SIX SECRET WEAPONS for SETTERS

As a setter, you hold both the team's most powerful position and its most frustrating one. Setters control the tempo, create the offense and maintain momentum. But with errant passing or weak hitters, setters can be left feeling ineffectual and unable to contribute.Even if you sometimes feel dependent on your teammates, remeber that a setter has weapons, too. Here are six that make you a more potent player.

Good Setting Technique

Setters sometimes forget to keep an eye on their own technique. If hitters aren't converting and passers aren't performing, it's easy to shift the blame. But if you work on achieving your best technique on every set, you can save a lot of those bad passes or give a struggling hitter an easy set.Let's look at setting from the ground up. First, work on having quick feet-this means moving to the ball before setting it. Once you're there and ready, your feet should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Bend your knees slightly, and make sure your weight is evenly distributed from the balls of your feet to the arches. Don't have your weight too far forward or backward because this makes it difficult to change direction.The foot closest to the net should be a little ahead of the other one. This slightly rotates your hips and shoulders into the court and helps keep the set from drifting too tight or over the net.Elevate your hands to your forehead, and cock your wrists in anticipation of the set. Keep your hand and fingers firm, point your elbows out at an angle between 45 and 90 degrees.When you set, use all of your fingers. The ring fingers and the pinkies help stabilize the ball. Also, the more surface area you touch, the better you can control the ball.Take the set at your forehead, and use your entire body to push it towards the hitter. Finally, follow through with your hands after the ball is released; this helps keep it in a true trajectory.

The Tip

This is often used by setters who receive a too-tight pass. But by using it only as an emergency play, they lose out on the offensive power behind the tip.The best time to use the tip is on a good pass because the defense won't expect it. You have to execute it fairly quickly, but being deceptive is more important than being fast. Good setters combine both speed and deception when they tip.When executing the tip, use a firm hand and a quick wrist. Avoid using your elbow as a lever because this "slam dunk' technique will usually get you called for a throw.You can tip with either hand, and you can direct the ball forward, behind you or to the middle of the court. A tip can be hit short or deep.I usually tip to the middle because it allows me to be the most deceptive. If the defense changes strategy or is covering the middle well, I'll tip toward the sidelines.It's a good idea to stick with your strong tip, but still throw in a little variety. Eight o ten times I'll go with my favorite shot, but the other times I'll target a new area. And if my opponents start expecting the short tip, I'll go to the deep corner.

The Jump Set

Jump setting is a great setter's tool, and it creates many advantages. First, it speeds up your offense because you reach the ball sooner. Second, it often makes it easier to set quicks or shoots because you're closer to the height of your attacker as she jumps in her approach. And third, it can fool your opponents into thinking you're going to attack. If they put a blocker on you, that's one less blocker for your hitter to worry about.I like to jump set to the outside because a lot of setters jump only when they're going to set the middle.I think it's important that setters learn to set every set both from the ground and from a jump set. When you jump set, make sure your feet are in position first-you have to be under the ball to make an accurate jump set. Use the same body and hand positioning as you'd use on a set from the ground. Set the ball when you reach the peak of your jump. And practice, practice, practice. This set doesn't come naturally to most people and takes work to master.

Saving the Tight Pass

Sometimes, your passers will overshoot their target (you), and the ball will begin to drift over the net. Instead of cowering as the opposing hitter smashes it back at you, take steps to save the tight pass.On a tight pass, your first priority is to make a set. On a tight and high pass, the first option is to use a jump set. But doing this requires a pretty good jump and good arm and hand strength.Angle your back toward the net to keep from netting, jump straight up and contact the ball with both hands. Angle your hands back to your side of the court to help keep the set off the net.A second option-one that's much harder to execute-is the one-handed set (pictured). Reach high with your outside hand (the one closest to the net) and keep your hand, fingers and wrist stiff. You have to kind of poke at the ball. This is the safest way to do it without being called for a lift. The softer your hand and wrist are, the more likely it is that the ref will blow the whistle.If you can't reach the ball and you're a front-row setter, try to attack the ball either with a hit or a tip. Or you can put up a block against the opponent's attack.If you're in the back-row, the last-ditch options are limited. If the ball is out of your reach and drifting over the net, try faking a set. This will confuse your opponents and might keep them from attacking the overpass. Another thing you can do is fake a block by jumping, and then pull your hands down. This can also affect their options.

