A Little Preview: World Championship Qualifier, Women’s Pan Am Cup

Bill Kauffman

The National Team of Women U.S basked in the glory of winning the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Now, in the present year, is the start of a new age Olympic quadrennial for every country seeking to reach the 2012 Olympic Games podium.

For our National Team U.S., some changes have already occurred within the program. Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand) has taken over the position of head coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team after leading the U.S. Men to the Olympic Gold Medal in Beijing. In addition, legend Karch Kiraly (San Clemente, Calif.) has agreed to serve as the program’s assistant coach with Jamie Morrison (Dana Point, Calif.) shifting roles from the Men’s Team to the Women’s Team as assistant coach/technical coordinator.

Kiraly and McCutcheon are in their first years coaching a women’s program, but both are certainly not new to volleyball with their unrivaled resumes. What the U.S. coaching staff has working for them is a vast talent pool of athletes – both veterans and newcomers – striving to put the U.S. once again on the medal podium at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

“Hugh has been quick to get everyone working together, from the veterans to the newcomers,” said libero Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.), a 2008 Olympian. “We are starting to lay out our goals for the upcoming four years, setting precedence on what the standard will be. It is nice to see everyone in the gym working hard and improving every day. As Hugh has mentioned, we should be cognitively engaged in practice as well as be physically engaged, and I think we are all working toward that concept.”

McCutcheon has already provided evidence he wants to evaluate as many players as possible. In a goodwill trip to Egypt in April 2009 arranged by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), he formed a 12-player roster that included nine players who concluded their collegiate careers five months earlier and only two Olympians. The results: two victories over the Egyptian National Team as all 12 players saw court time and 11 started at least one match.

In the meantime, veteran U.S. players who played professionally overseas this winter have filtered back into their new training center located in Anaheim, the American Sports Centers. In a condensed time span, McCutcheon has the chore of bringing everyone together – veterans and newcomers – to form a cohesive unit in preparation for a busy summer of volleyball that includes two domestic tournaments and the FIVB World Grand Prix. In the fall, the U.S. has confirmed spots to compete in the NORCECA Continental Championship and the FIVB Grand Champions Cup.

Team USA begins its summer with consecutive tournaments in Florida, starting with the Eighth Women’s Pan American Cup staged in Miami June 26-July 4. After a day of travel to Orlando, the U.S. hosts the four-team, NORCECA Pool G of the FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament July 6-8 at University of Central Florida, with the winner advancing to the 2010 FIVB World Championship held in Tokyo.

“It is a huge benefit for us to start the quad in Florida and in a comfortable location,” Davis said. “By having the events back-to-back in Florida, it will allow us to compete in two tournaments without all the travel associated with the other international events. At the same time, we can introduce our team to the country, much like the City of Anaheim has embraced us in our new training center home.”

For the Pan American Cup and FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament, McCutcheon will field a roster of veterans and newcomers. The 19-player preliminary roster includes six players from the 2008 Olympic Games and another who competed in the 2004 Olympic Games. From the preliminary roster, McCutcheon can select up to 14 players for both the Pan American Cup and the World Championship Qualification Tournament.

“We will have a nice mix of youth and experience for the first two tournaments hosted by the U.S. in Florida,” McCutcheon said.

Headlining the preliminary 19-player rosters are all three middle blockers from the 2008 Olympic Games: Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.), Jennifer Joines (Milpitas, Calif.) and Danielle Scott-Arruda (Baton Rouge, La.). The three have a total of eight Olympic Games between them, including a USA Volleyball record four by Scott-Arruda. Other middle blockers on the preliminary roster include 2008 Olympic Games alternate Tracy Stalls (Denver, Colo.) and three-time AVCA All-American Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.), who finished her college career in 2008.

