exercise Count with an even cadence: up to waist (1), overhead (2), back to waist (3), bend knees and ball to floor (4) This counts as one repetition

• Ladders: Choose three of the ladder drills

described in step 1

• Single-leg jackknives with medicine ball:

Two sets of 5 repetitions (right and left is 1 etition) Lie on the floor on your back Legs are straight and arms are straight overhead holding

rep-the medicine ball (figure 8a) Bring rep-the medicine

ball up with straight arms as you raise your leg, which is also straight Touch the ball to your

right foot (figure 8b) and then come back down

to starting position, keeping your right foot off the floor and the ball just touching the floor overhead Do five on the right side and then five

on the left Rest and repeat

Figure 6 Overhead squats with medicine ball: (a) hold

ball overhead with both hands; (b) bend knees until thighs

are parallel to floor.

• Overhead squats with medicine ball: Two

sets of 10 repetitions Start with a medicine ball

above your head, feet wider than shoulder-width

apart, knees lined up with toes (figure 6a) Hold

the ball with both hands and keep your elbows

straight The ball and your arms stay in this

posi-tion during the entire exercise Keep your body

upright and bend your knees until your thighs

are parallel to the floor (figure 6b) Return to the

starting position and repeat 10 times

• Wood choppers: Two sets of 10 repetitions

Place a medicine ball on the floor between your

feet, which are shoulder-width apart Bend your

Figure 5 Medicine ball seated twists Reach for the

medicine ball.

• Pancakes: 10 total balls up (see step 7).

• Serve against the wall: 25 serves Place

a tape line at net height on the wall and serve

above this line

• Straight-arm sit-ups: Two sets of 20

repeti-tions Lie on the floor on your back Knees are

bent with feet on the floor and arms straight overhead holding a medicine ball Bring the medicine ball up with straight arms as you keep your feet on the floor (figure 9) Put the medicine ball slightly in front of your head with your arms

in a blocking position Lower yourself back to the floor and repeat

Figure 7 Wood choppers: (a) squat to pick up medicine ball; (b) bring ball to waist height; (c) lift ball overhead.

Figure 8 Single-leg jackknives with medicine ball: (a) lie on floor, ball overhead; (b) touch ball to right foot.

a

b

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The Sport of Volleyball

• Jump rope: Choose two or three variations

and do for a total of two to three minutes See step 1

• Dot drills: Go through one time See step 1.

After the general warm-up, players should engage in ball handling with a partner to get ready for volleyball skills Here are three ball-handling warm-up exercises:

• Pass and set: 20 repetitions at 20 feet (6

meters) and 20 repetitions at 30 feet (9 meters)

First you and your partner are 20 feet apart You each do 20 repetitions of passing back and forth

Then do 20 reps of setting Move so that you and your partner are 30 feet apart You each do 20 reps of passing back and forth Then do 20 reps

of setting

• Short and deep pass and set: Two sets of 10

repetitions You and your partner do a total of 10 short and deep passes and then 10 short and deep sets One partner is at the net and is stationary

The other player starts 15 feet (4.5 meters) away

She passes the ball to the player at the net and shuffles back to 20 feet From 20 feet way, she passes the ball and then shuffles forward to 15 feet Repeat 10 times Switch roles Switch again and repeat one more time After finishing the second passing set, repeat the drill with setting

• Pepper: 30 total You and your partner

must get the pass, the set, and the hit to count the repetition It does not count if the dig is not good You and your partner are 20 feet apart

Toss the ball underhand to your partner so she can pass the ball back to you Set the ball to your partner, and she will hit the ball at you Dig the ball back to your partner and start all over again

If you make a mistake, start again with a toss

Many coaches and teachers overlook the down at the end of class or practice because they run out of time Plan sessions accordingly and make sure that you allow for at least five good minutes of stretching at the end of a hard training segment Since the muscles are warm, they are easier to stretch, which makes the activity more comfortable even for those who are not very flex-ible The cool-down also allows time for closure to the practice or class session before players head out and on with the rest of their day

• Sumo squats with medicine ball: Two sets

of 10 repetitions Place the medicine ball on the

floor between your feet, which are

shoulder-width apart Bend your knees and keep your

body upright as you get your fingers under

the medicine ball (figure 10a) Straighten your

legs and bring the medicine ball to your waist

(figure 10b) Lower the ball back to the floor

Hands hold the ball during the entire exercise

Use an even cadence as you count: up to waist

(1), bend knees and ball to floor (2) That is one

repetition

Figure 10 Sumo squats with medicine ball: (a) squat and

get fingers underneath ball; (b) lift ball to waist height.

