Block Skill

Novice

Pro

Drills

Note: before and after executing drills a proper warm up is required follwed by static stretching to prevent possible injury, stiffness, strains, and improve overall flexibility, stability and range of motion.

Shuffle Step Drill: In this drill, pair up your players and line them up on opposite sides of the net in the front row. The idea of the drill is for the players to all move in the same direction shuffling along the side of the net. To complete this drill the players will pair up and start on either the right or left side of the net. When the whistle is blown the pair of players are to shuffle their feet in the same direction 3 steps and then jump vertically as if they were blocking a spike or dig. The players repeat this process until they reach the other end of the net. Throughout this drill, the coaches should be monitoring the players form while shuffling and jumping. The players should be reminded that flexing the knees 90 degrees and swinging the arms upward will increase their muscular power throughout the drill.



Stance Phase

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. With your knees slightly flexed, balance your body weight between your feet. This stance will help you maintain a low center of gravity, which will make it easier to perform the desired skill as it gives the players a stable base of support.

Novice

Pro

Cues: Knees bent shoulder width apart, face target.

Preparatory Phase

Keep your shoulders square with the net. Bilaterally abduct your shoulders in the frontal plane keeping your elbows flexed 90 degrees and your hands at shoulder level with your palms open facing outward. Continue to stand with your knees flexed for optimal muscular strength when jumping.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Hands at shoulder level, bend knees

Movement Phase

Vertically jump straight up, extending your arms over your head with your palms facing out. Lock your arms above your head. Keep your arms close together to prepare for contact with the ball.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Explode, Reach toward the sky, get big

Follow Through

Keep your arms extended, locked above your head with your palms open facing outward, even on the way down.

Novice

Pro


Cues: keep your arms up til your feet hit the floor.

Recovery Phase

After landing softly, keep your knees flexed, medially adduct your arms, and place your hands at your waist. Keep your palms open, anteriorly face the target to prepare for the next Volleyball move.

Novice

Pro

Cues: Land soft, bend knees, face target.

Bump (Underhand Pass) Skill

Novice

Pro



Drills

Note: before and after executing drills a proper warm up is required follwed by static stretching to prevent possible injury, stiffness, strains, and improve overall flexibility, stability and range of motion. 

Box Drill: The coach will mark a box on the floor, the size of the box is determined by the skill of the player. A coach might want to draw a bigger box for a novice player and a smaller box for a more skilled player. While standing in the box, the player is to bump the ball vertically in the air to his/her self continuously without stepping out of the box. This drill will teach accuracy and conrtol for players using the bump skill. For more accuracy the coach can have the players bump the ball between each other while still standing in their box, unable to step out.

Stance Phase

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. With your knees slightly flexed, balance your body weight between your feet. This stance will help you maintain a low center of gravity, which will make it easier to perform the desired skill as it gives the players a stable base of support.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Knees bent shoulder width apart, face target.

Preparatory Phase

Extend your arms in front of you, supinate your palms, placing one on top of the other. Your wrists should be inferior to your elbows. Keep your forearms supinated, creating a platform for the ball to make contact with. Flex your knees to prepare for contact.

Novice

Pro



Cues: Bend knees, extend arms, open forearms

Movement Phase

Move your feet toward the ball. Make sure you lock your elbows with your arms extended in front of you in the sagittal plane. Make contact with the ball using the most distal part of your forearms (right above your wrists). Extend your legs during contact, do not swing your arms.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Extend your legs not your arms

Follow Through

Keeping your forearms together facing the target, fully extend your legs. Make sure you are pushing with your legs and not swinging your arms.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Legs fully extended, arms extended parrallel to the floor.

Recovery Phase

Flex your knees with your legs shoulder width apart. Your hands should fall at your waist, keeping your palms open. Face the target to prepare for the next Volleyball move.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Bend knees, face target

Set (Overhand Pass) Skill

Novice

Pro

Drills

Note: before and after executing drills a proper warm up is required follwed by static stretching to prevent possible injury, stiffness, strains, and improve overall flexibility, stability and range of motion. 



Line Drill: Split the players into two groups. Have the 2 groups line up facing each other in a single file line leaving about 5 feet in between the 1st person in line for each group. the first person in the line from one group will start the drill by setting the ball in the air slightly forward towards the first person in line in the other group. As the player hits the ball, he/she runs to the back of their line and the drill is contiued. The idea of the drill is to see how many continuous hits can be passed between each player of the group without the ball falling to the ground. While the drill is being performed the coach should be looking at form and accuracy of the set.

Stance Phase

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. With your knees slightly flexed, balance your body weight between your feet. This stance will help you maintain a low center of gravity, which will make it easier to perform the desired skill as it gives the players a stable base of support.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Knees bent shoulder width apart, face target.

Preparatory Phase

Face the target. Place hands above your head. While holding your hands above your head, spread your fingers in the shape of a ball, forming a traingle with your thumb and pointer fingers. Your hands should be close but not touching. Place your hands right above the forehead, this is called neutral and is always the starting position for the set.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Hands above forehead, make a window & look through it.

Movement Phase

Contact the ball with your fingertips, extending your arms and legs in the sagittal plane. Move both hands in the same upward direction.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Extend your legs, open the window

Follow Through Phase

Continue to extend your arms and legs after contact with the ball.

Novice

Pro


Cues: Legs are fully extended, push your arms out.

Recovery Phase

Your arms should medially move toward the body.Keep your knees flexed with your legs shoulder width apart. Your hands should fall at your waist, keeping your palms open. Face the target to prepare for the next Volleyball move.

Novice

Pro

 Cues: Bend knees, feet apart, face the target.

Terminology

1.       Flex- to move or bend muscles to cause flexion.

2.       Balance-  the ability to control the equilibrium.

3.       Center of Gravity – point around which a body’s weight is equally balanced in all directions.

4.       Weight – attractive force that the earth exerts on a body.

5.       Lateral – away from the midline of the body.

6.       Abduct- “to take away”, moving a body segment away from the midline of the body.

7.       Extension- the act or instance of extending.

8.       Vertically- the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity.

9.       Adduct – “to add to”, moving a body segment toward the midline of the body.

10.   Anterior – toward the front of the body.

11.   Supinate- rotating the hands or wrists away from the body.

12.   Inferior – farther away from the head.

13.   Distal – away from the trunk.

14.   90 degrees- forming a right angle.

15.   Medial – toward the midline of the body.

16.   Frontal Plane- plane in which lateral movements occur.

17.   Sagittal Plane - plane in which forward and backward movements occur.

18.   Static Stretching- maintaining a slow, controlled, sustained stretch over time, usually lasting about 30 seconds.

19.   Stiffness- stress/strain in a loaded material; stress divided by the relative amount of change in shape.

20.   Strain- amount of deformation divided by the original length of the structure or by the original angular orientation of the structure.

21.   Flexibility- the relative ranges of motion allowed at a joint in different directions.

22.   Muscular Power- the product of muscular force and the velocity of muscle shortening.

23.   Range of Motion – the angle through which a joint moves from anatomical position to the extreme limit of segment motion in a particular direction.

24.   Base of Support- area bound by the outermost regions of contact between a body and a support surface.

25.   Stability- ability of a joint to resist abnormal displacement of the articulating bones.

26.   Muscular Strength- the amount of torque a muscle group can generate at a joint.