Saving the Net Pass

Almost as bad as an overpass is the pass that shoots into the net. But this doesn't take away all your setting options.Your first step is to save the ball. Watch to see where the ball is going to hit the net, and position yourself under it. Bend your knees, crouch down and wait for the ball to pop out so you can make a bump set (pictured).Keep an eye on where the ball contacts the net. If it hits up high, chances are that the ball will roll down the net. You'll need to stay close to the net to make this play. If the ball hits low, it will probably pop out. Be ready to react and move away from the net to reach it.The biggest mistake is to stay too high. If you're not crouching low and aren't ready to react, you're more likely to misjudge the ball, and then you won't have time to react.

Hand Setting the Low Pass

Sometimes a pass comes at you low and quick. Instead of waiting (or hoping) for the ball to hit the net, try to get your hands on it and set it from a low position. It takes a lot of arm strength to set an outside ball like this and a lot of leg strength to support your body in a crouched position. But if you can do it, this is the best way to deal with a low pass. Getting your hands on the ball gives you much better control and better location options.Get a quick read on the ball, and decide where it's going to drop. Hustle to that position, and get low. Make sure your feet and body are under the ball because you'll need that leverage to push the ball up. Take the set in the normal setting position, and push it to your target (By Lori Endicott).

www.volleyballmag.com

SIX SECRET WEAPONS for SETTERS

As a setter, you hold both the team's most powerful position and its most frustrating one. Setters control the tempo, create the offense and maintain momentum. But with errant passing or weak hitters, setters can be left feeling ineffectual and unable to contribute.Even if you sometimes feel dependent on your teammates, remeber that a setter has weapons, too. Here are six that make you a more potent player.

Good Setting Technique

Setters sometimes forget to keep an eye on their own technique. If hitters aren't converting and passers aren't performing, it's easy to shift the blame. But if you work on achieving your best technique on every set, you can save a lot of those bad passes or give a struggling hitter an easy set.Let's look at setting from the ground up. First, work on having quick feet-this means moving to the ball before setting it. Once you're there and ready, your feet should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Bend your knees slightly, and make sure your weight is evenly distributed from the balls of your feet to the arches. Don't have your weight too far forward or backward because this makes it difficult to change direction.The foot closest to the net should be a little ahead of the other one. This slightly rotates your hips and shoulders into the court and helps keep the set from drifting too tight or over the net.Elevate your hands to your forehead, and cock your wrists in anticipation of the set. Keep your hand and fingers firm, point your elbows out at an angle between 45 and 90 degrees.When you set, use all of your fingers. The ring fingers and the pinkies help stabilize the ball. Also, the more surface area you touch, the better you can control the ball.Take the set at your forehead, and use your entire body to push it towards the hitter. Finally, follow through with your hands after the ball is released; this helps keep it in a true trajectory.

The Tip

This is often used by setters who receive a too-tight pass. But by using it only as an emergency play, they lose out on the offensive power behind the tip.The best time to use the tip is on a good pass because the defense won't expect it. You have to execute it fairly quickly, but being deceptive is more important than being fast. Good setters combine both speed and deception when they tip.When executing the tip, use a firm hand and a quick wrist. Avoid using your elbow as a lever because this "slam dunk' technique will usually get you called for a throw.You can tip with either hand, and you can direct the ball forward, behind you or to the middle of the court. A tip can be hit short or deep.I usually tip to the middle because it allows me to be the most deceptive. If the defense changes strategy or is covering the middle well, I'll tip toward the sidelines.It's a good idea to stick with your strong tip, but still throw in a little variety. Eight o ten times I'll go with my favorite shot, but the other times I'll target a new area. And if my opponents start expecting the short tip, I'll go to the deep corner.