McCutcheon will have ample fire power to choose from on the outside with two-time Olympian Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.) and 2004 Olympian Nancy Metcalf (Hull, Iowa) on the preliminary roster. Haneef-Park can play either on the left or right side, while Metcalf will be joined at opposite by Cassie Busse (Prior Lake, Minn.) and Heather Hughes (Fallbrook, Calif.). Other outside hitters on the preliminary roster are 2008 Olympic Games alternates Cynthia Barboza (Long Beach, Calif.) and Kristin Richards (Orem, Utah), Jane Collymore (Seattle, Wash.), Jordan Larson (Hooper, Neb.) and Angie Pressey (Lake Mary, Fla.).

Three setters are on the preliminary roster, and all three are relatively young in terms of international experience. Courtney Thompson (Kent, Wash.) was the starting setter for much of the 2007 Pan American Games, which yielded a bronze medal. Nellie Spicer (Barrington, Ill.) and Nicole Vargas (Seal Beach, Calif.) both concluded their collegiate careers just five months ago and were on the trip to Egypt earlier this year. However, both have plenty of experience in the USAV High Performance pipeline.

The libero position is stocked with three-time Olympian Stacy Sykora (Burleson, Texas) and Davis for the two tournaments in Florida this summer. Davis was the U.S. Women’s Team libero at the 2008 Olympic Games, while Sykora served as the back-row specialist.

Pool play, scheduled for June 26-30, is a five-day, five-match round robin preliminary to determine classification round matches. The U.S. Women’s National Team, part of Pool A at University of Miami with matches at Bank United Center, starts competition on June 26 versus Costa Rica. The Americans face Guatemala on June 27, followed by a June 28 contest versus Mexico. Team USA hosts Peru on June 29 before concluding pool play on June 30 versus Puerto Rico. All U.S. pool matches are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

Pool B, played at nearby Florida International University’s U.S. Century Bank Arena, includes Argentina, top-ranked Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago. The 2008 Olympic Games gold-medal participants of U.S. and Brazil are on opposite sides of the bracket.

After the preliminary pool round, the Pan American Cup quarterfinal and classification matches are set for July 2, followed by semifinal matches and additional classification matches on July 3. The championship match and final classification round matches are scheduled for July 4. All non-pool matches will be played at University of Miami. Classification round matches will be played on July 2 and July 3 at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. (all ET). The final classification matches on July 4 will be played at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. (all ET).

A Pan American Cup tournament pass, good for all matches at both venues, is $75 for adults and $60 for children. Tickets for each date of competition at the specific venue (either University of Miami or Florida International University) are $20 for reserved general admission, $12 for adult general admission and $10 for child general admission. Tickets can be purchased online at www.miamisports.org.

The Women’s Pan American Cup is a qualifying tournament into the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix and the 2009 Women’s Final Four. The top three NORCECA teams and top team from South America receive berths into next year’s FIVB World Grand Prix. The top two teams from NORCECA, Brazil and the top remaining team from South America qualify for the Final Four to be hosted by Brazil.

“Every time we step on the court, our goal is to win the match,” McCutcheon said. “At the beginning of every quad, all teams go through the technical and systemic changes involved in adapting to the new coach’s philosophies. During these early training sessions and tournaments, we will be very much invested in the process of working into our system.”

Miami will be a busy location for volleyball the last week of June and first week of July. The 2009 USA Junior Olympic Girls’ Volleyball Championships will be played June 26-July 5 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Typically, the tournament attracts 788 teams and approximately 9,500 athletes in addition to parents and relatives. A total of 19 championships are contested in age groups ranging from 12 to 18.

“It would be great to see the players from the Juniors Olympic championships come over and watch and provide us support,” Davis said. “Likewise, it is great for us to have an opportunity to share in the experience at the Junior Olympics and support them in their arena when we have a chance. Overall, it is a great way to promote within our sport and our team.”

After completing the Pan American Cup, the Americans will have a day of rest and travel to Orlando before hosting the FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament at UCF. The four-team, round-robin event includes the host Team USA, Costa Rica, NORCECA Second Round Pool D winner (played June 10-14) and NORCECA Second Round Pool C runner-up Netherlands Antilles. Match times will be 5 p.m. ET and 7:30 p.m. ET, with the United States playing the second match each day. The third-round pool winner will advance to the 2010 FIVB World Championship held Oct. 29-Nov. 14 in Japan.

