UNDERHAND SERVE

(For right-handers)

• Hold the ball with your left arm.
• "Backswing, step and hit”
• Keep that left arm frozen solid. If that left arm moves, then you are trying to hit a moving target.
• If the ball is not going far enough, you need more backswing.
• Don’t hit the ball too far towards the bottom or else it will go directly up to the ceiling of the gym. Contact the back of the ball, to make it go forward.
• To hit the ball, make a fist, then contact the ball with either the heel of the hand, the thumb-forefinger area or an open hand.

DIG

This is the most basic and the most used skill in volleyball.
Also referred to as "Bump" and " Forearm Pass"

Cues: Move - Stop - Wrists together; thumbs down - Long arms - Follow toward target

• Begin in Medium Posture - Arms APART
• Move quickly to the ball
• Stop before playing the ball - shoulders squared to the target
• As you stop, hands come together: |
  Arms are straight and away from the body
• Place one hand in the other (palms up) 
• Thumbs are parallel and facing down
• Forearms are flat - form platform
• Create appropriate angle with arms to direct ball to target
• Contact the ball on the forearm (platform) out in front of (away from) the body
• Body should move toward the target as you pass (follow-through)

Come up under the ball - Relax the shoulders - Keep elbows close to each other - Hands never come higher than shoulders

Common Mistakes: Standing upright. Getting ready too late. Not moving to ball. Not squaring shoulders to target. Excess arm swing. Bent elbows. Contacting ball with hands/wrists instead of forearms.

SET

A set is a skill in which the ball is contacted with two hands above the forehead and placed into position for an attacker to spike the ball. Any player may set the ball, but advanced teams will have a designated setter.

Cues: Ball shaped hands- Triangle - Extend arms and legs

• Start with ball shaped hands
• View the ball through triangle formed by thumbs and index fingers
• Place hands just above forehead
• Allow ball to come to hands - On contact, wrists give and arms and legs extend (like diving board)
• Follow through high toward target - Body should be in vertical line from head - shoulders - trunk - hips - legs
• Move to spot BEFORE ball arrives - use split leg stance or feet in line with each other
• Face target

Common Mistakes: Contacting ball with palms. Body not squared to target. Pointing fingers down in the follow-through (swan dive). Extending arms too soon.

SPIKE

A spike is a one-handed hit contacted with force and sent over the net on an attempt to ground it on the opponent's court. Only front row players may spike the ball in front of the ten foot line.
Also referred to as "Hit" and "Attack"

Cues: Run - Jump - Swing (Hit)

• Footwork for Approach
  Use the 3 Step Approach to the ball.
  Left....Right Left
  The first step is a slow, directional step
  The second is a an acceleration step
  The third continues the acceleration, but closes the approach & acts as a brake so that forward motion is transferred to the vertical momentum.
  In this position - knees bent; arms back - you are in a coil that will allow you to explode vertically from the ground

• Approach at a 45-degree angle to net
• Arms swing behind body and are parallel to floor on the last second step
• Both arms swing forward & over head to increase the height of the jump
• Hitting arm swings behind head like a bow & arrow; hand is open & relaxed
• Swing arm forward from shoulder; follow with elbow and then hand
• Non-hitting hand will pull downward toward the player's abdomen
• Contact the ball in front of hitting shoulder - as high and as far in front as can be controlled with extended arm
• Hit with heel of hand and spread out over the ball - "SNAP"
• Follow through close to the body to avoid touching the net
• Location of contact on the ball will depend on the location of the ball - contact above ball when it is close to the net; behind ball when it is far from the net
• Land softly with two feet and bent knees
• Begin approach when ball is at the peak of its loop

Common Mistakes: Poor timing of approach - Touching the net with the hitting hand - Ball goes into the net - Ball is hit too high and travels outside the boundaries of the court.

DINK/TIP

A dink, or tip, is a soft hit ball that is used to place the ball into an open area on the court. To execute the dink, approach as if you were going to spike the ball. However, gently contact the ball using the upper portion of the fingers, slightly in front of your hitting shoulder at full arm extension. Contact the ball slightly below the center back. Make sure hand is soft - no tension. Direct the ball upward enough to barely clear the block but still drop quickly to the floor.