The Jump Set

Jump setting is a great setter's tool, and it creates many advantages. First, it speeds up your offense because you reach the ball sooner. Second, it often makes it easier to set quicks or shoots because you're closer to the height of your attacker as she jumps in her approach. And third, it can fool your opponents into thinking you're going to attack. If they put a blocker on you, that's one less blocker for your hitter to worry about.I like to jump set to the outside because a lot of setters jump only when they're going to set the middle.I think it's important that setters learn to set every set both from the ground and from a jump set. When you jump set, make sure your feet are in position first-you have to be under the ball to make an accurate jump set. Use the same body and hand positioning as you'd use on a set from the ground. Set the ball when you reach the peak of your jump. And practice, practice, practice. This set doesn't come naturally to most people and takes work to master.

Saving the Tight Pass

Sometimes, your passers will overshoot their target (you), and the ball will begin to drift over the net. Instead of cowering as the opposing hitter smashes it back at you, take steps to save the tight pass.On a tight pass, your first priority is to make a set. On a tight and high pass, the first option is to use a jump set. But doing this requires a pretty good jump and good arm and hand strength.Angle your back toward the net to keep from netting, jump straight up and contact the ball with both hands. Angle your hands back to your side of the court to help keep the set off the net.A second option-one that's much harder to execute-is the one-handed set (pictured). Reach high with your outside hand (the one closest to the net) and keep your hand, fingers and wrist stiff. You have to kind of poke at the ball. This is the safest way to do it without being called for a lift. The softer your hand and wrist are, the more likely it is that the ref will blow the whistle.If you can't reach the ball and you're a front-row setter, try to attack the ball either with a hit or a tip. Or you can put up a block against the opponent's attack.If you're in the back-row, the last-ditch options are limited. If the ball is out of your reach and drifting over the net, try faking a set. This will confuse your opponents and might keep them from attacking the overpass. Another thing you can do is fake a block by jumping, and then pull your hands down. This can also affect their options.

Saving the Net Pass

Almost as bad as an overpass is the pass that shoots into the net. But this doesn't take away all your setting options.Your first step is to save the ball. Watch to see where the ball is going to hit the net, and position yourself under it. Bend your knees, crouch down and wait for the ball to pop out so you can make a bump set (pictured).Keep an eye on where the ball contacts the net. If it hits up high, chances are that the ball will roll down the net. You'll need to stay close to the net to make this play. If the ball hits low, it will probably pop out. Be ready to react and move away from the net to reach it.The biggest mistake is to stay too high. If you're not crouching low and aren't ready to react, you're more likely to misjudge the ball, and then you won't have time to react.

Hand Setting the Low Pass

Sometimes a pass comes at you low and quick. Instead of waiting (or hoping) for the ball to hit the net, try to get your hands on it and set it from a low position. It takes a lot of arm strength to set an outside ball like this and a lot of leg strength to support your body in a crouched position. But if you can do it, this is the best way to deal with a low pass. Getting your hands on the ball gives you much better control and better location options.Get a quick read on the ball, and decide where it's going to drop. Hustle to that position, and get low. Make sure your feet and body are under the ball because you'll need that leverage to push the ball up. Take the set in the normal setting position, and push it to your target (By Lori Endicott).

www.volleyballmag.com

HIT OUT OF ANY SITUATION

During a match, you can count on getting some trouble sets-hopefully less than more. It's important to know that you can do something to get out of almost any situation that appears to be hopeless. Trap sets, off-the-net sets, too inside or too outside, a smart hitter can still get side outs and points on all those-or at least keep the ball alive, which should be your minimum expectation.

