Volleyball Tips - How to Become a Better Volleyball Player

As with any other sport, in order to be proficient, you have to practice, practice, and practice some more. Volleyball is no different. If the game of volleyball is at the top of your favorite sports to play, then knowing a few helpful volleyball tips can help elevate your game; thereby causing more than a few, "Where did you learn to do that?" comments. So the next time you take the court or hit the beach, remember the following volleyball tips.

To begin with, almost every physical sport such as volleyball requires a fair amount of physical strength and endurance training. So even though it's not a skill tip per se, preparing your body with the proper cardio-vascular and stamina-building activities, such as: Jogging, jumping rope, and moderate aerobics and resistance training are a great place to start. The following volleyball tips are rely on basic physical conditioning.
One of the most basic skills in volleyball is passing; for without accurate passing, your game will be lacking. A great tip to learn proper volleyball passing is to start with your body in a ready position, your arms extended, and your legs balanced. When receiving the serve, make sure your arms are straight, you contact the ball with your forearms, and you finish with your arms facing the target.
Second to passing, blocking is another essential skill you must acquire to ensure volleyball success. To execute a successful block, you first need the seal the net. You do this by locking your arms with your thumbs pointing upward. If possible, extend your arms over the net while keeping your shoulders square and always remember to anticipate the attack and jump straight up and down.
Aside from passing and blocking--and since it begins every play--serving skills need to be learned by every player. Serving in volleyball is done either underhand or overhand. The underhand serve will be covered first. To execute a successful underhand serve, you need to stand facing the net with your non-serving-side leg facing forward. Holding the ball waist-level, you slowly lean forward, swing your serving arm while dropping the ball just prior to contact. The ball is then hit with your fist or heel of your hand followed by a complete arm follow-through toward the target.
The overhand serve is also known as the power serve and begins with a firm wrist and arm toss. The ball is tossed in the air roughly 18" above the server's head and to where when it falls will be in-line with your lead foot and hitting shoulder. Always remember to keep your elbow and hand shoulder-height or above throughout the entire serve; shift your weight to your lead foot; swing your serving arm toward the target; and then finish with a clear follow-through.
By utilizing these basic volleyball tips, your game will be well on its way to the next level. And always remember, practice, practice, and practice some more!

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Fun Youth Volleyball Drills

Putting the Fun back in to Volleyball Drills

No matter what sport is being played, when playing youth sports the major emphasis should be on having fun. That being said, running drill after drill during practices can often become so repetitive and boring that players stop paying attention, thus forgoing the purpose of the drill in the first place. The following fun youth volleyball drills are a great way to break up the routine at your next practice and get your players doing what they should be doing: having fun.
Pepper over the Net
When choosing fun youth volleyball drills, look for drills that combine a number of skills in a fast-paced way, such that players will get caught up in the drill and lose sight of the fact that they're improving their skills along the way. This drill, which is a variation on the pepper drill, allows players to work on a variety of skills, the most important of which being ball control.
For this drill divide your team into partners that should stand approximately 10-20 feet apart on either side of the net. Each pair gets one ball. The drill begins with player 1 giving a hard down ball towards player 2. Player 2 is to dig the ball up high, then tomahawk it using overhead contact, then hit the ball with just their left fist, then just their right fist, then set the ball up to themselves, then finally hit a down ball over the net for their partner to repeat the series of hits.
Start this drill off slowly then gradually increase the speed as players become more familiar with the order of the skills and the amount of power necessary to continue to hit the ball to themselves.
Back Row Elimination
The next fun youth volleyball drill that can be used to break up your practice routine is a game-play type drill where players are eliminated one by one. This drill requires 4 players on either side of the net: 3 back row players and 1 setter. The coach or another player stands off to the side of the net and initiates the drill with a down or free ball.
The back row player who receives the down or free ball passes it to the setter, who sets the ball for a back row attack. The back row player who receives the set must hit it to the team on the other side, or else they are eliminated from the game. If the ball successfully makes it over to the back row of the other side of the net, the player who receives it may either pass it to the setter or else try to hit it over the net to the opposing team's back row, risking elimination from the game.
Play continues in this manner until only 1 back row player remains on either side of the net. These 2 players are the winners and become the new setters for the next round of the game.

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Why Professional Beach Volleyball Women Bump Set the Ball

There have been and currently are some great beach volleyball women who know how to set the ball with their hands but more times than not, choose to bump set when given the opportunity. They know that by overhand setting they may be able to deliver a more accurate set to their hitter but that accuracy depends on all the elements that play a part in the game being absolutely perfect. The pass has to be perfect, there's virtually little to no wind, the team needs to be on the "good" side of the court, neither player is excessively tired or exhausted, and are they in transition or serve receive?