BLOCK

A block is performed by the defensive team as an attempt to prevent a spiked ball from crossing over the net and hitting the floor. This skill may be performed only by a front row player. Teams may use one, two, or three players to execute the block.

Cues: Hold hands high - Front the hitter - Eyes Open - Big Hands - Press

• Ready position- feet shoulder width apart, split stance, even weight, bent knees
• Hands are held high in front of shoulders with fingers spread; pinkies turned down
• Move to "front" the hitter (hitter's hand should line up at your outside hand and travel to your inside shoulder)
• Jump just after attacker jumps
• Reach over the net - place hands around ball (surround the ball)
• Press ball to the opponent's side of the court
• arms and shoulder extend upward
• leave no gap between the blocker's hands and the net
• Movement to Ball:
  2 Step: STEP with foot closest to ball - CLOSE
  Always face net
  3 Step: STEP with foot closest to ball - CROSS in front with opposite foot - CLOSE with the next step
  Face direction of movement until the Close

Common Mistakes: Improper timing - Fingers not spread - Hitting the net on the jump - One hand reaching higher than the other - Hands angled toward the hitter instead of the opponent's court.

OVERHAND SERVE

The serve is the skill that initiates play. The ball must be contacted with only one hand. The right back player must serve from any spot behind the end line of the court. The server may not contact the court until the ball has been contacted. Only one attempt is allowed on the serve. Players may allow ONE tossed ball to drop to the floor provided it does not contact any body part.

Cues: TOSS - STEP - HIT

• Stand with shoulders facing the net
• Hold ball in palm of non-dominant hand at chest level
• Dominant elbow is held at 90-degrees behind body. Elbow remains at shoulder height or above throughout the entire serving motion.
• Toss ball up and slightly in front of body.
  (A perfect toss lands just inside of the lead foot, in line with the hitting shoulder).
• Step toward net with opposite foot
• Arm is fully extended at point of contact
• Hand is Ridged - Wrist is Locked
• Accelerate arm toward ball and contact ball with heel of hand
• Swing through middle back of ball using a punching motion (no fist) 

Common mistakes: Poor toss. Loose wrist/hand. Swing arm across body. Wrong foot in front. Slow arm swing.

READY POSITION

Depending on the skill you anticipate having to perform, begin in one of the following postures:

High Posture (Blocking, Serving)

Feet shoulder width apart
Staggered feet (unless blocking when feet are side by side) 
Weight evenly distributed
Knees slightly bent

Medium Posture (Serve Receive; Free ball; Setting) 

Feet shoulder width apart and staggered (balance)
Toes are angled slightly inward so knees are inside of the toes
Shoulders are in front of knees
Hands and arms are relaxed, above knees, and away from body
Hips are low; Back is straight
* Notice that hands are NOT JOINED in the ready position

Low Posture (Receiving a Spike) 

Similar to medium posture, except knees are bent more than 90-degrees
Weight is forward
On a dive - play ball from low posture and then hit the floor.

RULES

Boundary Lines:

• A ball that touches the boundary line is considered IN the court.
• If a player touches a ball before it bounces, the ball remains in play, even if the player is off the court.
• All players must be on the court at the time of serve (except server). At all other times, players may leave the court to play a ball provided the ball crosses over the plane of the net as it travels to the opponents’ court.
• A server must be behind the end line to serve the ball.
• The player that is in the top left hand corner (looking from the net to the end line) is the player who serves the ball. They may use anywhere along the end line to serve from. If any part of the server's body touches the end line or the inside of the court BEFORE contact is made with the ball, a foot fault is called and the opponent is awarded the serve.
• Volleyball poles: There are two vertical poles attached to the outside edges of the net. Any ball that touches or travels outside the poles is OUT.

Rotation:

Rotational position refers to the area on the court where the player must be when the ball is served (from either team).

• This is determined by the line-up at the beginning of the game, which dictates the order of servers for the entire game.
• These rotational positions are numbered on the court below.
• Players rotate in a clockwise direction and the substitute player standing off the court, then moves onto the court.

1. Right back (server)
2. Middle back.
3. Left back
4. Left front
5. Middle front
6. Right front. 7. Substitute

• Your numbered position will change each time you win a rally that began with your opponent's serve.
• Players rotate one position clockwise each time they win a rally that began with the opponent's serve.
• A player will continue to serve until the team loses a rally.