The Tool

A big part of my hitting career has been founded on tooling the block. Not blessed with a world-class jump or lightning arm, I look for chinks and holes, a weakness in the block that can be exploited. It doesn't take much. A deflected shot off a blocker's hand that goes down is just as valuable as a straight-down drill over the top of him. Sometimes more valuable-big blockers can get very frustrated by hitters constantly tooling them.

A common trouble set is one traveling too far outside. Faced with a solid block, there's not much open space, but the most effective shot is high and off the outside blocker's hand closest to the antenna. By aiming at his outside hand, just inside the antenna, you'll be amazed at how many times the ball will carom off him for a kill. This shot-as all the shots covered here-is effective from both sides.

The Inside Slice

On an inside set against two blockers, a good attack-although sometimes risky-is to go for a hard crank inside the middle blocker's arms. You have to hit this shot hard and quick, hoping to get it under his inside hands-careful not to hit such an extreme cut that it lands out of bounds.

The High Flat

One of the toughest sets to deal with is the one that drops almost on the net, within reach of the blockers' hands. This is the trap set. Some hitters just give up on this play, get roofed and return a sneer (or worse) to their setter. A smart hitter will give a maximum jump and extend as high as possible. Your spike won't have as much steam on it (normally this shot would waffle deep out of bounds), but you'll be surprised how many deflective kills you'll get off it. More importantly, it will frequently come back on your side, high and easy enough to get another swing at it, or you'll be able to recover your own hit (as in the photo below). Those types of smart plays win close matches.

The Deep Corner

Hitting on the outside, you're going to get plenty of sets deep off the net-often resulting from digs and bad passes. On this set, an effective as well as safe shot is to aim for the opposite deep corner. By attacking high and deep, you may avoid the block completely for a kill in the corner-or possibly get a piece of the block resulting in a deflection. The good thing is that you're not going to get blocked straight down, losing the side out or point.

The Sweet Spots

Hitting against a big two- or three-man block can cause a hitter to consider even a perfect set a "trouble set." The trouble lies in four to six giant hands placed in front of you, waiting to devour your attack. Take heart-there are ways out of this if you're cagey enough. First, always hit high in this situation. Low attacks are usually fatal. Next, you should know about the "sweet spots," which you should aim for. There are two kinds of sweet spots:

1. The seam, which is the space between two blockers' pairs of hands. Rarely are their two adjacent hands perfectly placed in conjunction with each other-often a blocker's one hand is lower than his partner's or turned a slightly different direction. This makes for a vulnerable spot.

2. The other sweet spot you can aim at is outside the multiple-block's farthest outside hands. This shot should be high and sharp; your aim is to hit it past the block untouched or to get a deflection off the blocker's outside hand.

You should practice looking for and hitting at these sweet spots. It takes a lot of work, but to become a great hitter, you'll be required to master them

SIX LITTLE SHOTS THAT KILL

Being a successful offensive player doesn't always depend on how hard you hit the ball. Like a big-league pitcher who keeps batters off balance, you can frustrate defenses with a variety of differing speeds and locations. Remember, the ball is hard to dig if your opponent can't touch it!

Here are three rules of thumb that we can use:

1. Always give your opponent the same look whether you're hitting or making a shot. If you go half-speed to use a shot, your opponents will see it coming.

2. When the set is in the air during your approach, try to take a look at the opponent's court. Then look back up at the ball to hit.

3. You don't have to crush the ball to put it away. The following tips are designed to work with finesse instead of power. My philosophy is, "Hit for show, shoot for dough!"

When in Doubt, Hit the Divorce Maker

The divorce maker, or deep middle shot, is the one you can almost always rely on. It's especially effective when nobody is blocking or the blocker is retreating. Ideally, you should hit this one pretty hard, but it can still be effective if you don't because the defending partners will have trouble communicating who should go for it. Most defenders don't position themselves in the deep middle. So if you're in trouble, go to the "old reliable."

