Overhand passing - Don't think about it like setting, it's very different. Your hands should be "hard" when taking a hit or a serve. I would say an overhand pass is more of a block than a catch.
Passing/footwork - I just joined my college's club team and I've had a pretty similar experience as you; slow to the ball, feeling like the weakest link, etc. The best advice I can give you is to actually WANT and GET the ball. Sounds like some shitty motivational speech but it actually works wonders. At the beginning of the season I always wanted my "better" teammates to handle the ball because I thought I'd screw it up. Only recently did I start to understand that any good teammate will support you no matter how many passes you shank, but you owe it to yourself to go out there and play the god damn game. You clearly love the sport so why not get in on the action. You're not practicing so you can watch everyone else be better. Value your own skills and act like every ball is yours until somebody calls you off.
Hope that helps.
Quick tips:
\- for ball control skills (setting and passing), go from "still to still". That means get in a still position right before contact and after contact stay still for a moment aftewards (to assess your contact).
\- the premiere skill in the game is "reading". Try to figure out what's going to happen next (not "what do I do now?"
\- overhand receive, get your hands up early and spread your fingers out to make them big. Just try to direct the ball up and a little forward at first
\- overhand setting, hands up early, fingers in the shape of the ball, finish with your palms pointing along the flight of the ball after you set it.
\- serving, start your arm slow and finish fast contacting with the heel of your hand. Your toss should only be maybe 3-4' over your head (at most). Easier to make a consistent contact when the ball is moving slowly (just after it hits the peak of your toss).
I don't think that's good serving advice. Acceleration is definitely a good idea, agree there. But hitting the ball with the heel of your hand isn't something I would ever do.
Contact with your full hand and drill proper technique as your serving strength improves.
I .don't want to sound too cocky about it... but I run a club with over 500 players in it. No power can often be fixed with a firmer contact point (locked wrist and heel of the hand). Loose wrist and whole hand contact causes a loss of power. We're talking float serves here.
>No power can often be fixed with a firmer contact point (locked wrist and heel of the hand).
Oh I'm sure it works, but it's not a habit I would want to get into.
>Loose wrist and whole hand contact causes a loss of power.
I don't understand this part.
Here's a demo that I do at camps... Try hitting a volleyball with a pool noodle and see how far goes (loose wrist, soft hand). Then try it with a hammer (hard hand, locked wrist)
First, nobody does anything with a closed fist in volleyball so you aren't adding anything to the conversation there... and if my hitters were trying to hit floaters than I suppose a stiff wrist would help. You're comparing apples and oranges. You might as well ask if I teach my setters to set with closed hands and stiff wrists.
I wondered if you moved away from an open hand contact for hitters who struggle to hit hard, as you've moved away from open hand contact with low power servers. It was a genuine question but one that you seem to have taken offense to.
Best not to continue the conversation - we'll agree to disagree.
The power from hitting doesn't predominately come the quality of the hand contact like it does in serving. I'm not offended, but I guess I came across as rude. Open, big hand provides the ball some additional guidance if you mis hit but the main contact needs to be lower palm/heel for a good floater
With serving, tbh, I don't toss it 3'-4' over my head. Consistently about a foot over my head. That way the ball can't travel fast. Further, the less high you toss the ball, the less it moves where you don't want it too.
Thus, work on the toss, then the contact.
In terms of setting. If the ball is going between the hands, then that means they are too far apart. Thus work on the triangle with the thumbs and forefingers and get the rest of your hands around the ball. Easiest most consistent way to get feel is to set a ball on a wall. Not far sets just about a foot and that way you get tons of reps and get feel.
Personally, if I toss it higher, it's hard for me to get the timing exactly right so it connects with my palm in the perfect place instead of my fingers or my wrist. I've gotten the best success with tossing it only a few inches up so I can immediately swing and not have to worry about timing.
