March 18, 2020

Volleying, as the name suggests, is the most important skill in the game of volleyball. With that, it is surprisingly misunderstood. Many coaches believe the key to setting a ball is “soft hands.” Simply put, there are three levers in the skill of volleyball. Wrists are for quick release and are used for quick sets and back sets; elbows are engaged when needing to set high; and hips are utilized when needing to set a ball long distances. These levers must be used interchangeably. Therefore, an athlete setting long distance and engaging their wrists will have a “quiet” release but risks spraying the ball. There are a number of things to know about volleying and we will review these here.

Overhead Pass
Let’s start by understanding that a volley is a “second contact” designed to assist a teammate in attacking the ball. An overhead pass is not a volley. These are first-contact situations in which an athlete decides to pass the initial contact to their setter with their hands.

Furthermore, the technique in overhead passing is very different. Whereas players can set a ball with loose wrists, caulked back with thumbs inside, the overhead pass will require the player to stiffen their wrists/hands and contact the ball further from their forehead. An overhead pass can be used on serve-receive, free or down-ball, tip, or defensively against an attack. These are generally referred to as an overhead dig, however, the technique is the same.

Footwork
Although it is generally understood that a player must be balanced when they set, here to, we find a general misunderstanding of what constitutes a balanced athlete when volleying a ball. For example, an athlete who is jump setting is perfectly balanced. She is in the air. An athlete who is spin setting may not be square to her target, but she also is perfectly balanced.

Many coaches prefer a two-step finish when volleying; that is a left-right footwork pattern to square to target. Generally speaking, one of the most common technical errors when volleying is the athlete’s inability to plant both feet in a balanced position. For that reason, we have our athletes spin to volley. This ensures they will remain balanced. Their only challenge after this is the need to square to their target before making contact with the ball.

Upper Body
A “late draw” is another common mistake when volleying. The cue word for hands coming up quickly to volley is “quick draw” and hands must be up as the ball begins its descent. Arms should rise in a consistent manner so as to keep the forearms at a 45-degree angle. A common mistake with young athletes involves the thumb pointing upwards rather than downwards prior to contact. This is a result of the elbows being too high, leaving the athlete’s forearm at 90 degrees. If coaches focus on the angle of the arms rather than the thumbs they will be more successful at breaking this bad habit.

Contact
Simply put, all volleying is “linear passing.” That means the passer must be facing his/her target when executing an effective set. By the way, the term volley and set are interchangeable. 
The ball must be played with a player’s chin down and eyes up with ball contact made at the hair line above the forehead. Tilting one’s head back will result in the athlete setting above their head and must be avoided. Hands must also be up quickly with contact coming from the pads of the fingers. The firmness of the contact is determined by the type of set. Quick sets should be initiated with loose wrists while high-outside sets require firmer contact.

Another bad habit to look for is the temptation among younger athletes to drop their wrists and set off their chins. Often referred to as “Deep Dish Setting” in honour of beach volleyball which permits a slight lift of the ball for cleaner contact, this technique is not permitted in the indoor game. 

Keys to Success
1. Beat the ball. Arrive to the ball early so you might turn and square to target effectively.
2. Stay balanced. As you approach the ball, shorten your steps and spin to face your target.
3. Play the ball at your hair line. Keep your chin down and look up at the ball. Do not tilt your head back.
4. Volley from your midline. Play the ball in the mid-point of your body. Try not to “tilt set” off your shoulder, especially for longer distances.
5. Cup hands. Make contact with the balls of your fingers and elbows pointing downward. This can only be achieved with arms up at 45 degrees.
6. Push and freeze. To ensure each hand completes the follow through at the same time push fully and freeze.

CUE WORDS
•    Get there Early
•    Quick Draw
•    Square to Target
•    Thumbs In
•    Follow-Through
•    Freeze
 
CONCLUSION
Unlike many sport skills, the volley is used exclusively in the sport of volleyball. Whereas playing baseball will help a volleyball player improve her arm swing mechanics and thereby hit harder, the skill of volleying a ball is unique to the sport of volleyball.