The Cut-Back and Chop-Back

Here are two shots that defenders never expect. The cut-back and chop-back are essentially the same shot but from different sides. Use these when the blockers have retreated and the set is more towards the middle of the net.The cut-back (above) is executed from the left side (cutting back across your body to the line) and the chop-back (below) from the right side (chopping away from your body back to the line).For both shots, begin to swing as if you're going to crush the ball. Then change your arm swing, and hit an off-speed shot towards the line with an inside-out trajectory. The ball should drop just past the 10-foot line and about 12 inches from the sideline.

The Deep Loopy Teaser

Use this shot when the blocker has pulled off the net and is retreating to the cross-court or the cross-court digger is playing shallow. Take your normal approach as if you're going to hit, thereby freezing the defense. Then hit up at the ball, looping it into the deep corner. But don't give the ball too much arc, or the defense will track it down. It should land just outside the reach of the defender,leaving him tired and demoralized.

The Super Dink

Use the super dink when nobody's up and you get a tight set. It's also great when the set is tight and low and you can't take a full swing. My old partner, beach legend John Carman, was the best I ever saw at the super dink. The trick is to let your knuckles cushion the ball rather than poking up at it. Use your knuckles almost like an indoor player would use his fingertips on a dink. Just drop it gently over the net for the kill.

The Tap Down

The tap-down is great to use when the blocker is up and the set's tight. The bigger the blocker, the better it works. Take a half swing, but don't follow through. Aim for the outside of the block, hit the ball low to the net, and try to squeak it by the blocker's elbow.Ideally, the ball will either make it by the block and land in or bounce off the arm of the blocker and go out of bounds. But always be ready to cover yourself. If you get blocked, it should be easy to cover because you'll have hit it softly.Remember not to hit the ball so it lands out if the blocker doesn't touch it. In other words, never aim to miss the court. The tap-down will turn an otherwise tough situation to your advantage.

The Side-Spin Perplexor

This shot is similar to the chop-back, but it's used by right-handers against a blocker. Convince the defense that you're going to hit angle by taking an inward approach. Then, at the last second, rotate your wrist and arm away from your body, turning the ball down the line.When you do this, the ball will end up spinning a little more sideways than a typical topspin hit. Hit it with some pace so you can get it by the blocker before he realizes he has been fooled.If you perform the side-spin perplexor correctly, you'll see the blocker shaking his head in amazement (Jim Nichols)

How to Play a Big Hitter

Sometimes, you face teams that have a player who does nothing but hammer the ball. It can be intimidating to play against someone who hits like Affan Priyo Wicaksono or Aris Achmad Risqon, but it's not impossible. You can learn to make the most of your defensive strengths to help tip the balance in your favor. Here are several ways to take the heat out of the biggest hitters.

Drop in Early

This strategy works well against a big hitter who doesn't have a lot of control or vision. This type of player goes up determined to pound the ball into the sand every time and is worried more about hitting it as hard as possible than directing it to an area.To deal with this type of player, pull both players off the net and get into your defensive position early rather than blocking. Since the hitter is unlikely to look where you're positioned, he'll probably hit the ball right into your area. Divide the court between you and your partner so you're able to cover the most common angles of attack (line, angle and middle).As shown above, the right-side player is responsible for the line hit, the left-side player takes angle, and both share the middle.

Strategize with Your Blocker

If you choose to block, work with your partner on channeling the ball in a pre-arranged direction. It might be dramatic to stuff-block a ball, but with a big hitter who can tool or hit around you, it's easier and more effective to make her fall into your game plan.The idea is to take away the hitter's favorite swing (in the photo at above, the blocker is taking away the line). You can often tell by the way a player approaches the ball which hit is her power hit, then adjust your block to limit her options in that direction. For instance, if she likes to blast the ball down the line, have the blocker take an aggressive line stance to force the hitter to go to the angle, where the defender is waiting. Since it's not her favorite shot, it'll probably have a lot less heat on it, making it easier to dig.