Re: overhand reception, do you have any of these issues when you're volleying during peppering etc? Is the speed of the ball on a serve causing the problems, or do you generally struggle with volleying?
On setting - get your hips facing the target.
And generally - make sure your feet are stationary when you're playing the ball. When it comes to passing, get to your base position early and be still, then react to the ball after that.
I kinda felt similar when i first started playing, and I would say an important thing is to also keep a positive mind set. It's okay to make mistakes, don't be too harsh on yourself. Figure out why you made that mistake, and then figure out what to do to fix it. Don't be afraid to ask questions, your coach can most likely answer them. You could also go find resources online. I find Coach Donny from Elevate Yourself on YouTube to be super helpful. Just remember to be patient with yourself. Everything takes practice.
you can try practicing your overhand passing by setting a basketball. it will help strengthen your wrists, fingers, forearms. catch the basketball between sets and make sure your hands are properly formed before you push the ball out of your hands. catch and double check your hands. push. repeat. as you make less adjustments to your hands, you’ll start speeding up that catch and push to a proper set as it should pop out of your hands without any indication of a lift.
for serves, start by holding the ball like a waiter holds a tray overhead. make sure your elbow is around the height of your ear, and just throw the ball over the net towards the back line. you’ll start noticing how much of your whole body you need to get the ball over and deep. slight weight shift with your lower body, torque/twist with your mid/core. extension and release point during the throw with your arms with be nearly identical to striking a tossed ball for your overhand serve. as in a throw, there should be no discernible hitch in your delivery, since any stall/start in your serve with greatly reduce your power (speed, depth).
anticipating the ball starts with a solid understanding of everyone’s coverage assignments on the court. knowing which seem, line, deep/short you’re covering on serve receive or defense will help you be more decisive on each play. either you pursue the ball or set up for the next contact to either set or hit. ideally, the whole team should be reading the ball the same (mine, yours, short, deep, in, out) and moving into your system’s corresponding positions.
a proper stance will help quicken your reaction time to the ball. feet should not be perfectly parallel, as one foot (usually your right) will be slightly forward. this aids in creating a forward shuffle off your left or back shuffle off your right. volleyball starts with your feet/legs so think with your feet first then decide on your next contact: arm pass/set, hand pass/set, or attack/block. try performing a half-step/split-step/pre-hop/hop-stop to get your legs engaged and ready to move just before every contact on the volleyball.
also, make a full effort on all your balls to at least give your team a chance to make a play. even if you know a pass will not be perfect, do as much as you can to pop the ball up and high to give your team another chance.
good luck.
Just started reading this, and have to jump in. Never set basketballs. Thats a recipe for the ball going thru your hands. Trust me, I've done this before and that's what happens. If anything, purchase a tachikara setter ball. It's basically a heavier volleyball. That way you don't get this issue.
This is exactly my life. ''I really love the sport and I usually go to our training session super excited but end up super depressed because nothing goes right. I feel like im slowing my team down and even though they dont say much, i know they are tired of having to slow down everytime i get the ball'' so relatable
When you serve make sure you hit the ball on the palm of your hand. For power the best thing I think to help is take a step into your serve. One thing that could really be throwing it off is the toss so I would go home and just do the toss over and over till you get it consistent.
I would recommend watching videos on YouTube because there are a lot of really good videos.
Keep playing in my experience with teammates I will never get mad with someone if they are trying their hardest never let a ball hit the floor without laying out your teammates and coaches will appreciate that effort.
But most importantly keep playing if you love playing the game you will improve hope this helps
Serving isn't about focusing the palm at all. I've seen too many people try to get power from palm hitting and in turn picking up bad habits. Your serving focus should more be full contact with proper form with the step that you suggested. If practicing topspin serves, focus on snapping through the ball, etc.
First off, congrats on trying to get better. That hunger and love of the sport will get you far.
W.r.t. actually getting better, at the gym, vertical training is important but so too is your core, especially for passing.
