TEACHING THE GAME
What’s the secret to increasing your kills per set and elevating your hitting effi ciency? We asked fi ve volleyball experts, and here’s what they said. Hint: “Slow to fast” is a good thing.
5 Jen Kessy London-bound USA beach Olympian 1.
Especially on the beach, you have to make your approach look exactly the same every single
time, whether you’re hitting or you’re shooting. If defenders think you’re hitting, they dig in, and it makes you more deceptive and makes it easier to shoot. My coach tells me a couple of times every practice, “You didn’t approach hard on that one.” Or: “I can tell you were shooting.” It’s not something you’re always aware of, and it’s a challenge to make everything exactly the same every time, but it’s important, so I work on it at every practice.
Pat Powers
Opposite hitter, 1984 U.S. Olympic Men’s Volleyball gold medalist
thing (the ball) and concentrate on another (the block and defense) is what makes hitters great. The key is to tilt your head down while looking at the ball. If you look at a good hitter, you’ll notice the “whites” under their eyes. It means they are watching something – usually the block. When I hit, the only thing I think about is the block and how I am going to hit around
2.
Vision is the key to hitting. Without peripheral vision, a hitter is lost. The ability to look at one
keys to better hitting
it. The other thing about watching the block is, if you can see the block, it usually means you have stayed behind the ball. If you can’t see the block, you are under the ball.
Jordan Larson Outside hitter, U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team
On our national team, we run what I would consider a fast offense. With the speed of the offense we are running, I feel the most important thing to becoming a better attacker is your feet. This may sound strange, but getting your feet to the ball allows you to consistently hit the ball in the same place relative to your body. This will allow you to see the block better and become a more effi cient attacker. Finally, in getting your feet to the ball, it’s important that your approach is slow to fast so you can generate the most power possible.
3. Russ Rose Penn State Women’s Volleyball Head Coach
When I think about what I seek in a hitter, I start with their ability to accelerate and fl y into the ball. I like to think that they can go from small to larger steps as well as slow to quick with a synchronized body experience using their arms to assist in their explosion off the ground. The
4. 24 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
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need to keep the ball in front of the hitter allows for an aggressive and committed approach. A hitter’s ability to attack should incorporate the hitting arm being back with the elbow high and the non-hitting arm straight and high as the hips lead the upper body into the point of contact. The most successful hitters that I have coached had great vision as well as an awareness of the opponents’ systems, and they also knew when to go for the kill and when to keep the ball alive.
Reid Priddy
Outside hitter, 2008 U.S. Olympic Men’s Volleyball gold medalist
To be an effective hitter with power and range it’s important to remain behind the ball. To remain behind the ball, you must develop the skill and discipline to make your approach “slow to fast.” It’s very common for hitters (especially when we get tense and under stress) to rush in and approach to a “spot” and not to the ball. That limits our range, power and vision. To go slow to fast, you simply slow your fi rst two steps on your approach until you see the setter release the ball. When you see the ball in fl ight, you are now able to make any needed adjustments and take a fast, step-close to the ball. This will make you powerful, dynamic and more prepared to put the ball away.
5.
ILLUSTRATION: MATT GARTHOFF
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