Jump in the Middle

This is a nice strategy if you have a big hitter who favors swinging toward the middle of the court and you decide not to block.Begin in a normal defensive position, covering the most obvious angles of attack (line and angle). Leave the middle conspicuously open. Your objective is to lull them into thinking that the middle is where they should hit.As the hitter jumps, pull into the middle to defend the attack.

Last Resorts

If the hitter is putting balls on the three- foot line, you'll probably have to get a blocker up to the net. Even a short blocker can be effective with good timing and technique. Many big hitters get blocked by short blockers because they try to hit straight down, and they don't see the blocker.You might also try changing your serving strategy. If you want to continue serving the big hitter, try mixing the serves up to make her work as hard as possible before she can hit the ball. Serving deep makes her cover a lot of ground between passing and hitting and can tire her out. Serving short makes her scramble to get into position to hit, which can affect balance and hitting power. Serving your toughest serves can force her to shank the ball, making it hard for her to get a good set. If she adapts easily to your serves, or if her setter is so good that she can make a good play out of any pass, try changing your serving target. Serving the big hitter's partner changes the rhythm and puts more pressure on the big hitter. Many big hitters get frustrated if they don't get any sets, and some will eventually try to hit on two. Even if they succeed, they won't usually be able to generate the power that comes from getting a good set. (Barbra Fontana)www.volleyballmag.com

HOW TO PASS ANY SERVE

Being able to pass is the key to winning. A good pass puts your team in the driver's seat, while a bad pass severely limits your options.

We've all been taught the basics about passing: Get to the ball, make a good platform, stay balanced. And with a nice easy serve, there's no problem doing that. But what about when the serve isn't so easy? Being able to pass the difficult serve is what separates the great players from the good.The key to passing a tough serve is to get to the ball. You may have to forget about using correct form. Whatever gets you to the ball is what's important. Once there, concentrate on keeping your platform in front of you and your hips under you, and remember to keep your eyes on the ball.Because these serves are difficult to return, your form isn't going to be perfect. That's okay if the end result is a good pass.

The Deep Corner Serve

You often see this serve when you're on the bad side and the other team has the luxury of serving into the wind as hard as they want. This serve tends to float up high and drop suddenly. Sometimes, you won't be able to touch the ball when you reach up for it, so you'll think it's going out-but it'll drop inside the court anyway.To handle this serve, turn your body away from the net and extend toward the ball. First, you need to take a step back. If you're a right-side player, step back with your right foot to open your body toward the line (reverse this if you play the left). To keep your balance, make sure you don't lunge. As you reach to pass the ball, dip your left shoulder (or right shoulder, if you play the left) so your platform will angle toward the net. If you forget to dip your shoulder, you'll end up passing straight up. To get the ball up toward the net, swing and extend your trunk and use your legs. You should use your entire body to generate force. Finally, keep your head still to give you balance and help maintain your court sense.In a perfect world, your pass should go up to the net. However, you're in an extended deep position, so your partner shouldn't commit to the net in case you make a bad pass. It's better to pass into the middle of the court, a little higher than normal but not so high that it becomes difficult for your partner to set. Of course, your final placement will depend on how good a setter your partner is. If you're playing with Scott Ayakatubby, go ahead and put the ball up to the net.

The Hubby-Wife

This serve is commonly known as the husband-and-wife because it splits a team right down the middle and leaves them saying, "You got it"/"You take it." The idea is that neither partner goes for the ball. To deal with the hubby-wife serve, you and your partner will both have to go for it. The secret to dealing with this serve is to have one partner slightly in front of the other when you both go for it. This has two advantages. First, if both partners aggressively pursue the ball, the risk of them colliding is minimized since they're in different planes. Second, if the player nearer the net misses the pass, his partner behind him can pick it up. Generally, the partner slightly in front is the cross-court player, and he is expected to pass the ball. This creates a small problem: His partner is still behind him in the fail-safe position. To deal with this, the rear partner has to aggressively push his way up to the net to set. If this means shoving the front partner out of the way, so be it. If you're the rear partner, you have to be just as aggressive pursuing the set as you were pursuing the pass.The front partner can help by keeping an eye on his partner so he knows how the play is developing. If he sees that his partner isn't committed to taking the serve, the front partner can put up a normal pass. If his partner has committed and is now stuck behind him, he should put the pass more straight up and off the net. Getting to know what your partner will do in this situation is very helpful, and that's why practice is important.

