How to Be a Better Volleyball Player

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   Learn to serve overhand. While many top players have perfected the jump serve, a simple overhand serve may be just as effective. Stand behind the serving line, toss the ball to a comfortable height over your head and hit it with a flat palm over the net as hard as you can. The ball must stay in bounds on the other side of the net. While underhand and sidearm serves put the ball in play, they are not as difficult to return as overhand serves, and are not as desirable to learn. ^[1]

   • Make sure to stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and with the foot slightly forward opposite you're hitting hand.
   • Practice your serving pitch. For each type of serve, toss the ball to your hitting hand and aim for the lower part of the ball. Try hitting the ball not with your palm but with the horseshoe part of your hand for a more accurate serve. Make sure you have positioned yourself and aimed correctly or the ball will go haywire.
   • Experiment with force. What's too much? What's too little? Soon enough your muscles will remember what works and you'll be able to aim the ball like a bullet out of a gun.
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Don't forget you can drop it once if it was a bad toss.

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   Learn to pass and bump with accuracy. One of the first things that you'll need to learn after getting your serve developed is how to pass the ball effectively to a player in the setting position and give your team the best chance of scoring a point. The best passes and passers can calm the ball down, removing the spin and getting the ball high enough into the air to give the setter time to get under it.

   • Develop the proper form to pass. Hold your arms straight in front of you and put one palm inside the other, using the space between your elbows and wrists to guide the ball. Cup one hand and place your other hand on top of the cupped palm. Bring your thumbs together so that they face out and away from you, but do not cross your thumbs.
   • When you bump, you want the ball to hit the inside part of your forearm. This will be more sensitive at first, but it allows you to have a flat, even surface for the ball to bounce off. Practice passing back and forth with a partner, trying to put the ball in the same place every time you pass. You don't even need a net. ^[2]
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   Learn to set effectively. A good set intends to allow other players to score for the team. A set, like an assist in basketball or soccer, is the best way of contributing to the flow of the game and give your team a chance to get ahead. Depending on who you're playing with, sets need to be The setter should be loud and clear if calling help and if not, then she should call her hitter.

   • Place your hands above your head so that when you look up, your index fingers and thumbs create a triangle shape (without your hands touching). When you are attempting a set, you should be attempting to center the ball in this triangle and using only the pads of your fingers to push the ball back up.
   • Try shrugging your shoulders while bending your arms at a slant during your sets and bumps. If you're moving from your elbows, chances are that you aren't going to get maximum power. When you set, it also helps if you form your hands into a diamond and look through as you're hitting the ball.
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   Learn to hit powerfully. The hit, sometimes called the "kill" should ideally be the third touch on the ball. Performed correctly, it should end with a point for your team. Although it's best practiced with a net, players can drill effectively to get the wrist-snapping action down pat. ^[3]

   • Practice hits with one teammate, letting one player pass, the partner set it back, so the first may hit it down to the partner, who digs it up. Repeat this process in the opposite rotation. After a few rounds, you'll be developing the fundamental skills and improving significantly.
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   Learn to block. ^[4] Volleyball is about a lot more than offense. Learning to coordinate your blocks as a team and keep the other team from scoring will set you apart and improve your standing on the court. It's a simple skill, but learning to react and leap quickly into the path of the ball requires practice. ^[5]

   • The best blocking drill involves three people and a net, letting other players practice shooting simultaneously. Let one teammate set, one hit, and one block. Let the two offensive players practice setting and shooting and the other player attempt to jump as high as possible and block.
   • If you don't have a net, practice blocking by working on your vertical leap . Practice jumping effectively and improving your power and the height in your jumps.
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