1

Volleyball: Fundamental Skills

A good knowledge of skill performance

index is essential for both coaches and
athletes in all team sports. The number of
matches a team won in a season shows
how successful the team is. Excellent
execution of key skills ultimately
determines the number of points a team
can score in the course of a game.

Skills in playing Volleyball

Passing, serving, setting, spiking, blocking and digging are the six basic skills of
volleyball which are the first things players need to learn about the sport.

Serving

 The volleyball serve is the first opportunity for a player to score a point.

 Serving is the first weapon that can generate an immediate point, begin a
game, or ignite an offense.
 A player stands behind the inline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it
into the opponent's court. The main objective is to make it land inside the court;
it is also desirable to set the ball's direction, speed and acceleration so that it
becomes difficult for the receiver to handle it properly.
 A serve is called an "ace" when the ball lands directly onto the court or travels
outside the court after being touched by an opponent; when only the only
player on the server's team to touch the ball is the server.

 Once the referee blows the whistle to start the rally you have 8
seconds to complete your serve routine and get the ball over the net.

 If you let the ball drop to the floor, the referee will blow the whistle again and
this time you have five seconds to serve the ball over the net.
 2

Types of Serve:

Underhand

(Underhand Serve)

Overhead

(Jump Serve) (Jump Float Serve)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnG7XJDunzs

Passing
 The pass is the attempt by a team to handle the opponent's serve, or any form
of attack. Proper handling includes not only preventing the ball from touching
the court, but also making it reach the position where the setter is standing
quickly and precisely.

 The pass also known as the bump, or the forearm pass is a service reception
technique used to contact a ball that's entered your court area when your
team is on offense.
 3

 Once the opposing team served ball crosses the net onto your side and arrives
just above your hip level, you;

 clasp both hands together

 one palm inside the other
 pointing both thumbs to the ground

 This creates a platform with both arms that you use to contact the
ball deflecting it from your angled platform into the air towards the person
most responsible for making the second contact on the ball, your setter or if its
the third contact then you send the ball over the net.

Types of Pass:

(Forehand pass)

(Overhead pass)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siDVtYyRG_M
 4

Spiking
 The attack, also known as the spike,
is usually the third contact a team
makes with the ball. The object of
attacking is to handle the ball so
that it lands on the opponent's court
and cannot be defended. A player
makes a series of steps (the
approach), jumps, and swings at
the ball.

 The hitter uses arm swing, wrist snap,

and a rapid forward contraction of
the entire body to drive the ball. A
'bounce' is a slang term for a very
hard/loud spike that follows an
almost straight trajectory steeply
downward into the opponent's
court and bounces very high into
the air. A "kill" is the slang term for an
attack that is not returned by the
other team thus resulting in a point.

 An attack hit or a spike describes the technique commonly used for the third
contact in a rally that sends the ball over the net with power.

 A spike starts with a three step or four steps approach a player uses to jump off
the ground to contact the ball with an arm swing while it’s in the air.

 With your spike approach the first two steps are slow and the last two steps are
bigger and faster that propel you in the air gathering momentum as you go, to
lift you above the top of the net so you contact the ball with an arm swing that
contacts the ball at its highest height to attack or hit it down into the opposing
court.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrMI1dpV8c0
 5

Setting
 The set is usually the second contact that a team makes with the ball. The main
goal of setting is to put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by
an attack into the opponent's court. The setter coordinates the offensive
movements of a team, and is the player who ultimately decides which player
will actually attack the ball.

 The set is usually the second contact in a rally and the person who sets the ball
the most is called the setter.

 The setter on a volleyball team is like a point guard on a basketball team who
runs the offense and calls the plays.

 Offensive plays consist of a combination of sets called by using hand

signals to eligible hitters who hit these sets at different heights, speeds and
locations along the net in order to confuse the opposing team's blockers in an
effort to score points.

 If you are the setter on your team, you determine

 who gets to hit each set

 how high each set will be
 how fast the set will be and
 where along the net or backrow the set will be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6FYi2TVm1I
 6

Blocking
 Blocking refers to the actions taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter
an opponent's attack.
 A block that is aimed at completely stopping an attack, thus making the ball
remain in the opponent's court, is called offensive. A well-executed offensive
block is performed by jumping and reaching to penetrate with one's arms and
hands over the net and into the opponent's area.
 Blocking is also classified according to the number of players involved. Thus, one
may speak of single (or solo), double, or triple block.

 A block is the first opportunity for a team on defense to keep the team
on offense from hitting into their court.

 Once the whistle blows and your team serves the ball over the net, your team
is on defense, ready to defend your court.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avD5UvMudJ0

Digging
 Digging is the ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike
or attack, particularly a ball that is nearly touching the ground. In many aspects,
this skill is similar to passing, or bumping: overhand dig and bump are also used
to distinguish between defensive actions taken with fingertips or with joined
arms. It varies from passing however in that is it a much more reflex based skill,
especially at the higher levels. It is especially important while digging for players
to stay on their toes; several players choose to employ a split step to make sure
they're ready to move in any direction.
 7

 Some specific techniques are more common in digging than in passing. A player
may sometimes perform a "dive", throw their body in the air with a forward
movement in an attempt to save the ball, and land on their chest. When the
player also slides their hand under a ball that is almost touching the court, this is
called a "pancake". The pancake is frequently used in indoor volleyball, but
rarely if ever in beach volleyball because the uneven and yielding nature of the
sand court limits the chances that the ball will make a good, clean contact with
the hand. When used correctly, it is one of the more spectacular defensive
volleyball plays.

