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Strategy in Spiking

The real fun and stimulus in this game comes partly from the strategy of the spikers in trying to outwit the opponents by change of pace, change of direction, fake drives, pass-off plays, drop shots, deflection hitting, and other methods. Wilson describes the play of the Hollywood YMCA Stars, Los Angeles Westside JCC, and Long Beach YMCA as follows: "We are always changing, plotting, counterplotting, and figuring new fakes and plays. This involves the high set, the low set, the shoot set,* the fake and overhead set, first ball kills, and first ball fakes and set." ³

Change of pace and direction is important in any game. A spiker who slugs away on all balls soon finds himself being blocked. Just as a fire-ball pitcher finds himself a victim of the opposition if he throws fast ones all the time, so a slug-spiker finds, against good teams, that the ball comes back as fast as he hits it. A moderately paced spike can be very difficult to block.

One should practice hitting at all speeds, using the same motion just as a good pitcher does. Such a varied speed in hitting is guaranteed to throw the blockers off and give them no set pattern for defense. Too few players can think and play at the same time, and if the spiker makes the opponents use their intelligence on every play, he has them at a disad­vantage. Many will then not be able to concentrate on the ball.

Tipping the ball over and around the blockers or to the back corners can be effective strategy, provided the spiker does not commit the error of pushing the ball. This is known as a dink shot. Its effectiveness has been reduced greatly in recent years because the defensive ability of teams has in­creased. A good defensive team will usually recover a dink shot. Bill Olsson of the Hollywood YMCA Stars has a fine dink shot. This powerful spiker will fake a kill and then hit an easy ball right over the blockers' hands.

Most balls should be driven toward the side lines, just as a pitcher aims to cut the corners of the plate. Another impor­tant principle, however, is that of hitting at all angles. Groov­ing the ball at the same angle tips off a smart team and allows them to use a set pattern of blocking. When this occurs, the spiker becomes just a "batting practice spiker," or in this case a "blocking practice spiker."

* A shoot set is a fast, low set from one side of the court all the way over to the other side.

Even a mediocre spiker who uses intelligence with every spike finds that he can deflect the ball off the blockers' hands out of bounds or into the net. Again, a study of deflection angles will help if those angles are transposed to the net when spiking.

Web Caldwell, a great All-American spiker, wrote these words about spiking strategy:

The coach and his spikers should analyze the blocking strength of the opposition, both prior to and during the match. They should note the short blockers, the slow blockers, and the tired blockers. A spiker can hit over the short blockers and between the tired and slow ones.

Sometimes a spiker can score by hitting in a different direc­tion from that indicated by his arm swing. This action con­fuses the blocking team which has one player who tries to "hog" the block and anticipate the direction of the spike.⁴

Our American team learned something in the 1956 World Championships at Paris that some few have been trying to point out for some years. Teams should learn to hit the ball on the second contact. Also, if the first pass should not be hit, or if the opponents can be caught off stride by such a play, the spiker should be prepared and able to set the ball either from a position on the floor or while he is off the floor.

This idea of relay plays to other spikers opens the game to great potentials. Some teams are learning that power alone will not win important matches. They are learning that if the ball is moved to various positions at the net, away from the concentration of the defense, many times the spiker does not need to pound the ball. Ty Cobb's old premise of "hit 'em where they ain't" is applicable to spiking in volleyball.

Related terms include myrtle beach and sky high volleyball.