Volleyball is not as easy as it looks, and requires a great deal of technical ability along with physical sharpness. The techniques mentioned here are the basic things that one needs to know before playing the game, but they take a long time to perfect.
Learning the most basic techniques in volleyball will improve your ability to excel at this sport. Volleyball is an easy game to understand, but it is not that easy to master. You will need lots of practice with experienced players, and you will need to develop complete understanding of all the techniques required to play this game.
There are mainly 6 aspects of the game that you will need to focus on individually, and all of these have their own methods and intricacies. You need to focus your attention on serving, setting, passing, hitting, blocking, and digging. Explaining the techniques is pretty simple, but to actually put them into practice is a different matter altogether.
Remember, the key to mastering any sport is practice, practice, and more practice. Even those who excel at the highest level in their sport keep practicing day-in and day-out till they retire, which is what makes them the best. Now moving on to what we are here for, here is what it takes to excel in this exciting game.
Serving
When you are serving, you need to consider the height for tossing the ball, the amount of bend your elbow carries, and the force with which you hit the ball. All these factors need to play a part in your serving routine, and this is something that you need to practice beforehand. Depending on the manner in which you strike the ball, your serve will either travel along a higher trajectory, or it will be flat. Volleyball serving techniques will teach you how to control these serves and how to change your serve as and when you please. The best way to learn how to serve effectively will be to see a live demonstration of someone who is experienced in the game of volleyball. You need to keep in mind that the ball must be tossed up above your serving shoulder, and then you need to strike the middle of the ball with the middle of your hand, and continue with the follow-through of the arm swing, while constantly keeping your elbow above your head.
Setting
Setting basically means setting up the ball in a manner that makes it easy for the next player in the team to strike the ball very hard into the opponent's court. For this purpose, a setter needs to anticipate the direction of the ball, and must trust in his teammates to give him an opportunity to set. The setter should always have a clear target and vision about what he is going to do with the ball, and he should also know where all his teammates are positioned. This level of coordination can only be achieved with a lot of practice together.
Passing
Passing is usually the action that precedes the setting, so it needs to be precise and accurate. The touch of the passer should not be heavy, and it should enable the setter to get a good direction on the ball. The movement of the passer needs to be very good as a result, and his steps must be soft and slow. The passer's fingers must do the work of passing the ball, but the movement must come from the hips. If the passer can verbally communicate with the setter while carrying out his task, it can prove to be extremely helpful.
Hitting
Advanced volleyball techniques that deal with hitting and attacking the ball always focus on the footwork of the player. With the right footwork, one can get a great amount of accuracy and power behind the shot. The last two steps are always the most important, and these must be controlled expertly. Apart from that, the approach towards the ball, the swing of the shoulders, and the amount of top-spin that you can put on the ball will also play an important role in winning the point.
Blocking
Blocking is a very tough aspect, and it requires a large degree of vision from the blocker. Some shots must mandatorily be blocked, whereas, others must be left alone. It is up to the blocker to decide, and he must be able to make the correct decision quickly. Again, the footwork is vitally important here, and the shape of the fingers while blocking is also crucial. If the other members of the team communicate well with the blocker, it will certainly be beneficial.
Digging
Digging implies stooping down really low to retrieve a shot that the blockers have missed and is seemingly heading for a point for the opponents. Any player may be required to do this during a game, and it requires great reflexes and tremendous agility. One should be able to go to ground very fast, and then be able to lift the ball upwards for another teammate to continue the play. This is something that can only be developed by playing the game on a regular basis.
The techniques mentioned here are applicable to beach volleyball as well, and all require great agility from the players, along with good teamwork and coordination. With a substantial amount of practice, you can master these techniques and become a very skillful player. All the best!