Finally, coaches must make an effort to understand the technique and how to correct bad habits. Volleying a ball accurately begins by getting to the ball quickly. That is best achieved by making larger steps and closing in with smaller steps. Hands must then come up quickly and be ready to volley prior to getting to the ball. The athlete must turn to face the target in a balanced position so they may execute the volley correctly. When volleying, the athlete must push the ball and freeze to target. If any of these elements is inconsistent, the entire sequence breaks down.

- Coach Luc

A few years ago, I had to help one of our age class club tryouts, so I actually wasn’t able to attend my own team’s first tryout. I therefore asked another one of our club coaches to identify a possible setter for my team as I had most athletes pre-selected despite not having a committed setter. He e-mailed me later that evening with the name of an athlete he deemed, “the very best setter” at our tryout so I called her parents the next evening and offered her a spot. She accepted and a few days later I met her for the first time at our second team tryout. I was stunned. She was so slow footed my immediate reaction was to believe my fellow club coach must have purposely sabotaged my team. I called him over and asked him what qualities he liked most about her. His response was, “She has the best hands I’ve ever seen.”

At that point I understood he meant well, and I was lucky enough to find another setter who moved quickly to the ball and our team’s season was salvaged.

Choosing a setter has little to do with the setter’s hands, as that can always be improved. Many other important elements to setting are far less easy to train. Here’s an overview of some of the key requirements to finding a strong setter.

Ideal technical skills of a strong setter:

1. Foot Speed: Simply put, setters must be able to get to the ball, cover every hitter and play defense. Foot speed is probably the most important athletic ability of a good setter. Agility footwork exercises with the use of ladders can certainly improve agility and foot speed, however, it will never turn a slow-footed setter into a quick one. They are fast, or they are not.

2. Hand contact: The only way to ensure consistent contact with the ball is high-repetition practice. Have your younger setters spend an average of 10-15 minutes per practice against the walls for the first third of the season. If the walls in your gym do not allow for setter training, have them practice with a partner.

3. Blocking: The setter is a primary blocker. However, since the setter is often one of the smaller athletes on a team, coaches will regularly start them in position one as the lead-off server. This places them in a position where they must be a strong lead-off server and an effective blocker when rotate to the front row. The life of a setter….

Personal traits of a winning setter:

1. Leadership: The setter is the offensive captain. The team’s confidence will be determined by their confidence in their setter and a natural leader raises the confidence of the entire team. 

2- Winner: A setter who sets an example for never giving up and chasing down every ball will have the effect of making everyone on the team work harder not to let them down; especially if they are well-liked by the rest of the team.

3. Confidence: The ideal setter must be confident in her training and in her ability to deliver the ball. As previously mentioned, a team’s confidence is impacted by their confidence in their setter. If the setter struggles with poor confidence she will not likely earn the trust of her team.

4. Intelligence: The ideal situation for any team is one in which the setter is a self-motivated “student of the game.” A setter who strives to understand the systems of play, why coaching decisions are made, and how to anticipate the game as it unfolds, will have more success.

5. Communication: It is essential for a setter to be a strong communicator. If that doesn’t come naturally to the young setter, work with them so it does become second nature. The first thing to understand about quiet setters is that they run the risk of injuring themselves and others by potentially colliding with a teammate on the court. Teammates who do not hear their setter call for a ball may simply run into them when attempting to play the second ball. This is the most common cause of serious concussions on the volleyball court. Setters who are quiet will also “freeze” their team as teammates wait until the setter gets to the ball before releasing to their hitting lanes.

6. Calm Disposition: Emotional setters make their teams emotional. That always looks great when the team is winning but lose three points in a row and watch things change. As you train your younger setters, practice helping them adopt physical cues they can use to help them re-focus on the next point and lead their team in a controlled, confident manner.

- Coach Luc