Figure 9 Straight-arm sit-ups.

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Stretches should involve all the main muscle groups Be sure that you pay attention to balance

When stretching the quadriceps, be sure to also

spend time on the hamstrings, adductors, and

abductors Designate someone to lead stretching

each day Students and players need to pay

atten-tion to detail in this aspect of their training

These stretches are good for a cool-down period:

• V-stretch (right, left, and middle): Stand

with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, knees

slightly bent, toes pointed straight ahead Reach

for the floor with both hands, dropping your

head Reach straight down (figure 11a); then

reach to your right foot (figure 11b); and then

reach to your left foot (figure 11c).

Figure 11 V-stretch: (a) reach to middle; (b) reach to right foot; (c) reach to left foot.

Figure 12 Standing quad stretch Figure 13 Catcher’s stretch.

• Standing quad stretch: Stand with your

feet hip-width apart Lift your right foot toward your buttocks and grab your foot with your right hand (figure 12) Keep knees close together A common error is to pull on foot which moves the knee back from the midline and creates unnecessary stress Balance yourself with your left hand If you need to, hold onto a support such as a wall or partner Switch legs and repeat

on the left side

• Catcher’s stretch: Stand with feet

shoulder-width apart, toes pointed out slightly and knees directly above them Bring your palms together

Slowly lower your body toward the floor (figure 13) using your elbows to push out against your knees, while keeping your heels on the floor

The Sport of Volleyball

• Happy cat and mean cat: Support yourself

on your hands and knees on the floor Lift your

head and roll your hips forward so that your

back is arched (figure 14a) Slowly lower your

chin toward your chest and roll your hips back,

pulling in your abdominals and lifting your spine

upward (figure 14b).

Figure 15 Calf stretch: (a) press both heels to the floor;

(b) hook your right foot over your left ankle to isolate your

left leg.

Figure 16 Pretzel stretch.

Figure 17 Hip opener.

• Calf stretch: Support yourself on your

hands and feet with your body in a V-position

(figure 15a) Tighten your abdominal muscles

to support your back Press both heels toward

the floor and feel the stretch along the backs of

your legs Isolate your left leg by hooking your

right foot around your left ankle (figure 15b)

Press the heel of your left foot into the ground

Switch legs and repeat

• Pretzel: Lie on your back Stretch your arms

out to the side Cross your left leg over your right

leg and hook your left foot around your right calf

Twist to the right, pointing your left hip to the

ceil-ing but keepceil-ing your shoulders on the floor (figure

16) Switch legs and repeat, twisting to the left

• Hip opener: Get on your elbows and knees

Bring your elbows in close to your torso and

move your knees out away from each other

(figure 17) Feel the stretch on the insides of

both legs Relax and hold this stretch

Figure 18 Upward dog.

Figure 19 Arm pulls across chest.

Figure 20 Triceps pulls.

• Standing arm circles: Stand with feet

shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward,

hands at your sides Open your hands and

stretch your fingers as much as possible Circle

your arms forward, getting full rotation in the

shoulder Reverse and circle arms to the back

• Arm pulls across chest: Stand with feet

shoulder-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead

Bring your right arm across your chest and hold

it with your left hand (figure 19) Feel the stretch

in your shoulder Repeat with the left arm

• Triceps pulls: Stand with feet

shoulder-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead Lift

your right arm and drop your hand behind your

head (figure 20) With your left hand, grasp your

right elbow and gently apply pressure to increase

the stretch along the right triceps Lower and

repeat with the left arm

• Upward dog: Lie on your belly, hands palms

down on the floor under to your shoulders Press

straight up, lifting your torso while keeping your

thighs on the floor as much as possible (figure 18)

Feel the stretch in your abdominal muscles

The Sport of Volleyball

American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)

Key to Diagrams

Path of ballPath of playerServerSetterTarget playerTosserCoachPasserHitterBlockerDigger/DefenderOutside hitterMiddle hitterMiddle frontLeft frontRight frontMiddle backLeft backRight backBall cart

