Quicken Your Reactions—Here's How!

Articles In This Section:

· Recovery Shots

· Bounce the Ball

· Study Lines of Force

· The Two-Arm Forearm Bounce

· The One-Hand Bounce Pass

· The Foot Bounce

· Net Recovery

· Quicken Your Reactions—Here's How!

Playing a game in which at close range you must react to a ball traveling faster than Bob Feller's fast ball traveled in baseball, you must seek to quicken your reactions. Train them to alert you to move to intercept the ball. Learn to time your bounce pass so that a team mate may make a good set or spike.

Practice alone, bouncing the ball against a wall and keeping it up so it strikes the wall 10 to 15 feet above the floor. Use a variety of recovery shots as each successive rebound from the wall gives you opportunity. Emphasize meeting the ball squarely—practice—practice—keep it up and bouncing —challenge yourself to count your bounces until you can rebound almost endlessly.

Practice with a partner. Toss the ball into the air so he may spike it at you. Have him spike it easily at first so you may employ your bounce recovery shots and may attempt to bounce the ball back into the air toward him. He, in turn, may spike it again at you. As you develop this practice, seek to use the two-hand chest pass whenever you can. Employ the bounce recovery to return his spike when you cannot get in position to use the chest pass. This is practice for a spiker's timing; his spike should be directly at you, while your aim is to quicken recovery-bounce reactions. A net is not used in this practice.

Practice with a group in a circle warm-up exercise, using recovery shots as a pepper-drill in keeping the ball bouncing about the circle. In pregame warm-up while team mates are taking turns spiking, get them to spike directly at you and stand crouched in varying floor positions to attempt to use recovery bounces to field their spikes.

Set your personal goals high enough to really challenge your abilities. Then, practice—practice—practice to become a perfectionist.