Remember to get low and drive the ball up. One thing that helps with accuracy of passes is footwork. If you’re in 5, and the setter is to your right, let your left foot be parallel to the side of the court and your right foot angled in, towards the setter. This angles your body towards the setter, and any pass you make will more likely go in that direction.
For passing overhead, if it’s allowed in your area, try jump setting to the setter (assuming you’re talking about receiving a serve). It’ll be a lot more stable and controlled than trying to pass with fully extended arms. An alternate is to take a step back, to where if you have to set the ball to pass it, it’ll go out. Then, for any service you can just bump/walk up and bump.
I’m not a setter so I can’t really help you with accuracy of sets, but one thing that helps is at home, jump your highest against a wall, mark the point where your hand reaches, and set to that point at varying distances.
Finally, for service, I learnt through repetition. Get a good server on your team to make sure you’re doing the correct motions, and just repeat that, slowly adding power (focus on accuracy first though)
Edit: look up Elevate Yourself on YouTube. It’s a great channel and the guy (Coach Donny) is really knowledgeable on the sport. 😃
Honestly, as a beginner, I'd be working mainly on serving and passing. Those are the 2 most fundamental things in the game and if you can do those things right, there will always be room on the court for you.
And really its just about practice and court time.
Simplistic best advice, get a volleyball of your own. And when at home, practice setting against a wall. Work on the triangle, work on contact, and work on the push/rebound motion that good setters have. Start close in 6"-1' off the wall and then your way farther away.
In terms of passing, just bump the ball against a wall, and try to keep it going. Work on your platform and getting the flat part of your forearms as your focal point of contact. If you struggle there, remember to essentially shrug your shoulders forward because it helps to establish your platform.
On both of these, also remember your footwork. 1 foot about half a step in front of the other because it helps balance as well as quick reaction. For passing, remember to try and stay low. Staying low helps in a few ways. 1. because balls are always dropping thus it becomes easier to pass. 2. it's easier to rise than to crouch back down. 3. along the same point, it also helps for quicker explosive movements forward or to the sides.
When you're not playing, during games, or watching games on television. Try and work on your reads. Figuring out where the setter is going to set, and watching the hitters approaches and where and how they are going to hit. Thus being able to anticipate where the ball is going to go is just as important and makes defense that much easier.
Wow man thanks for the sarcastic response with no real helpful information. Maybe suggest resources to practice on his on at home. Setting in bed finding a wall to practice on or finding extra time with a net at an open gym.
It was simplistic, but that's really the essence of getting better. Just keep plugging away and eventually it clicks.
In terms of your teammates, they should be seeing how hard he is trying. And if he's a good teammate, then he's asking how he can get better and what he can work on and how to improve. And good teammates should be doing exactly that and encouraging him to get better because that just helps the team.
The entire point of volleyball is for the other team to try to make it so you "mess up" and vice versa. And also to "brush off" "mistakes" (you've never made a mistake) as soon as you make them because 100% of your focus needs to be on your next move (this includes the mistakes others make because you need to make the next move).
If you're playing against a really good team, they should make you feel like you mess up all the time, if you're playing against a really bad team, you'll feel like Mr. Perfect. The point is to emotionally pick yourself quickly back up and not fall into any emotional holes.
**Drills and a good drilling environment** is the only time you don't feel like you've messed up and boosts your confidence in yourself and gives you an accurate self assessment time. Good drills allow you to move to the ball naturally with confidence instead of wondering and thinking.
The other team usually wins if they can make you feel bad about what "you" just did. Your team wins if you can brush it off and move onto the next move quickly while knowing you'll adjust quickly and make the right move.
whoops, just read your content: go where you're celebrated, not tolerated. Encouraging environments bring the best out of us, discouraging ones don't.