M O

MF

LF RF MB LB RB

S

S

T T

C P H B D

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Posture and

Movement

In many sports, movement is a key to success

Movement involves balance, speed (also known

as pace), control, and footwork Being able to

maintain balance at a high speed or pace often

determines success in sports When in balance,

your body is in a state of readiness, and you are

able to make quick movements in any direction

The ability to move left and right, forward and backward is essential for all volleyball play-

ers Efficient movement allows players to cover

an area on the court, not just one spot Part of

learning how to move efficiently is learning to

keep your head level and to move on the same

plane, trying not to bob up and down

You need to perform volleyball skills quickly while remaining in control of your body Balance

and speed correlate directly to footwork Proper

footwork is a primary component in

develop-ing good volleyball skills through traindevelop-ing, thus

laying the foundation for achieving success

Good footwork is important whether you are

on offense or defense While on offense, you have an advantage over the defender because you know what you want to do and how you are going to do it The defender, on the other hand, tries to anticipate what the opponent is doing and then disrupt it by forcing the offense

to do something else during the flow of a match

Moving efficiently and in balance, you can create more opportunities for yourself during play instead of always responding to what your opponent is trying to do

In volleyball, you need to set up in the proper position before making contact with the ball to make sure you can direct the ball to the intended target In many other sports, the player arrives

at the ball simultaneously with contact The only volleyball skill performed that way is attacking

All other skills require that you set up with good posture before making contact with the ball

1

STEP

Volleyball: Steps to Success

1.1b) Feet are at least shoulder-width apart with

body weight balanced Your head is slightly in front of your shoulders; your arms are relaxed and bent slightly at the elbows Work to keep your hands in your line of vision at all times

Your body should remain upright, not bent over

at the waist

Digging is the skill performed in the lowest posture A low-posture position means that movement is just above the level of the floor

to keep the ball in play Knees are bent at least

90 degrees and the hips are low (figure 1.1c)

Your feet are as wide apart as possible (slightly more than shoulder width) to enable you to move effectively to play a ball in a low position

Often this is an emergency skill technique or a last-resort attempt to keep the ball off the floor and in play

Six Keys for Posture and Movement

1 Move in a constant posture and refrain from bouncing

2 Move in balance, keeping your body weight between your feet

3 Keep the ball between you and the target

4 Keep your eyes on the ball at all times even when you are moving

5 Set up before contact with the ball

6 Move through the ball to the target

Volleyball is primarily played in three different

postures When moving, you must maintain

your balance in each posture Bouncing up and

down while moving is inefficient Movement

efficiency is one of the keys to becoming a better

volleyball player

High-posture skills include serving, ing, attacking, and jump setting When in high

block-posture, the body is almost fully extended in an

upright position (figure 1.1a) Many high-posture

skills include jumping In a high-posture position

the body is upright As you move, work to make

sure that the body stays balanced and that the

head is always slightly in front of the shoulders

Medium-posture skills are used in the ready position for forearm passing, setting, defense,

and blocking In a medium-posture position,

the knees are bent at a 45-degree angle (figure

Misstep

You adjust your posture after you move to play a ball or as you are moving to play a ball

Correction

Adjusting your posture to play a ball after you have begun to move decreases your chances

of making a good play Set yourself up in a good balanced posture before play begins and always work to recover so that you are ready to play the next ball

POSTURES

To maintain a stable body position, keep your knees in line with your toes Often beginners are not strong enough to hold this position: Their knees cave in and do not stay in line with their toes Your knees should be slightly bent so that you can move easily in any direction The size

of the step you take when moving toward the ball depends on how far you have to move It is best to step first with the foot closest to the ball

in the direction you want to move Otherwise, you cross your feet, which gets you nowhere on your first step and costs valuable time

Think of the best athletes in any sport and how smoothly and gracefully they move These players are so efficient in their movements that

no wasted motion occurs They seem to glide as they move As you become more accomplished and experienced in volleyball, you will notice how much better you move, too You learn that

if your knees are not bent you cannot move If your body weight is not balanced on both feet

or you are leaning in one direction more than the other, you do not have time to get to a ball that is moving the opposite way This awareness

Figure 1.1 The three postures: (a) a serve is a high-posture skill; (b) underhand passing requires a medium posture; (c)

digging the ball is a low-posture skill.