 The dig is a slang term used to describe an underhand technique made on the
first contact of a ball in a rally that's been sent over the net with an attack hit.

 You sink your hips low to the floor, below the ball before it gets to you and you
use your extended arms clasped at the wrists to create a platform with your
forearms to "dig" or deflect the ball up in the air.

 If you are the 'digger" or defender your job is to dig the ball up high enough in
the air and ideally to the middle of the court close to the ten feet line, so that
the second contact in the rally can be made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIjneEYMX7U
 8

Building technical volleyball skills

Volleyball drills for skills

Volleyball drills that improve individual skills are particularly important for beginners.
Drills reinforce a beginner's volleyball moves. Effective youth volleyball drills should be
done using the proper technique, and with purpose.

Volleyball drills for beginners should:

 Be repeated until the skill becomes habit

 Be progressive
 Be player and age-appropriate
 Suit the level and ability of the player
 Focus on individual playing skills

Jumping and spiking volleyball drills

Tips:

 Jump off both legs

 Establish an effective footwork strategy
 Land on your toes with knees bent to avoid back and knee injury
 Don't ball forward off the hand, don't slap
 Keep your eyes on the ball
 Widen your vision to the opponent's court
 Know where your opponent's key players are

Drills:

 Hit the ball against the wall, catching it each time

 Hit the ball from different angles high above your head

Blocking volleyball drills

Your first line of defense against a powerful spike is a block. The key is knowing how to
execute one.

Tips:

 Know your hitter's strengths and weaknesses

 Observe the hitter's body language and style
 Anticipate where and how the hitter is going to contact the ball
 Stay "on the ball"; position yourself where the ball is, not where the hitter is
 9

 Keep your hands above your head and jump with your legs

Drills:

 Pepper block drill ? players on the same side of the net alternate blocking spikes
 One-on-one block drill ? players on either side take turns blocking each others
spikes
 Live team block drill ? players on the same side work together to block an attack

Serving volleyball drills

Tips:

 Stand far enough behind the serving line to avoid stepping on it

 Face your target; follow through with a smooth overhead arm motion
 Open the palm and use the heel of the hand
 Keep eyes on the ball while tossing up
 Serve to specific areas, target the weakest players
 Serve with calculation and control; it doesn't have to be hard-hitting
 Advanced players should practice deception when serving. Face one area but
serve to another
 Serve in a "ready, place, swing" pattern, running to your defense position after
each turn
 Practice tossing the ball up before hitting it, keeping eyes on the ball

Passing volleyball drills

Tips:

 Face the incoming path of the ball, not its target

 Wait for the ball, don't rush to it
 Ease into the pass rather than swing at it
 Rise up to meet the ball, using your legs

Drills:

 Toss the ball in the air several times in a row without stepping out
 Practice the arm and body motions without the ball
 Individual players practice digging off the wall
 Teams practice catching the ball near the stomach with hands close to sides
 10

Setting volleyball drills

A team can win any match just by mastering the art of setting. Setting is lightly hitting
the ball with the hands above the head, thumbs and fingertips together to form a
triangle. To 'place' the ball, open the hands up slightly before contacting the ball.
Great setting involves timing and control.

Tips:

 Wait for the ball, stay in control

 Know your opponent's blockers and where they are
 Develop a consistent style
 Master the art of deception. Don't let the opponent anticipate your next move
 Become a great jump setter
 Use consistent footwork and technique

Drills:

 Volley the ball against the wall

 Toss the ball into the air
 With a partner, run forward, backward, and sideways on the set
 With a partner, simply tip back and forth

Let’s move around our community and look for an area to practice each skill. Try to
familiarize the skills in playing volleyball.
 11

Summary

The six basic volleyball skills are passing, setting, spiking, blocking, digging,
and serving. Passing is often thought of as the most important skill in volleyball. If
you can't pass the serve, then you won't ever put your team in a position to score
a point. The importance of serving is often undervalued. Many coaches don't
teach players to serve aggressive and use this opportunity to give the team an
advantage for scoring points. Blocking is perhaps the least taught skill in
volleyball. Players can get away with poor blocking skills because not blocking
isn't going to hurt the team as much as being poor at executing other skills in
volleyball. Digging is another skill that isn't focused on quite as much as most skills
in volleyball.The setter position is considered to be the most important position in
volleyball. The setter basically runs the team offense.

Reference:

 https://www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com/basic-volleyball-
skills.html

 Kinda S. Lenberg,(2006) Volleyball Skills & Drills: American Volleyball

Coaches Association, American Volleyball Coaches Association.

 https://www.google.com/search?q=basic+skills+in+volleyball+activity&sxsr
f=ALeKk01bmE4Ar82KvosLhvmEZ12s8yB62Q%3A1623123821862&ei=bee-
YN6MNMmbmAXSwq6wAw&oq=basic+skills+in+volleyball+activity&gs_lcp
=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyCAghEBYQHRAeOgcIIxCwAxAnOgcIABBHELADOgQ
IIxAnOgYIABAWEB46AggAOggIABAWEAoQHlCoNljhWGCLYWgBcAJ4AYA
BhgyIAYgtkgERMC40LjIuMS4wLjMuMS4wLjGYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6y
AEJwAEB&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwie98-
2j4fxAhXJDaYKHVKhCzYQ4dUDCA4&uact=5

 https://www.youtube.com/

 https://www.improveyourvolley.com/basic-skills-of-
volleyball.html#:~:text=Passing%2C%20serving%2C%20setting%2C%20spikin
g,to%20learn%20about%20the%20sport.