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Men’s Volleyball 2009 Season Review: USC

Who would have thought that the USC men’s volleyball team would have a near-historic season in 2009?

After all, the Trojans entered 2009 picked sixth in the MPSF pre-season poll and seventh in the AVCA national pre-season ranking. The program had virtually fallen off the volleyball map, last making an appearance in the NCAA championships 18 years ago. So downtrodden was USC that it had averaged just 9 wins in each of its previous 7 seasons.

But third-year head coach Bill Ferguson and his staff did the near-impossible, getting the Trojans to the brink of a national championship in 2009. While the coaches privately had expressed high expectations for USC’s prospects in 2010, they viewed 2009 as a stepping stone year.

Little did anyone know that 2010 was to arrive a year early!

USC got a preview of what was to come in 2009 when it won a pair of pre-season tournaments (the Can-Am Challenge and then the Hawaii Fall Tournament). The Trojans parlayed that success into a quick start to their 2009 campaign, barely losing the season opener to No. 1 Penn State, then running off 5 straight victories (their best winning streak since 2001). In fact, the Trojans won 11 of their first 14 matches, including consecutive wins over BYU for the first time since 1997-98 (snapping a 14-match losing skid to the Cougars) and a win over UCLA to give USC its third win in a row over the Bruins (its longest such streak since 1980-81).

However, the Trojans limped home, losing 4 of their final 5 regular season matches (all on the road), including the finale at Hawaii that left them tied for fifth in the MPSF standings at 13-9 (still its most league wins since 2000) and deprived them of hosting an MPSF tourney quarterfinal match.

“… interesting team, if they keeps on the same way, next time raise the crown!! …”

Instead, USC went as the tourney’s fifth seed to Stanford, where it came back from a 2-0 deficit to win in 5 sets. The Trojans then shocked top-ranked UC Irvine on the Anteaters’ home floor in the MPSF semis, 3-0 (ending a 10-match losing streak to UCI), to make their first MPSF Finals appearance since 1999. USC then captured its first-ever MPSF Tournament title with a dramatic 3-2 win over No. 2-ranked Pepperdine, earning the Trojans their first NCAA Championship berth since 1991. At the NCAAs, USC beat defending NCAA champ Penn State in the semis before falling in 5 hard-fought sets to top-ranked UC Irvine in the final.

USC posted a number of other superlatives in 2009. It swept its MPSF season series with 5 opponents: BYU, Long Beach State, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. The Trojans posted their most overall wins (21) since 2001 and highest national ranking (No. 2) since 2000, and defeated Top 6-ranked squads 7 times. USC was second nationally in kills and assists and in the Top 10 in hitting percentage, digs and winning percentage.

The Trojans did all this while fielding a starting lineup that featured just 1 senior and 1 junior, along with 4 sophomores and a true freshman. Murphy Troy became USC’s first All-American first teamer since 2000, while freshman Tony Ciarelli made the All-American second team. Troy also was USC’s first All-MPSF first teamer since 2000 and Ciarelli was the first Trojan since 1999 to make the All-MPSF Freshman team. Senior Luke Morris set the USC career and season digs records. Riley McKibbin was third nationally in assists, Austin Zahn was in the Top 10 in hitting percentage, Troy was in the Top 15 in kills and aces and Morris was in the Top 15 in digs. Troy, McKibbin and Zahn made the NCAA All-Tournament team.

With all but Morris returning next year along with a strong group of reserves and some promising newcomers, USC’s prospects for high-level success in 2010 are more than realistic. In a sense, the Trojans already lived 2010 this year.

“I’m proud of what we’ve done, but we’re not done yet,” Ferguson said after the NCAA final. “We expect to be in the NCAA final the next several years and hopefully we’ll get it together at the very end. We’re back on the map and that’s the first step.”