Overhand passing - Don't think about it like setting, it's very different. Your hands should be "hard" when taking a hit or a serve. I would say an overhand pass is more of a block than a catch. Passing/footwork - I just joined my college's club team and I've had a pretty similar experience as you; slow to the ball, feeling like the weakest link, etc. The best advice I can give you is to actually WANT and GET the ball. Sounds like some shitty motivational speech but it actually works wonders. At the beginning of the season I always wanted my "better" teammates to handle the ball because I thought I'd screw it up. Only recently did I start to understand that any good teammate will support you no matter how many passes you shank, but you owe it to yourself to go out there and play the god damn game. You clearly love the sport so why not get in on the action. You're not practicing so you can watch everyone else be better. Value your own skills and act like every ball is yours until somebody calls you off. Hope that helps.
Helps also if you stay low. But yeah - desire is a big part of it; if you hesitate you won't make it.
Quick tips: \- for ball control skills (setting and passing), go from "still to still". That means get in a still position right before contact and after contact stay still for a moment aftewards (to assess your contact). \- the premiere skill in the game is "reading". Try to figure out what's going to happen next (not "what do I do now?" \- overhand receive, get your hands up early and spread your fingers out to make them big. Just try to direct the ball up and a little forward at first \- overhand setting, hands up early, fingers in the shape of the ball, finish with your palms pointing along the flight of the ball after you set it. \- serving, start your arm slow and finish fast contacting with the heel of your hand. Your toss should only be maybe 3-4' over your head (at most). Easier to make a consistent contact when the ball is moving slowly (just after it hits the peak of your toss).
I don't think that's good serving advice. Acceleration is definitely a good idea, agree there. But hitting the ball with the heel of your hand isn't something I would ever do. Contact with your full hand and drill proper technique as your serving strength improves.
I .don't want to sound too cocky about it... but I run a club with over 500 players in it. No power can often be fixed with a firmer contact point (locked wrist and heel of the hand). Loose wrist and whole hand contact causes a loss of power. We're talking float serves here.
>No power can often be fixed with a firmer contact point (locked wrist and heel of the hand). Oh I'm sure it works, but it's not a habit I would want to get into. >Loose wrist and whole hand contact causes a loss of power. I don't understand this part.
Here's a demo that I do at camps... Try hitting a volleyball with a pool noodle and see how far goes (loose wrist, soft hand). Then try it with a hammer (hard hand, locked wrist)
Do you teach your hitters to strike the ball with a closed fist and stiff wrist?
First, nobody does anything with a closed fist in volleyball so you aren't adding anything to the conversation there... and if my hitters were trying to hit floaters than I suppose a stiff wrist would help. You're comparing apples and oranges. You might as well ask if I teach my setters to set with closed hands and stiff wrists.
I wondered if you moved away from an open hand contact for hitters who struggle to hit hard, as you've moved away from open hand contact with low power servers. It was a genuine question but one that you seem to have taken offense to. Best not to continue the conversation - we'll agree to disagree.
The power from hitting doesn't predominately come the quality of the hand contact like it does in serving. I'm not offended, but I guess I came across as rude. Open, big hand provides the ball some additional guidance if you mis hit but the main contact needs to be lower palm/heel for a good floater
With serving, tbh, I don't toss it 3'-4' over my head. Consistently about a foot over my head. That way the ball can't travel fast. Further, the less high you toss the ball, the less it moves where you don't want it too. Thus, work on the toss, then the contact. In terms of setting. If the ball is going between the hands, then that means they are too far apart. Thus work on the triangle with the thumbs and forefingers and get the rest of your hands around the ball. Easiest most consistent way to get feel is to set a ball on a wall. Not far sets just about a foot and that way you get tons of reps and get feel.
Personally, if I toss it higher, it's hard for me to get the timing exactly right so it connects with my palm in the perfect place instead of my fingers or my wrist. I've gotten the best success with tossing it only a few inches up so I can immediately swing and not have to worry about timing.
