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

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

The matter of endurance really comes first, and many players overlook this fact. Interestingly enough, this is one place where youth does not seem to correlate very highly. We have all seen older players who outjump and outlast younger players. Toe bouncing, raising the heels, high rhythmical bouncing, high leaping, and other developmental exercising of this sort will furnish the muscle development needed if they are done often enough, long enough, and regularly enough. Omission of any of the three latter factors will nullify the results.

Playing lots of volleyball will also lend endurance, but one would have to play three hours a day to get as much work on the muscles involved as is accumulated in ten minutes of vigorous conditioning. Players should do both.

Preliminary to the take-off, the spiker should have scanned the opponents' court to note the position of their players. This quick, conscious "photo" of the opponents and the spiker's position in relation to the net should precede his attention to the flight of the ball and the point at which he will contact it. The net, opponents, opposite court, and team mates will then become part of his peripheral vision.

The spiker needs to move smoothly and speedily to get into a position for the take-off so that his body will be behind the ball when it is hit. This point is one of the main, causes of failure in hitting a ball correctly. Many players take off from directly under or even ahead of the ball. Especially is this an important point on the "direct pass" or spike on the Number Two contact. Spikers at left or right forward position often fail to back up enough to be in behind the ball as it comes at an angle from some other position on their court.

The amount of crouch preliminary to the take-off and the amount of "squat" or knee bend just before springing into the air is an individual matter. Some players seem to need little knee bending in order to get height. Experimentation by the player, with help from the coach, should determine this point. That style which fits the player's temperament and keeps him relaxed and alert, that style which gives ease of movement and a feeling of confidence, that style which allows him to move for a ball at any spot and from any direction, that style that gets him high enough to hit the ball well, is the best technique for that player.

The arms can assist in the take-off by giving lift to the body. This is done by raising the driving hand behind the head, as a catcher does in throwing to second base, and bringing the elbow above the shoulder. The opposite arm is raised quickly so that the forearm is across the chest. From this position the actual spike is executed by whipping the driving hand and arm forward in a short, chopping motion.

The spiker should strive to go up straight with his trunk erect and his weight centered over his feet. This causes him to come down straight and prevents his touching the net.