Team Play and Morale

Articles In This Section:

· The Spike

· History of Spiking

· Requisites of the Good Spiker

· How to Contact the Ball

· Where to Contact the Ball

· Position of Ball at Contact

· Position of Ball in Relation to Shoulder

· Position of Ball in Relation to Net

· How to Take Off, Hit, and Land - Part 1

· How to Take Off, Hit, and Land - Part 2

· Strategy in Spiking

· Recovery and Defense

· General Skills

· Team Play and Morale

A team in volleyball is six players working together in a pattern that makes for smooth playing. It is not a collection of six individuals. Not only must the skill of the players blend into team play, but equally important (and some say even more important) is team morale, team spirit, or unified effort.

Any action by the spiker which will weaken that feeling of togetherness, of confidence in the team, is just as much a misplay as spiking the ball against the wall. Nothing helps the human spirit like encouragement. Research in psychology has proven that, without the shadow of a doubt. The spiker is in a key spot to maintain high team spirit. He is the star of the offense, and he can make the offense click better by continually encouraging his setters. When a particularly good or difficult setup is made to him, he should add real emphasis to his effort of encouraging the team.

In conclusion, we should add this note. Today volleyball has progressed to the point where a balanced team will mean that there are not three spikers and three setters, or four and two, or five and one. In order to develop a balanced team with the potential for many patterns of play, today's volleyball team should include six spikers who are also six passers.

This is presuming that we mean by "spiker" the "attack" man, or the player who attempts to make the scoring play against the opponents. With six men having the ability to propel the ball into the opponents' court, there is then in existence a "volleyball team."

The inference is clear. Everyone today must become a spiker as well as a passer.