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Four Tips to Be at the Right Place and the Right Time – Blocking Fundamentals

By Kevin Smullin

Ever since I started to play volleyball, I was taught how to be the middle blocker. As a result, I have always been passionate about blocking. After all, a good block is a point and it can demoralize the other team.

As I was being taught the game, I was having a difficult time reading the play on the other side of the net and being where the ball was going to be for the block. I remember the key tips that my coaches taught me, and I thought it would be valuable to other players to write an article to pass on the same information.

Important: Before the play starts, make sure that you take some time to identify the setter and the hitters on the other team. The four tips I am going to outline will work better if you take time before the play to call out the other team’s setter (whether front or back row) and where the hitters are. Who is their go-to hitter? It will be easier to be in the right place if you know where all of the hitters are going to be.

The four tips focus on knowing where to be and what to be looking at. The four tips are Ball, Setter, Ball, Hitter. Each of these identify what you should be looking at as the play develops so that you end up where the ball is going to be.

1. Ball: The first thing you should be looking at is where the ball is going as your team serves the ball over the net. Look to see who is passing it, and where the ball is being passed to. Did the pass go where it needed to? Does the setter have to move out of position to get to the second hit? If so, their offensive options will be limited and it will make getting to the right spot even easier.

2. Setter: The next thing to watch is where the setter had to go to get the ball for the set. You also want to look at their body position. If they are going to back set it, you will notice that they will start to arch their back before they set the ball. As you are watching the setter, take a quick glance at the hitters to see if they are starting their approach. If they are, then you can bet that they will be running a quick attack.

“… make sure that you take some time to identify the setter and the hitters on the other team …”

3. Ball: As the setter sets the ball, you want to be looking at the position and location of the ball. Is the ball tight on the net? If so, blocking is going to be a lot easier. Are you going to have to step to the outside? Watch where the ball goes as it comes out of the hands of the setter.

4. Hitter: The last thing to look at is the hitter. Since you briefly glanced at their approach as the setter was getting the ball, you should already have a good idea what type of route they are going to run. What you are looking for here is their body position as they are hitting the ball. The majority of the time, the hitter is going to hit the ball in the same direction as their shoulder. Blocking becomes easier if you can line up your block along the path of the hitter’s shoulder.

Just remember the four keys: Ball, Setter, Ball, Hitter and you should increase your ability to get to the right spot and not be fooled by the offense. Happy Blocking!

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How To ‘Spark’ that Volleyball FIRE in your Players! – Volleyball Mental Toughness

After winning the first set, your team has dropped the last
two in a row. Their backs are against the wall and they
are playing back on their heels. Chins are dragging on the
floor, and the bench is quiet.

It’s driving you crazy! How do you spark that volleyball
fire in your players even though they are behind the eight
ball? Scream? Yell? Stomp your feet? No way!

Remind your players that they have no chance of winning if
they already count themselves out. They have already won
the one game, and they only have to win another to get back
in the match.

All of a sudden it doesn’t sound so bad does it.

When your players are losing, they focus far too much on
the serve they hit into the net or the easy dig they missed
because they were out of position. It is a proven fact
that the more a player dwells on the negative aspects of a
game, the more likely they are to repeat those mistakes.

It is planted in their mind – now you have to uproot it!

Emphasize that run of six points the team had to make the
third set close; remind them of the amazing stuffs they
made on the opposing team’s top power. Talk about the
killer hit that ricocheted the top of their setter’s head
and into the crowd. ANYTHING to get your players smiling,
laughing and now motivated towards the positive things that
they have done.

Focus on winning one point at a time. Too many players
will be so focused on the end result that it affects their
big hits, digs and jump serves along the way. Get them back
to doing things right.

Your players don’t have to be superstars and make amazing
plays (although it does help). All they need to do is
execute their passes, get the sets above the net, and
hammer the hit down the opponent’s court.