These are a few examples of things that a beach player considers before deciding whether it's worth taking the chance to overhand set or to play it safe and bump set the ball. Having all these things to consider is the reason why most professional beach volleyball women rely on bump setting the ball even if they do have "good hands" and are usually good setters.
Teammates will put in many practice hours of bump setting to their partner because they know the advantages which include:
a) Reduces the amount of mishandled ball calls against them, especially during crucial moments of the game
Beach volleyball women know that the longer a tournament or a game lasts, the more tired they are likely to become and that means the slower they will run.
It's inevitable that at some point in the game they will get within arm's reach of a ball and have to become the leaning Tower of Pisa if they try to overhand set it.
Professional players also know that they can still be one or two steps out of position when this happens and this greatly increases the chances of being whistled for a setting violation. Instead they will choose to bump set which allows them to let the ball fall a little further giving them time to use their platform to make up for those few inches that they need to get underneath the ball in order to lift it back in the air for a great controlled set.
b) They can wait longer before making contact with the ball.
The longer a beach volleyball player can wait to bump set the ball, the farther it will drop and that will decrease the chances of the wind taking the ball and blowing it further away from you.
c) Increases the ability to make last minute tweaks and adjustments to the ball.
When you overhand set you are reaching up and contacting the ball a lot sooner than when you bump set. When performing the latter, the ball has time to fall further before a player makes contact, and this gives them more time to track the ball and key in on it so if the wind does blow it around they are more prone to be in a balanced stable position so that they can follow it.

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Volleyball Drills to Strengthen Wrists

Developing skills is an important factor in volleyball skills. Just as important is the development of muscle. There are many conditioning drills for the lower body, but strengthening wrist muscles is a necessary part of training also. Your players will use their wrists as much as their arms and legs, so they need to be conditioned also. Fortunately, there are some good volleyball drills that will help with these often overlooked areas of the body.

Working with a medicine ball can greatly strengthen the muscles in the wrists. Use the medicine ball much as you would a normal ball in other volleyball drills. Have your players stand, holding the medicine ball in there hands above their head. Use the wrists to toss the ball straight up about 2 inches or so then catch it again with both hands together. Repeating this 10 times will give your players a good set. A good variation of this is to have the players sitting with their arms over their head. A teammate drops the ball onto their hands, so the sitting player catches it with their hands, working the wrists. Have the dropping player vary the height by small increments to increase the resistance required on the wrist.
Using free-weights can be a good source of developing muscle tone for the wrists also. Have your players stand with their arms over a bench, positioned so that only their elbows rest on the bench. They will hold a barbell in position that places the bar straight in front of them, but parallel to the ground. Slowly, have your players roll their wrists downward, allowing gravity to pull the bar down. When the bar has reached the bottom of this arc, have your players then slowly bring it back to the upright position. This should be repeated 10 to 15 times in a row.
Using dumbbells can help with wrist strength also. Using hammer curls is a great way to develop wrist and forearm strength at the same time. You accomplish this by having your players stand with their hands lowered at their side, holding onto a dumbbell. While keeping the upper arms pinned in contact with the payers' chest, slowly lower the dumbbell like they were swinging a hammer. Using the same dumbbell, you can intermix other exercises into you routine of volleyball drills, during down times. You can have the players roll he dumbbell up and down, similar to the way they would roll a full-sized barbell. Another great wrist strengthener is to have your players hold their hands over their heads yet behind them, holding the dumbbell with both hands. Slowly have them straighten out their arms, causing the dumbbell to be lifted over the height of their head, then lower it again. All of these dumbbell exercises should be repeated 10 times each.
Using these exercises between some of your volleyball drills will help develop the wrist muscles of your entire team. You will see the difference after one or two sessions. The players' hits will become more powerful and the ball will start to travel faster, as the muscles in this small group become stronger and more flexible. A strong wrist is essential in volleyball, whether running volleyball drills or in a real life game. When you see the score at the end of the game, you will realize that all of the hard work was worth it.

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Middle School Volleyball Drills

Players of all Skill Levels are Welcome

By the time they reach middle school, some kids are beginning to get serious about their team sports, especially volleyball. However in order to incorporate players of all skill levels, try selecting drills that place their emphasis on fun and teamwork instead of rewarding the skilled and punishing or humiliating those players with less-developed skill sets. The following middle school volleyball drills are an excellent way for players of all skill levels to improve and work together towards helping others progress as well.
The Importance of a Good Serve
While serving is one of the most important skills in volleyball, drills that practice and improve your players' serving skills are often left until the end of the practice. But when you think of it in terms that serving is the only time when a player has complete control over the ball, you'll think twice before shoving serving practice until the last minutes of your practice.
The aspect of serving that most players have trouble with is accuracy. Therefore try including some drills that highlight serving accuracy at your next volleyball practice, and watch the points rake in at your next game as your players learn to serve with pin-point accuracy to the holes in the other team's defense.
When showing these middle school volleyball drills to your team, make sure to run them at half speed first to give players a chance to practice the movements before implementing them in the drill. Also encourage players to ask questions on anything they are unsure of before proceeding to avoid injury and embarrassment.
To set up this serving drill, place a chair on either side of the net in Area 1. Divide your team into 2 groups that stand on either side of the net. One player from each group sits in the opposing team's chair, opposite from their team mates. The play begins as the first player from each team attempts to serve the ball with enough precision that the player sitting in the chair can catch it easily.
If the player misses their serve, the ball goes to the next player in line. If the serve is successfully caught, the player who served the ball changes places with the person in the chair, and the new player moves the chair to Area 2. Continue play until each player has made a few serves and gotten to sit in the chair or until the chair has made a few rounds around the court. To up the competitive spirit of the game enforce a rule where if a player serves out of bounds or into the net all members of their team must run and touch the 10 foot line, the end line, and the center line before returning to their positions.
Get your Players in Tip Top Shape
The next of the middle school volleyball drills starts off by having 6 players on either side of the net. The coach throws a ball in from the side, and the players must play the ball like usual except that they may only tip the ball. Each time they tip the ball to the other side, they rotate one position.
Make sure they successfully execute 2 tips before tipping the ball over to the other side. This drill is a fast-paced way to get players moving, which means it is a great warm-up drill before games.

