Volleyball Skills

Volleyball is a very fun sport especially when you know how to play properly! First of all, you have to have all the equipment in order to play to your full potential. You will need to be able to drop to your knees and be able to move with ease across the court. Most importantly in my opinion is comfortable clothes, nice shoes, knee pads, and of course, a volleyball. Your shoes can either be actually volleyball shoes or just nice tennis shoes. Knee pads need to be able to fit around your knee comfortably and have enough padding so you can be comfortable landing on them without getting hurt. Your volleyball needs to be the correct size for you. If you get a volleyball that is to light you may send it flying with just the smallest hit. With all of these items you should be ready to begin.

The basics of volleyball are pretty easy to get the hang of. First up is the pass. You want to have you arms out flat, with hands together. You don’t want to have your fingers intertwined or you may not be able to catch yourself if you fall. Have your fingers laying across each other, then fold your hands together so your thumbs are next to each other. You want to be in a squat position and try to hit the volleyball on the flat part of your wrists. Next is the set. For the set you want to bring your hands above your head and spread your fingers. Your hands will kind of look like antlers! You want to form a triangle with your index fingers and thumbs. When the ball come towards your head you will pull your hands up and push the ball back into the air with your fingers and add your legs for some extra height on the ball. Finally is the spike or hit. You will first need to learn the spike approach. Put your arms in front of you and take a step with your left leg, then right, and left again. If you are a lefty all of the approach will be the opposite. With your two last steps your feet will land next to each other and you will send all your momentum upward and not at the net. Once in the air you will bring your hands up above your head and hit the ball with the heel of your hand.

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Lastly is the serve. The serve is what starts the game. You want the serve to be good and hard because if it doesn't make it over then you won’t be able to make points and you will be giving the other team a point. Most importantly is the toss. If the toss is too far forward you will end up hitting into the net. If the toss is behind your head then you will bend back to much and it will be a weak hit and most likely go into the net. The toss needs to be on the hitting side of your body so you can get a good hard hit upward and forward. You want to hit the ball with the same part of your hand you do as when you spike. With all of these skills you should be ready to start playing volleyball!