Strength is the foundation of movement Young

and new players learn how to move correctly

through training progressions However, these

progressions are only the beginning of

learn-ing how to move efficiently and in control The

repetitions of training and the work a player

does off the court for strength are all factors that

determine how well a player can move

Always try to keep your feet at least as wide

as your shoulders This gives you a stable base

As you become more accomplished as a player,

your base will become wider as you get

stron-ger If possible, keep your head between your

knees when you move so that you stay balanced

when moving laterally When moving forward

or backward, keep your body weight distributed

evenly on your feet (not on your toes or heels)

with your head slightly in front of your trunk If

you lead with your head, your body will follow

If you fall back with your head, your body will

follow that, too, and you will be caught out of

position Your feet should be pointing straight

ahead; avoid having your toes out like a duck or

in like a pigeon

Volleyball: Steps to Success

comes with experience, by moving over and

over again

When moving to play a ball, try to face your target or the position or player to whom you are

sending the ball Track the ball coming toward

you by focusing on the bottom half of the ball

You want to beat the ball to the place on the court

it is moving toward by working to keep the ball

between you and your intended target

Different types of movement and postures for blocking, defense, attacking, passing, and setting make it possible for you to get to the ball quickly Because so many things happen at once during play, the faster you can set yourself up properly, the better chance you have of making the play

Shuffle Steps

The first movement pattern is shuffling You

can shuffle forward, backward, or side to side

In volleyball, shuffle steps are used in several

different skills, most often in passing, blocking,

and digging

When you use shuffle steps, do not cross your feet Your first step is in the direction you want to move Push off the leg opposite the direction you want to move while maintaining your balance For example, to move to the right, you step to the right with your right foot while pushing off with your left foot (figure 1.2) The

Figure 1.2 Shuffle step: (a) ready position; (b) step to the right, pushing off with the left foot Feet do not cross.

wider apart you keep your feet while you move,

the more able you are to maintain your balance

and change direction if necessary Correct

shuf-fling requires moving both feet toward the ball

at the same time

Moving forward and backward is a skill all volleyball players need to master To play a ball

that is dropping in front of you, you must be able

to move forward in a medium to low posture

very quickly (figure 1.3) To do this, you must

have good leg, core, and low back strength to

maintain your balance, get to the ball, and keep

it in play

and falling away from the ball when you are trying to play it so it will move in the opposite direction Shuffle backward if you have to move only a short distance or to get ready to move forward again If you have a long distance to cover to play a ball, your best option is to turn and run to the ball behind you If the ball is in front of you, then just run forward to get there

When moving forward, all body positions are the same as when moving backward Work to get both feet to the ball as quickly as possible and keep your body behind the ball

By using shuffle steps, you can keep the ball

in sight at all times It is an easy movement tern to perform that will keep the ball between you and the target

pat-Figure 1.3 When playing a ball that is dropping in front

of you, move forward in a low to medium posture.

When you move backward, keep your ders and head forward, your weight balanced

shoul-over the midline of your body, your arms in front

of your body, and your right foot in front (figure

1.4) If you keep your shoulders or head back,

your balance will be on your heels instead of the

front third of your feet You will be off balance

Figure 1.4 Moving backward.

Volleyball: Steps to Success

In the mirror the ball drill, you will move in a

bal-anced medium-posture position Your coach or

partner will move the ball in different directions

The goal is for you to mirror the movement of the

ball Use shuffle steps (do not cross your feet) This

drill can be used for a whole semester in a class

or for a whole season with a team It can take a

long time for a player to grasp these concepts

Time spent on this daily, even if for short periods,

is well spent You can work on efficient form and

stamina with this drill

Success Check

• Knees are bent

• Feet are at least shoulder-width apart

• Body weight is balanced

• Hands are in front of your body and in your line of vision

Score Your Success

Give yourself 1 point for each element in which you maintain balanced medium posture Use the Success Check to evaluate your technique

Your score _

Crossover Step

The crossover step (figure 1.5) is used when a

player needs to cover a distance on the court

When performing the crossover step, open your

hips and take the first step with the foot in the

direction you are moving Pivot in the direction

you are moving and cross over with the opposite

or back leg After the crossover step, the foot comes around so that both feet, both hips, and both shoulders are parallel to or facing the net

or intended target This body rotation is very important because you need to get around the ball so you can direct it to the target; this often happens as you are playing the ball

Figure 1.5 Crossover step: (a) ready position; (b) first step is in the direction you want to go; (c) pivot and cross the other

foot over; (d) finish with feet, hips, and shoulders facing the net or target.