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How to Jump Higher in Volleyball - One Exercise That Will Get You to Jump Higher in 8 Weeks!

Lets just put aside how to jump higher for volleyball and think about why you want to jump higher. Volleyball is a sport that is fun, you hear the crowd screaming when you hit the ball, you also know that you don't need much equipment to play volleyball.

Yes there is the net and the ball and the knee pads. But really apart from that you only need one thing... yourself. And to be a worthy volleyball player you need to work on your skills. To be the best player out there is to jump higher then anyone else out there. In this article I will show you how to jump higher with a simple exercise that you you will do for 8 weeks, and you will see a difference in your jump.
Now here are some things you need to take care of before or while your exercising:

1. Rest so you can strengthen your muscle: When you exercise remember to rest after every day you exercise. If you think you have to kill your self everyday to improve your jump, well then you will wear your self out and injure yourself, so rest.
2. Wear the right gear: Why wearing the right gear is important? This exercise can causes some tension on joints so having a padded surface like a carpet will help. Also don't forget to where padded insoles in your shoes, this will absorb the stress from your body.
3. Eat good amount of veggies and protein:Eating the right foods are important, focus on eating lots of veggies, and lots of protein. Eggs are a great source of protein, so eat plenty of them.
4. Drink lots of water: Of-course water is very important for your body, most people are not getting enough already without exercising, so while you exercise stay hydrated

Now we get to the exercise:
This is called the no arms hop this is an intense form of exercise aimed for jump increase

Place hands on head
Now jump and lift your leg upwards
Left your knees touch your chest while your jumping, then of-course let your legs down to touch the ground
This exercise will tremendously help strengthen your calf and hip flex-or muscles, which are very important for increasing your jump. If you work better with diagrams like me, then visit how to jump higher in volleyball to see an illustration of no arm hop.

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Volleyball Play Overview

Volleyball can be a fun sport, but some of the volleyball plays can be pretty intense. Players who have been practicing these plays for a while, however, can make them look easy. Don't be fooled, though. It takes a lot of practice with the entire team to get the timing of some of these plays down.

A quick review of some basic rules about volleyball in general might be helpful. There are two teams, separated by a net in the middle of the court. Each team has six players, three playing on the front row close to the net and three on the back row, toward the outside of the court. The server steps out of the court to serve the ball, hitting it over the net to the opposing team. From that point, the maximum number of hits that can be done by a team when the ball is on their side of the net is three. There are many more rules to volleyball, but those are the most basic rules to keep in mind.
Much like most other team sports, there are offensive and defensive plays. There are virtually an unlimited number of plays that can be done, based on the skill and imagination of the team and coaches. There are, however, some commonly known plays that many teams practice.
Offensive volleyball plays are plays made by the team that has the ball on their side of the net. The main thrust of these plays is to get the ball over the net, and not have it returned, either by it hitting the court before it is touched by a defensive player, hit out of bounds by the defenders, or hit more than three times by the defenders. Some commonly known plays are the slide, where the attacking player runs to the ball leaping off of one foot, the isolation play, where one attacker is used as a distraction in order for another attacker to press the attack, and the cross, when two players cross each others path to hit the ball, giving the defenders two targets to watch instead of one. Teamwork is essential for any of these plays to be successful.
When the ball is hit to the other side of the net, the defensive plays are used to ensure the ball remains in play so as not to give up the point. Many times, the offensive team will spike the ball, or try to place the ball in a position that is hard for the defending team to save. These defensive plays are known as blocking. Blocking can be done in several different ways, including the double block, which is when two players jump together to complete a successful block, the dig, where the player often dives for the ball to prevent it from hitting the court, and the basic block, which is stopping the ball right at the net, knocking it back to the offensive side's court.
While it can be fairly easy to describe these volleyball plays, their successful execution can take a lot of hard work. Players on the team must learn to work together, often anticipating where they are each going to be for virtually any play. This obviously requires a lot of practice. Like any sport, however, the most successful teams make these plays look easy to execute.

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