“… remind them of the amazing stuffs they
made on the opposing team’s top power …”

The tide of a game can change in your favor, or it can come
crashing down on your head. Remove the doubt from your
player’s minds and they will come out fighting for a win!

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See Dramatic Results with Sports Specific Training

By Barry Lovelace

Some Sports with specific training can greatly reduce the chance of injury.

Volleyball is a great sport. It is one of the sports that young athletes can enjoy and continue playing throughout their entire lives. Both young and old volleyball players can see great improvements in their game with sports specific exercises.

Volleyball is a very explosive sport ( spike ) that requires unique strengths. Each position puts a specific demand on the body.

To prepare your body for those demands, you need to train it for those demands. That is the concept behind sports specific training. This type of training puts the body through drills that mimic game situations and enhance volleyball specific needs for strength, as with the serve or kills, or flexibility and agility, as with digs and jumping skills for playing the net.

The problem with the coaching and training that goes on in many schools and colleges is the “one size fits all” training method – lifting in the gym and running. These generic routines do nothing to help you on the volleyball court.

“…If your volleyball training routine does not incorporate volleyball specific training, than it is not complete and you are not reaching your potential…”

Think about the bench press for instance, an exercise that many coaches have their volleyball players perform. A bench press is designed to build strength and size in the chest. That is all well and good, but think about the game of volleyball and game situations that come up. Where would that move help? It would not.

Another reason that sport specific training is vital is that it trains the body as a whole, which is how it is used during a volleyball game. In other words, there are no bicep curls or shoulder presses, instead the entire body is challenged in creative and effective ways to prepare it to handle the demands of the sport. There is also a great emphasis on core strength which is vitally important for stability and strength. The core is the bodies powerhouse and the source of it’s balance and strength.

Lastly, a solid sports specific training routine will greatly reduce the chance of injury to the athlete. This is because of the state of preparedness that exists in the body after training specifically for the sport that is being played.

One example of a volleyball specific exercise is the dig and reach. You want to go into a lateral lunge (the same position you go into when you perform a dig) and then come back up on the standing leg, not allowing the other foot to touch the floor. Then you go back into the lateral lunge and repeat the sequence until failure. By standing on one leg you are building incredible core strength, and by repeating this motion you are preparing yourself for the game situation. In my training, we add resistance bands to this move to create flexibility and power in the lower body as well.

If your volleyball training routine does not incorporate volleyball specific training, than it is not complete and you are not reaching your potential. The body is an amazing thing and when trained properly it is capable of amazing things. Anyone can do sports specific training and, frankly, most people prefer it over repetitive gym workouts. It is also a time effective method of working out because the exercises are so incredibly effective.

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Powerful Periodized Strength Training Basics For Volleyball

by Lynn Vandyke

Strenght training dominates most athletes’ fitness and conditioning programs through out the year. In particular, volleyball players are well-known to have one of the highest levels of strength training dedication. These elite athletes realize the benefits of a proper periodized strength training program.

Volleyball pushes players to the extreme. Each athlete is expected to excel in explosive movements, vertical jumps, power hitting and intense serves. The position rotation in volleyball signifies the definite need for comprehensive players. Being a great blocker is a huge plus, but volleyball thrives off of all-around spectacular athletes. Strength training is a massive component to any elite athlete.

Strength training for volleyball requires the knowledge of periodization. Periodization means changing one or more variables within your strength training program on a regular and consistent basis. These variables can include the exercise, the frequency of lifting, the intensity of lifting, or the method of lifting.

Volleyball players, as well as most other athletes, work on a yearly periodization schedule. They break their year down into 4 distinct segments or cycles. Each new segment means they should change their strength training program to match that cycle’s goals.

The four segments can be broken down into the off-season, the pre-season, the in-season, and the post-season. Each season has unique goals and a unique strength training program. Athletes allow time for resting, building strength and building sport specific functions before the start of the official game season.

The off-season’s goal is to build power and strength. The off-season utilizes power exercises and higher weights to increase muscle size and strength. Typically, the strength training program is most intense during the off-season. Athletes invest a lot of time to their basic fitness foundation.

