Volleyball Tips for Beginners
While nothing improves a volleyball game as much as regular practice and skilled coaching, there are a few volleyball tips for beginners that will help add a noticeable edge to some aspects of their performance. The following general tips are meant to improve the dexterity and speed of your overall movements, and to tweak more specific hand movements and tactical planning. Over time, these tips will become reflexive habits which require less and less forethought and simply assimilate into your overall volleyball skill set.
Engage in Conditioning Exercises During Practice
You'll want to engage in practice drills which hone your jumping and blocking abilities, short distance sprinting speed and lateral movement skills. For jumping and blocking drills, make a mark on a wall which is equal to standard volleyball net height, and practice jumping up and down quickly with your arms raised to meet this mark for five minutes, as if you were blocking a serve. A good variation on this is to jump more slowly from a squat position.
For sprint drills, use the lines which are already present on the floor of an indoor court. Start by sprinting from one end line to the ten foot line and back again. Continue by sprinting from this end line starting point to progressively further line demarcations with each sprint, returning to the end line each time. When you reach each line, touch it with your hand.
Lateral movement can be improved by standing with your feet shoulder width apart, hands together behind your back, and jumping from side to side for five to ten minutes. When jumping, do so from the right foot to the left, and swing the foot not landed on past the foot on which you've landed for a more aggressive workout.
Pick a Consistent Contact Point on the Ball, and Snap Your Wrist Upon Striking
Aiming for a specific strike spot on the ball not only helps keep your aim in check, but also helps you develop a more consistent arm swing. Regardless of where you choose to strike the ball, you should always strike the ball in front of your hitting shoulder. Another important component of a good strike is putting a top-spin on the ball. Applying top spin to your strike gives you better control of the angles you create, and is accomplished by snapping your wrist upon contact.
Good Blocking Means Watching the Setter and Front Row Players
Getting yourself in the best position to block is largely a matter of watching the ball after it's been passed. By quickly taking note of the ball trajectory, you can usually determine where the setter will set the ball. Blockers should also make note of who the front row players are before any serves occur, and should determine whether the setter has been placed in the front row or the back row. This will help you ascertain whether the setter can attack the second ball legally.
Use Proper Hand Technique When Blocking
More specifically, you'll need to keep your fingers spread out wide when blocking a serve, and your thumbs should be pointing up. This will help prevent stubbing your fingers upon contact with the ball, and will also cast a wider hand surface area to prevent the ball from getting past you. You should also angle your hands in such a way that the ball gets blocked into the court of the opposing players.
