Q&A for How to Block Volleyball

Angle them towards the court. Those shots are easier to stop, though, so you might not want to do that.

Build strength in your legs and core to improve your jump, and practice launching yourself up as high as you can from the ground.

Looking carefully at the ball, keep your arms straight out and dive, trying to land on your knees and stomach. Then slide with arms together and extended towards where you think the ball will land. Then get back into position as quickly as you can.

"Committing" means jumping off the floor so that you're in the air when the opponent hits the ball.

Make sure your approach is strong and fast, time the ball, hit at the top of your jump, use your guide arm, swing fast and snap your wrist, and follow through.

It's so that your teammates can follow through and set up an attack. You can't deflect it to the side or back because you risk it hitting the floor and giving the other team a point.

Never jump off of one foot. This causes floating (instability) and leads to a rocky landing. Always jump with both feet, at the same time, and land on both feet so you don’t injure yourself. Make sure that you are always ready to take your crossover or side steps so it doesn’t seem sudden, which can also cause instability.

You should block with two hands always. Not only does using two hands create a stronger block, but using both arms to pull you up from your loaded position will increase the height of your jump. However, both your arms/hands do not have to be straight up, you can learn to angle your hands to eliminate more than one of the opposing hitters' options.

If you're blocking a ball, you should jump right before making contact with the ball; that way, you still have the momentum from your jump as you hit the ball.

You block the ball, not the hitter. Be ready on the net to block the ball, positioning yourself to be directly in front of the ball for the best results.

Anticipate the opponent's attack by reading the setter's positioning and the hitter's approach. Move quickly to the net and position yourself in front of the opposing hitter, ready to jump and block the ball. Raise your arms above your head with your hands in a "ready" position slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Time your jump to coincide with the hitter's attack, exploding upward with power and height to reach the peak of your jump at the same time the hitter contacts the ball.