The pre-season focuses on actual sport specific functions. Squatting, jumping, lateral stepping, hitting and spiking are all common volleyball movements. The pre-season volleyball strength training routine is less intense than the off-season. The goal is to maintain that strength and power, but to perfect sport specific movements. Most of the routine is dedicated to mock volleyball games and drills.

The in-season purely focuses on maintaining the off and pre-season’s goals. The off-season built power and the pre-season put that power to use. Athletes enjoy the fruits of their labor during the in-season. The spike that flies past the opponent’s head and drills into the floor is proof that strength training for volleyball works.

The post-season’s goals are about relaxation and repair. This is a time of year that includes low intensity workouts. The goal is to allow the body to heal after grueling months of high intensity workouts. These few weeks of rest and low intensity strength training and cardio bring the entire training year to a close. The post-season delivers a skilled and healed athlete to begin the off-season strength and power building again.

Off-season ~ Pre-season ~ In-season ~ Post-season ~ Repeat

Regardless of the season, a few things remain constant. Volleyball players should always perform one or more exercises for each muscle group. Each exercise should be performed through a full ROM (range of motion), and each strength training routine should steer towards sport specific movements.

Strength training for volleyball players is an essential and organic component of their fitness and conditioning program. Strength training delivers the edge that all athletes need to succeed. Periodization is necessary in all strength training programs. Volleyball and other sports have taught us the importance of a proper fitness routine based on specific goals.

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Creative volleyball serving drills can make you a pro on the court!

When playing side out scoring during volleyball, the serve is the most important part of the game because you only get a point on the serve. However, you need to have your serve in rally scoring too since every time you miss a serve; the other team gets a point.

If could stress anything, it would be serving. If you can’t serve, you’re basically helpless. This is because you’re giving the other team points when playing rally and you’re not scoring any when playing side out scoring. Also, if you can’t get the serve, there’s no action going on and what’s the fun in that? If there’s anything that you should be a perfect at, it should be serving and I can’t stress that enough. To get better at serving I would just do volleyball serving drills over and over again. There really aren’t many drills that you can do, but I’ll name a few common ones.

Volleyball Serving Drills:

• Do a lot of arm exercises so you don’t pull anything because you’ll probably be serving a majority of game compared to everything else
• Serve about 10 times in a row and do a couple reps, but don’t do 40 in a row since you’re arm will get wore out
• When serving, do the same thing every time you serve, don’t try something new because you may mess up
• Don’t rush! Too many people rush and it completely messes up their serve

Well that’s only to name a few; you may do these drills already or not. I would at least try them if you’re having trouble finding drills to do for serving. However, when you get into high school and college, you’ll see jump serving. If you need to practice this you could also add some volleyball jump training in the mix. Or you could just come up with some creative volleyball drills that you may want to try to become the best server around!

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Colorado volleyball leagues are among the very best

When getting a career or playing a sport in Colorado, you want it be where you live, right? Well it’s usually for the convenience and not having to drive all that far. However, sometimes you’re not lucky and you’ll have to drive a little farther to get what you want.

In volleyball, you can usually play for the school, but if you want to play outside of school, you may have troubles finding a league to play for. There are probably some leagues in Colorado, but how close to the city you’re in will vary. If you really wanted to play, you could drive the extra distance to go there or you may have to convince your parents to take you if you can’t drive.

Volleyball is getting more popular, but isn’t really isn’t as popular as soccer and baseball, so if there is a different sports league near you, just try it for fun. To find Colorado volleyball leagues or any place really, just look in the newspaper, watch for flyers at school or posted around the city or state. When looking for Colorado volleyball leagues, you can go to a website, ColoradoVolleyball.com and it will provide you with leagues, registration, places to play, etc. It should be very helpful, but it may have a city near you or not so you’ll just have to look extra carefully.

