- Serving the ball overhand is a given in professional volleyball, but lower-level athletes often serve underhand, which gives the opposition time to set up an easy play. An overhand serve is considered aggressive because you risk putting the ball out of bounds or into the net. Overhand serves are more direct and powerful than underhand, so they can often barely make it over the net but still end up out of bounds.
- Lining up a pass in volleyball is a more dangerous tactic than simply lobbing the ball over the net every time it comes toward you. Many lower-level players are often satisfied with placing the ball in bounds on the other side of the court. But by placing a player near the net and then lobbing a ball for her to spike, you will have a shot with a lot more momentum on it than a simple lob.
- Aggression is possibly the most important aspect to a solid defense. When the other team consistently spikes the ball over, you want to establish a player immediately in front of the net so that your team can block the shot before it has a chance to get to your side of the court. Some teams, however, are called for a foul because they become too aggressive and touch the net, but the reward of getting close can mean an easy point for your team.
- While it is sometimes easier to make a pass by hitting the ball on your forearms, a player who moves quickly into position can make a more accurate shot if he places two hands above his head and then pushes the ball up. This is sometimes more aggressive because of each player's positioning -- a player in an easy position to bump the ball with his forearms is risking missing the ball if he makes and extra move to get under the ball and push it up.
next post