Top 10 Skills Every Volleyball Player Needs to Master
The volleyball journey always begins with mastering the rules of the game and learning the necessary skills. Like any sport, volleyball has a unique set of skills. The game of volleyball requires both physical and mental preparation.
Every volleyball beginner has to develop such important skills as serving, blocking, digging, passing, setting, hitting as well as teamwork, communication, concentration and mental thoughtless. These are the top 10 volleyball-specific skills that every athlete has to master.
It’s impossible to play the game of volleyball without these basic skills. That’s why it’s so important to master the top 10 skills to become a successful volleyball player. Athletes should make a progress all the time. Beginners have to learn the basic volleyball skills. Experienced volleyball players have to improve their skills.
In this blog, we are going to dig deeper into the basic volleyball-specific skills. Also, we will provide training tips that volleyball players have to follow to master the basic skills.
1) Serving
The game of volleyball begins with a serve. When a game begins, a volleyball player makes a serve and the ball goes to the opposite side of the court. It’s incredibly important to serve the ball forcefully and precisely.
Volleyball players should aim to serve the ball successfully. When making a serve, a volleyball player should be able to control the ball. It’s necessary to serve the ball with a lot of power. Plus, a volleyball player should aim to land the ball in the certain areas o the court.
Keep in mind that a strong serve will become a big problem for the opposing team. In this case, opponents will find it difficult to handle a serve and may lose points during the game.
There are different types of serves in the sport of volleyball. It makes a lot of sense for a volleyball player to master jump serve, float serve and overhand serve. So, a volleyball player will serve differently each time and make it difficult for opponents to predict his/her actions.
2) Blocking
It’s hard to imagine defense in volleyball without a successful block. The main task of volleyball blockers is to create difficulties for opposing team’s hitters, stop the attack of the opposing team and prevent the ball from landing on his/her side of the court.
Blockers play in the first row and create the first line of defense during the game of volleyball. That means that defense of a volleyball team depends a lot on blockers.
It’s also important to note that a skilled blocker will be able to turn a block into a successful attack. Oftentimes, a ball goes in an unpredictable direction after a block. In this case, a volleyball player will manage to earn some points for his/her team.
The question is – what does it take to be a good blocker? A vertical jump is incredibly important for a volleyball blocker. When a moment comes a blocker should jump as high as possible. A volleyball blocker should aim to strengthen legs and increase the height of a vertical jump. Strong legs make it possible for volleyball players to jump higher and make lateral movements successfully.
3) Digging
Sometimes, a ball goes through a block. If a ball goes through the first line of defense, volleyball players should do everything possible to prevent it from landing on their side of the court. The only thing that volleyball players can do in this situation is to take advantage of digging.
In fact, digging is the second line of defense in the sport of volleyball. When digging, a volleyball player should aim to make a pass and send the ball to his/her teammate. In order to be a good digger, a volleyball player should improve his/her reflexes and be able to get the most of momentum.
4) Passing
Passing plays an important role in ball control and organizing a volleyball attack during the game. Passing is a great way to prepare an attack in volleyball. If a pass is successful, volleyball team’s hitters can easily take advantage of the situation and organize a successful attack.
There are different types of passes in the sport of volleyball. It would be great for a volleyball player to master forearm pass as well as overhead pass. Volleyball players, who develop a passing skill, should pay special attention to such important aspects as accuracy of passing, timing and hand-eye coordination.
5) Setting
Organizing an attack in the sport of volleyball requires setting. An attack in volleyball consists of two steps. Initially, a volleyball player sets the ball. After that, a hitter carries out an attack and hits the ball. It’s crucial to set the ball with the hitter’s preferences in mind.
When setting, you should aim to pick the optimal height. Some hitters want a ball to be set higher. There are volleyball hitters, who want a ball to be set lower. It would be great for a setter to communicate with a hitter and discuss his/her preference ahead of time.
6) Hitting
It’s fair to say that a hitter is a key player of a volleyball team. When a moment comes, a hitter should aim to jump high in the air and carry out an attack hit. But most importantly, a hitter should try his/her best to land the ball in the certain area of the court.
A hitter should work on two very important aspects such as the accuracy of hitting and the power of hitting. In other words, a volleyball player should hit the ball forcefully and precisely.
A volleyball player should always try to hit the ball with a lot of power. By doing so, a hitter makes it difficult for his/her opponents to resist an attack. It’s worth noting that a hard-driven hit is a big problem for the opposing team’s blockers.
A hitter should watch the game closely all the time. So, a hitter should know where his/her opponents are located on the court. When watching the game, a hitter should pay close attention to the opposing team’s blockers. And of course, a ball has to be under hitter’s watch.
7) Teamwork
Volleyball is a team game. Therefore, volleyball players should develop teamwork skills. Every volleyball player has to be a part of a team. An athlete should participate in team activities. A volleyball player should actively communicate with his/her teammates and coaches to discuss team’s goals, plans for the games, mistakes, opponents, etc. Every volleyball player should treat his/her teammates with respect, support them and help them get better.
8) Communication
Communication is one of the most important aspects of a volleyball game. Volleyball players as well as coaches constantly communicate with each other and discuss different aspects of the game such as goals, strategies, etc. Athletes communicate before, after and during volleyball games.
It’s crucial for a volleyball player to be a good communicator. Athletes should listen to each other carefully and talk to each other with respect. Everyone in a volleyball team should have an opportunity to express his/her opinion. While communicating, volleyball players should always stay positive.
9) Concentration
And of course, the game of volleyball requires a lot of concentration. While playing volleyball, athletes should keep special focus on such things as ball, teammates and the opposing team’s players. Reading the game is the art that every volleyball player has to master.
Volleyball players should watch clearly where the ball goes. While playing the game of volleyball, athletes constantly make movements and change their positions on the court. A volleyball player should have a good concentration to watch how and where a ball, teammates and opponents move during the game.
10) Mental Thoughtless
Volleyball players have to be strong both physically and mentally. When participating in volleyball competitions, athletes have to play under pressure. That’s why volleyball players must be able to resist the pressure and overcome various challenges during the game. Additionally, volleyball players have to be able to think quickly and make fast decisions when such a need arises during the game.
Final Thoughts
Thank you so much for reading this article. We’ve just talked you through the most important skills that every volleyball player has to master. Once you get started with the game of volleyball, you have to learn these 10 basic skills.
After you get better at volleyball and start participating in competitions, you should continue training and do everything possible to improve these skills. By doing so, you will be able to become a better volleyball player, improve your performance and contribute greatly to success of a team. Train hard and train regularly to master these top 10 volleyball skills successfully!