Dot drills are good for improving foot speed and

strengthening the muscles in your lower leg below

your knee Before beginning dot drills, set up an

area as shown in figure 1.6 You can use floor

tape or nonpermanent shoe polish on the floor

Just make sure that you use something that will

not move or slip when you make contact with it

Five separate dot drills are used Perform each

drill six times

five more times Keep your body facing the same direction the entire time

Right Foot

After you complete up and back, your feet should

be on dots A and B Jump so that your weight is only on your right foot and begin at dot A Moving through the drill the first time, you will jump from

A to B to C to D to E On your return trip you will jump from E to D to C to B to A Repeat this sequence five more times (up and back is one)

You are jumping on only your right foot This is tough, so make sure that you touch all the dots

on each pass Remember also that you are always facing the same direction so you go through the dots forward and then backward on the return

Repeat five more times

Left Foot

This is the same as the drill you just did, but this time you are doing it on your left foot Remember that up and back is one repetition Repeat five more times

Both Feet

Follow the same pattern that you just used for your right- and left-foot single jumps Instead of jumping on only one foot this time, you will jump

to each dot with both feet Make sure that your feet stay together and that they both land on the floor at the same time Repeat five more times

Turn Around

This drill is the same as up and back with one exception: Before making the return trip, you make a quick 180-degree turn and face the direction you are returning in You will do this on each end (hopscotch with a turn) Repeat five more times

Figure 1.6 Setup for dot drills.

Up and Back

Start at one end with your left foot on dot A and

your right foot on dot B With both feet, quickly

jump to dot C and then split again so that your left

foot is on dot D and the right foot lands on dot E

at the same time Without turning around, come

back the same way: Land with both feet on C and

then jump to A and B, with the left foot landing

on A and the right foot landing on B When doing

this, think of hopscotch—apart, together Repeat

19" 19"

Volleyball: Steps to Success

Success Check

• Keep your knees bent

• Move your feet quickly from dot to dot

• Wear durable shoes that won’t slip on the floor

Score Your Success

Less than 40 seconds = all-American, 10 points

40 to 45 seconds = quick, 8 points

46 to 55 seconds = good, 6 points

56 to 65 seconds = average, 4 pointsMore than 65 seconds = need work, 2 pointsYour score _

Ladder drills require a ladder If you do not have

a ladder, put tape on the floor or cut up pieces of

rope to use as dividers If possible, use a real ladder;

it requires you to pick up your feet to do the drills

When performing ladder drills, remember to lift

up your feet and move quietly through the ladder

instead of driving the feet down onto the floor You

can hear a definite difference while performing the

drills Each ladder has approximately 12 squares

You can perform each drill as many times as you think necessary We usually do down-and-

backs or twice through for each If you are doing

ladders with a group, make a rule that the next

person in line cannot begin until the person

ahead is halfway through the ladder This gives

everyone time to get through the ladder without the person behind them running right up on them

Remember, ladder drills are designed to train fast feet The faster you can get through each pattern correctly, the better

Here, as with anything, more is not always better Ladder drills are designed to improve footwork and speed Change the order of foot-work patterns and the direction in which they are performed Make yourself think and move on your feet Do not use these drills for conditioning; use them as a means to warm up the central nervous system by training the synapses to fire You do not need to spend more than six minutes on ladder drills per session

R1

L2

R3

L4

R5

L6

R7

L8

R9

L10

R11

L12

Figure 1.7 Ladder drill: one-foot sprint.

One-Foot Sprint

In this drill, you will take single steps in each

square Step in each square one foot at a time

(figure 1.7) Work your way up the ladder and

back You are moving forward only When you get

to the end of the ladder, turn around and come

back or wait for the rest of your teammates to get through the ladder and then go back A more dif-ficult variation of this would be to do it backward without looking down when coming back

Posture and Movement

Figure 1.8 Ladder drill: two-foot sprint.

Two-Foot Sprint

Two-foot sprint is double time Put both feet in

each section of the ladder (figure 1.8) Work your

way up the ladder and back The footwork here is

running steps, not jumping hops Moving forward,

try to get both feet in each box as fast as you can

To increase the degree of difficulty, you also can

Figure 1.9 Ladder drill: three-foot sprint.

Figure 1.10 Ladder drill: two-foot lateral shuffle.

Figure 1.11 Ladder drill: four-foot lateral shuffle.

