Players need to develop a soft touch/sound platform…not swing. Players will learn the basics of platform adjustment (tilt). Players will learn basic movement (load and launch/shuffle step).
- Footwork
- Ability to shuffle behind the ball, drop step and t-stop
- Don’t let the platform drop between legs when moving
- Players should not be taking crossover steps when passing a serve receive ball or a free ball
- Posture
- Feet at least shoulder-width apart. You can consider feet more than shoulder-width apart for more balance and platform area between the knees
- Medium height posture (not super low)
- Bend at the knees and ankles to create a bottom-down position
- Knees over toes, shoulders over knees
- Head forward and thumbnails pointed towards the ground
- Eye Work
- Introduce reading a serve
- Identify if it is going short or deep based on the speed of the ball and the server’s arm
- Make athletes say short, mine, or deep as the ball is coming to them
- Begin to introduce the terminology of serves
- Top spin = drop ball
- Float = going to move side to side
- Touch
- Introduce slow ball PUSH faster with shoulders
- Introduce fast ball PUSH slower with shoulders
- Learn how to cushion the ball for a soft pass and understand “quiet” platform skills.
- Angels
- Understanding how to create an angle by dropping the shoulder to point “platform to target”
- Left and middle back = take the ball midline or off to your left
- Mentality
- No ball hits the ground without effort
- No fear to pass the serve, want the ball
- Result
- Being able to pass a ball to the target
- Pass grade goal = 2.0 on a 3.0 scale
- Consistently pass free balls to target 60-70%
- Consistently receive service to target 45-55%
ARIZONA SAGUAROS VOLLEYBALL CLUB 