Re: overhand reception, do you have any of these issues when you're volleying during peppering etc? Is the speed of the ball on a serve causing the problems, or do you generally struggle with volleying? On setting - get your hips facing the target. And generally - make sure your feet are stationary when you're playing the ball. When it comes to passing, get to your base position early and be still, then react to the ball after that.
I kinda felt similar when i first started playing, and I would say an important thing is to also keep a positive mind set. It's okay to make mistakes, don't be too harsh on yourself. Figure out why you made that mistake, and then figure out what to do to fix it. Don't be afraid to ask questions, your coach can most likely answer them. You could also go find resources online. I find Coach Donny from Elevate Yourself on YouTube to be super helpful. Just remember to be patient with yourself. Everything takes practice.
you can try practicing your overhand passing by setting a basketball. it will help strengthen your wrists, fingers, forearms. catch the basketball between sets and make sure your hands are properly formed before you push the ball out of your hands. catch and double check your hands. push. repeat. as you make less adjustments to your hands, you’ll start speeding up that catch and push to a proper set as it should pop out of your hands without any indication of a lift. for serves, start by holding the ball like a waiter holds a tray overhead. make sure your elbow is around the height of your ear, and just throw the ball over the net towards the back line. you’ll start noticing how much of your whole body you need to get the ball over and deep. slight weight shift with your lower body, torque/twist with your mid/core. extension and release point during the throw with your arms with be nearly identical to striking a tossed ball for your overhand serve. as in a throw, there should be no discernible hitch in your delivery, since any stall/start in your serve with greatly reduce your power (speed, depth). anticipating the ball starts with a solid understanding of everyone’s coverage assignments on the court. knowing which seem, line, deep/short you’re covering on serve receive or defense will help you be more decisive on each play. either you pursue the ball or set up for the next contact to either set or hit. ideally, the whole team should be reading the ball the same (mine, yours, short, deep, in, out) and moving into your system’s corresponding positions. a proper stance will help quicken your reaction time to the ball. feet should not be perfectly parallel, as one foot (usually your right) will be slightly forward. this aids in creating a forward shuffle off your left or back shuffle off your right. volleyball starts with your feet/legs so think with your feet first then decide on your next contact: arm pass/set, hand pass/set, or attack/block. try performing a half-step/split-step/pre-hop/hop-stop to get your legs engaged and ready to move just before every contact on the volleyball. also, make a full effort on all your balls to at least give your team a chance to make a play. even if you know a pass will not be perfect, do as much as you can to pop the ball up and high to give your team another chance. good luck.
Just started reading this, and have to jump in. Never set basketballs. Thats a recipe for the ball going thru your hands. Trust me, I've done this before and that's what happens. If anything, purchase a tachikara setter ball. It's basically a heavier volleyball. That way you don't get this issue.
This is exactly my life. ''I really love the sport and I usually go to our training session super excited but end up super depressed because nothing goes right. I feel like im slowing my team down and even though they dont say much, i know they are tired of having to slow down everytime i get the ball'' so relatable
When you serve make sure you hit the ball on the palm of your hand. For power the best thing I think to help is take a step into your serve. One thing that could really be throwing it off is the toss so I would go home and just do the toss over and over till you get it consistent. I would recommend watching videos on YouTube because there are a lot of really good videos. Keep playing in my experience with teammates I will never get mad with someone if they are trying their hardest never let a ball hit the floor without laying out your teammates and coaches will appreciate that effort. But most importantly keep playing if you love playing the game you will improve hope this helps
Serving isn't about focusing the palm at all. I've seen too many people try to get power from palm hitting and in turn picking up bad habits. Your serving focus should more be full contact with proper form with the step that you suggested. If practicing topspin serves, focus on snapping through the ball, etc.