Three-Foot Sprint

For the three-foot sprint, take three steps in each

square before you move (figure 1.9) The foot

stepping forward changes each time, creating

a challenge This is an excellent drill because it makes you think while you are moving and uses

an unnatural footstep pattern

Two-Foot Lateral Shuffle

Turn sideways and move laterally through the

ladder Step with both feet in each square before

moving on (figure 1.10) Keep your hips parallel

to the direction you are facing

Four-Foot Lateral Shuffle

Turn sideways and move laterally through the

ladder Touch with both feet in each square twice

before moving on (figure 1.11) Try to keep your hips parallel to the direction you are facing

Volleyball: Steps to Success

Success Check

• Keep your knees soft

• Move your feet quickly from area to area in the ladder

• Wear durable shoes that won’t slip on the floor

Score Your Success

Less than 40 seconds = all-American, 10 points

40 to 45 seconds = quick, 8 points

46 to 55 seconds = good, 6 points

56 to 65 seconds = average, 4 pointsMore than 65 seconds = need work, 2 pointsYour score _

Jumping rope provides good aerobic and

anaero-bic conditioning Jumping rope can improve

foot-work, balance, agility, coordination, and muscular

endurance

Jump rope on the front third of your feet

Depending on the speed of the activity and the

jump you are doing, you may need to modify how

far off the ground you jump Especially with speed

drills you need to jump only high enough for the

rope to pass between your feet and the floor If

you do tuck jumps or are jumping as high as

pos-sible, the distance your feet are from the floor will

be much greater Otherwise do not worry about

how high above the ground you are Instead be

concerned with keeping the jump rope moving

The fewer misses you have, the better the workout

Here are some different ways to jump rope:

• Jump with your right foot only

• Jump with your left foot only

• Jump by alternating right foot and left foot

• Jump as fast as you can while lifting both knees up to a tuck jump

• Jump while moving forward and backward with your feet together Make sure that you are moving on each jump

• Move your feet apart and together with each pass of the rope

• Move your right foot forward and your left foot backward Each time the rope passes, switch your feet to execute a split jump

• Jump side to side with feet together Make sure that you are moving laterally on each jump

• Perform double-dutch jumps Jump with your feet together Jump as high as necessary to get the rope around twice on each jump

As you get better, you will be able to jump longer without missing Mix up your routines and the time spent on each exercise In the begin-ning, it might be hard to do single-leg jumps for

30 seconds That should be your goal Once you can do that, increase your time Single-leg jumps, tuck jumps, and double-dutch jumps are the most difficult jumps As you improve, be creative and add movement Jumping rope can get much more difficult if you are moving and jumping at the same time Jumping rope is another very good way to warm up your central nervous system If you are using it as a warm-up, try not to overdo

it Preferably, your team, or class, should get their jumping reps in training and during play instead of jumping rope in warm-up Jumping 3 to 4 minutes for a warm-up is fine If you are using the jump rope for conditioning, jump for 8 to 10 minutes, rest, and repeat the activity

Success Check

• Work on speed

• Jump on the front third of your feet

• Try different ways of jumping rope

• Keep the rope moving to increase heart rate and improve footspeed

Score Your Success

Because jumping rope is a conditioning ity, assignment of points is difficult Jump rope

activ-to build and maintain your aerobic fitness and improve your footwork, balance, and coordination

Give yourself 1 point for each of the different ways you try to jump rope

Your score _

SUCCESS SUMMARY OF POSTURE AND MOVEMENT

For each of the drills in this step, you can earn

points to score your progress Enter your score

for each drill and add them up to rate your total

success If you score at least 20 points, you are

ready to move to the next step If you score fewer than 20 points, review the technique instruction and repeat the drills to increase your scores

In this chapter, your first step to success, you have mastered basic foot patterns and postures

essential in volleyball Learning to move correctly

and efficiently is important in any sport One of

the unique characteristics about volleyball is that

you are constantly in motion During play, the ball

never stops This requires you to make continuous

changes in your position on the court before the

ball comes back to you or your side of the net

The different postures and movement patterns that you use while playing happen so fast that you do not have time to think about them The better trained you are, the better prepared you are to put yourself in the best possible position to successfully play the ball Take the time necessary

to learn and train the fundamentals of posture and movement to prepare you to move on to the next important step, serving

Movement Drills

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it, for it to be legal.