If you can’t find Colorado volleyball leagues, and you don’t want to try another sport or drive, you need to keep your skills up for the following school year. You could try some volleyball drills if you had the place for it and if you were a setter, you may want to try going to some volleyball setter camps on the off season. The important part is to always improve your skills, whether through leagues, drills, or camps, you’ll be sure to be better.

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Volleyball Magic Review – Does it Really Work

When you look at all of the testimonials on this product, it shows that everyone has high success. You need more proof? How about 14,000 sold thus far and about 165 new sales each day. The product offers comprehensive information about the best way to play and win at volleyball.

The methods are used and proven. There are videos, written drills, and practice plans. This comes with a money back guarantee; No questions asked full refund. You cannot beat that, but you can beat your competitors with this system. Your volleyball team can be “in the zone” every time they play. It is amazing to watch kids improve their game 100%.

Confidence grows as the skills grow. Watch your team grow into winners. This works for both young and old alike. If you play volleyball on a team, this is the system to help you get game. You will learn tips and tricks to better develop your current skills. You will learn some new moves that will improve your game.

Volleyball Magic: Full Court Control and Domination will improve your passing skills, personal setting delivery, and your overall skills as a team. This system has books, diagrams, videos, interactive online forums, pretty much everything you need to be a winning coach and team.

The success is proven. If you want to win you need this system. Give your team he winning edge. The other teams will not know what hit them when your team takes the court. You can share the secret or keep it to yourself it’s up to you, but the other teams and coaches will be asking.

This is a win-win situation. If you buy the system and it works you win games. If you do not find it helpful (which I doubt) you get all of your money back with no questions asked.

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Volleyball Skills

Competitive volleyball players require a certain amount of physical conditioning, but there are also very specific volleyball skills that are particular to the positions and plays in a game of volleyball.

Volleyball Skills – Attacking

The attack is the third and final contact a returning team has with the ball. The purpose of the attack is to send the ball back over the net to the opposing team in a way that makes them unable to return it and continue rallying. The most common type of attack is the spike, which is a hard shot that is slammed over the net directly at the floor on the opposing team’s side of the court.

Attacking involves a two- or three-step approach to the ball, jumping up to meet it and swinging for contact. Always be sure to take quick steps on your approach. When swinging, swing both arms back and then bring them both up to utilize your body’s momentum most efficiently. In order to develop a good, consistent swing, hit the same spot on every contact.

Volleyball Skills – Blocking

Blocking is usually used when intercepting a spike. A player blocks by jumping up, arms up over their head, and meeting the ball right at or just over the net immediately after the opponent makes contact with it.

Blockers most often use the palm of their hand to connect with the ball. A good blocker must have superb vision on the court, accurate judgment and speedy decision-making skills. The ability to jump high and straight up is important to having an effective block jump. When awaiting contact, the fingers are spread wide and the thumbs face up.

Volleyball Skills – Digging

Digging is basically stopping a ball that is extremely close to the ground before it hits the court. Usually digging is done in response to a spike, and it can have the appearance of a dive but is controlled to prevent injury. When performing a dig, stay on your toes, in position and ready to receive the ball, with eyes focused totally on the hitter.

Passing is probably the most important skill in volleyball. Passing is how the receiving team handles their opponent’s serve or ball return, and it sets up the continuing play. The pass is used to get the ball quickly and accurately to the setter, and it is usually done by a bump, or underarm hit, although there is also an overhand pass.

Volleyball Skills – Serving

Serving is another important volleyball skill, and it is the way a rally begins. A serve must be completed from behind the endline, and the goal is to serve the ball so that the opposing team is unable to hit it back. There are several different types of volleyball serves, and the most popular and efficient are overhand serves.

Volleyball Skills – Setting

The set follows the pass and “sets up” an attack shot. Setting is used to get the ball perfectly positioned in the air and ready for a spike. The overhand set is used more often than a bump, because it allows for more control over the ball’s direction and speed. With an overhand set, the ball should come in contact with your finger tips only and not your palms.

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