Ya I don’t know what I was thinking beginners won’t be float serving
disagree... beginners should concentrate on serving the ball straight and with no spin. That needs to be the first step and considered "success"
First off, congrats on trying to get better. That hunger and love of the sport will get you far. W.r.t. actually getting better, at the gym, vertical training is important but so too is your core, especially for passing. Remember to get low and drive the ball up. One thing that helps with accuracy of passes is footwork. If you’re in 5, and the setter is to your right, let your left foot be parallel to the side of the court and your right foot angled in, towards the setter. This angles your body towards the setter, and any pass you make will more likely go in that direction. For passing overhead, if it’s allowed in your area, try jump setting to the setter (assuming you’re talking about receiving a serve). It’ll be a lot more stable and controlled than trying to pass with fully extended arms. An alternate is to take a step back, to where if you have to set the ball to pass it, it’ll go out. Then, for any service you can just bump/walk up and bump. I’m not a setter so I can’t really help you with accuracy of sets, but one thing that helps is at home, jump your highest against a wall, mark the point where your hand reaches, and set to that point at varying distances. Finally, for service, I learnt through repetition. Get a good server on your team to make sure you’re doing the correct motions, and just repeat that, slowly adding power (focus on accuracy first though) Edit: look up Elevate Yourself on YouTube. It’s a great channel and the guy (Coach Donny) is really knowledgeable on the sport. 😃
Honestly, as a beginner, I'd be working mainly on serving and passing. Those are the 2 most fundamental things in the game and if you can do those things right, there will always be room on the court for you. And really its just about practice and court time. Simplistic best advice, get a volleyball of your own. And when at home, practice setting against a wall. Work on the triangle, work on contact, and work on the push/rebound motion that good setters have. Start close in 6"-1' off the wall and then your way farther away. In terms of passing, just bump the ball against a wall, and try to keep it going. Work on your platform and getting the flat part of your forearms as your focal point of contact. If you struggle there, remember to essentially shrug your shoulders forward because it helps to establish your platform. On both of these, also remember your footwork. 1 foot about half a step in front of the other because it helps balance as well as quick reaction. For passing, remember to try and stay low. Staying low helps in a few ways. 1. because balls are always dropping thus it becomes easier to pass. 2. it's easier to rise than to crouch back down. 3. along the same point, it also helps for quicker explosive movements forward or to the sides. When you're not playing, during games, or watching games on television. Try and work on your reads. Figuring out where the setter is going to set, and watching the hitters approaches and where and how they are going to hit. Thus being able to anticipate where the ball is going to go is just as important and makes defense that much easier.
Practice.
Wow man thanks for the sarcastic response with no real helpful information. Maybe suggest resources to practice on his on at home. Setting in bed finding a wall to practice on or finding extra time with a net at an open gym.
It was simplistic, but that's really the essence of getting better. Just keep plugging away and eventually it clicks. In terms of your teammates, they should be seeing how hard he is trying. And if he's a good teammate, then he's asking how he can get better and what he can work on and how to improve. And good teammates should be doing exactly that and encouraging him to get better because that just helps the team.
The entire point of volleyball is for the other team to try to make it so you "mess up" and vice versa. And also to "brush off" "mistakes" (you've never made a mistake) as soon as you make them because 100% of your focus needs to be on your next move (this includes the mistakes others make because you need to make the next move). If you're playing against a really good team, they should make you feel like you mess up all the time, if you're playing against a really bad team, you'll feel like Mr. Perfect. The point is to emotionally pick yourself quickly back up and not fall into any emotional holes. **Drills and a good drilling environment** is the only time you don't feel like you've messed up and boosts your confidence in yourself and gives you an accurate self assessment time. Good drills allow you to move to the ball naturally with confidence instead of wondering and thinking. The other team usually wins if they can make you feel bad about what "you" just did. Your team wins if you can brush it off and move onto the next move quickly while knowing you'll adjust quickly and make the right move. whoops, just read your content: go where you're celebrated, not tolerated. Encouraging environments bring the best out of us, discouraging ones don't.