Serving has become much more tactical

Standing in different places along the baseline and using different types of serves can keep opponents out of rhythm and unable to do what they want to offensively because they cannot pass consistently enough to target A team that learns a variety of different serves can be much more attack-oriented and can create more opportunities to score points

Serving successfully is important, but serving tough is just as important Good servers pick on poor passers by trying to serve to them often As

a server, never feel sorry for picking on someone

to score points for your team Keep serving to the player who cannot pass or who is struggling

to get the ball to the target in serve receive

Also serve different areas of the court to rupt your opponent’s offense For example, if your opponent is getting lots of kills with a good slide hitter, serve the ball short to area 2 so that

dis-You are ready to begin your second step to

suc-cess, serving Serving is a primary part of any

player’s game Serving begins a rally Without

a serve, the ball cannot be put into play

Serv-ing is the only skill in volleyball that one player

completely controls because no one else touches

the ball before the server does The best serve

is an ace, a ball that your opponent cannot pass

to a target On the other hand, nothing deflates

momentum more than a service error

Serving is affected by the rule changes that have occurred in the past few years One of the

biggest changes is rally scoring Serving has

changed because every play results in a point

instead of only the serving team being able to

score An easy or weak serve now creates an

opportunity for your opponent to score, but

so can a service error Serving cannot be all

or none; a balance is needed Now more than

ever the serve is viewed as a way to attack the

ball immediately at your opponent to score fast

points or to force an error so you can respond

easily and score quickly

A second rule change allows the server to serve anywhere along the baseline Before this

change the serve had to come from area 1

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14

Volleyball: Steps to Success

she cannot hit from there Another example is

to serve short against an opponent who likes to

run combinations This creates confusion in the

middle of the court and makes it very hard for

players to move and hit

Make sure that you have balance and tency with your servers Use the 10 percent rule:

consis-You need to be successful 90 percent of the time

in serving the ball over the net and in the court

Teams that miss more than 10 percent of their

serves risk diminishing their chances of winning

You also can live with a service error if you have

a service ace to balance it

Treat serving as a skill that is critical to your team’s success It can make or break a game, a

match, or a season Spend the time necessary

to become a good server Repetition is the key

to successful serving You must practice each

part over and over again so that they blend

together and become natural and automatic You

also need to make sure that serving in practice

is made as gamelike as possible Serve with a

purpose—serve to score

The parts of the serve are the setup, the toss, the arm swing, and ball contact The setup

prepares you to serve Try to do the same thing

every time, whether that means taking a deep

breath, bouncing the ball a certain number of

times, or anything else you can think of that

relaxes and focuses you You are establishing a

ritual that helps you relax and get ready to serve

your best Another part of the setup is where

you want to stand along the baseline and how

far away from the baseline you need to be Make

sure that you have enough room to step and

serve if you are performing a stationary float

serve or to do your approach for a jump serve

The toss is the most important part of cessfully executing the serve Usually a missed

suc-serve results from a poor toss The toss needs

to be consistent in height and position The toss

for a float serve should be approximately 12 to

18 inches (30 to 46 centimeters) above your

head and in front of your serving shoulder This

keeps your serving motion simple so that you

can reach high and contact the ball at the sion of your reach at contact For jump serves, the toss is higher The type of jump serve you are performing determines how high and how far in front the toss needs to be for correct contact

exten-A correct arm swing is an important part of serving too For overhead serves your elbow should be high A cue we often use is “elbow by your ear.” Your hand is above your elbow, which means it should be higher than the top of your head You want to make contact with the ball with a firm open hand, not a fist When serving

a float serve, you want to make contact close to the middle of the ball so that the ball floats and moves like a knuckleball For jump serves, you want to make solid contact and finish up and over the ball, which gives the ball the topspin you want for this serve The faster you strike the ball, the harder you serve

Serving can be a mental challenge if you let

it because it is the only skill in volleyball that is totally controlled by one person Players often place too much pressure on themselves to be perfect When this happens, it decreases the chance to serve successfully or even to send the ball over the net This is critical because some-times all the server needs to do is serve the ball over the net and keep it in play These situations include the first serve of each game in a match,

a serve for game or match point, after a missed serve by a teammate, and after a time-out or substitution by either team

Good servers can serve to all areas of the court from anywhere and are able to use differ-ent types of serves effectively For a beginner to

be able to serve the ball overhand over the net,

he must be able to throw it overhand over the net from the baseline When serving, make sure to step with the foot opposite your throwing hand when you throw the ball over the net just as you would throw a baseball or other ball

In this step, we cover the five most common serves: the underhand serve, the float serve, the topspin serve, the jump serve, and the baby jump float serve

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