The Angle Serve

This is the Adam Johnson special-a jump serve that slices cross court and drops in by the sideline. Because the ball drops so fast, you have to get away from the standard passing position. This is definitely not textbook passing. Generally, as a right-side player dealing with an easy cross-court serve, you step with your left foot to cover the distance, then swing your right foot around to square your body to the net. But you don't have the time to drag your right foot around with this serve. So you have to extend and lead with your left leg in an aggressive, strong movement, as if you're about to dive. Flatten your platform by dropping your left shoulder. Because your hips are twisted away from the net, compensate by shifting your shoulders toward the net. Don't worry about passing the ball backward, just try to get the ball up into the air. Your partner should be following you, so if you don't shank the ball, pretty much anything will be a good pass.

The Short Serve

Mike Dodd is famous for this one. You don't want to dive to pass this serve. If you're diving, it means you haven't been paying attention (although even I have found myself diving on this serve). The key here is to use long forward steps while you bring your hips underneath your body. If your hips are behind your body, this causes your upper body to lean forward and sends the ball into the net. Because this serve is so short, you have no room for error in front of you.Take long steps to get to the ball, then lunge forward on your last step and get down on one knee to get your hips underneath you. Make sure your body is upright, and keep your platform up and extended. It's okay to pass a little bit behind you because the physics of this move mean that since you're moving forward, the ball will travel slightly forward. Pass the ball high enough that you give yourself time to jump up, back up two steps and get into your hitting approach.

The High Floater

Usually you see this serve when you're on the bad side and your opponent is serving into the wind. This is unlike the deep corner serve because it comes directly at you. When the ball is off to one side or the other, you can usually turn and move to it. But when it's over your head you can't. It's very difficult to turn and move in the exact opposite direction, especially once your weight is leaning backward, as often happens with this serve.When you get really stuck with this serve, try using the tomahawk pass. Make sure the ball is truly straight on. If it's off to one side you're better off taking a step and passing it normally. Get your hands up and together early, otherwise you'll probably get called for a double hit. You need to show the ref that you've already created a single platform. Hold your hands together in either a loosely clenched fist-inside-a-fist or with two flat hands together, as if you're praying. Bend your wrists backward and point your elbows forward so your upper arms are nearly parallel to the ground. Contact the ball on the meat of your palms, not on your wrists as you would a normal pass. You won't be able to make a perfect pass on this play, but try to get the ball up and slightly forward.( By Kent Syeffes)

6 Libero Strenght Movements

When developing young athletes the first step should be to develop a proper foundation of movement patterns that will allow them to successfully move into higher levels of training.

From there, the athlete is better prepared and physically capable of acquiring a higher skills set. Training should be both specific and nonspecific, but rich in movements that improve coordination, body control and awareness (propriocetion).

In this article, we’ll focus specifically on the libero position. Here are six drills that will help increase strength for athletes who play this demanding position.

1. OVERHEAD STICK SQUATS

This is a great exercise to develop lower body strength, improved knee, ankle, hip flexion and, most importantly, increased flexibility of the back. Most stretching movements focus on anterior flexion of the spine. The overhead stick squat focuses on improving extension along the spine and increasing range of motion about the shoulder girdle as well. Use both wide and narrow grips for variation of the movement. Do 2 sets of 10-15 reps at a slow tempo.

a. Hold the stick with hands outstretched wide above and slightly behind the head. Feet should be shoulder width apart and straight ahead.
b. Slowly descend into a squat. Maintain arm position with the head and chest upright while keeping the knees over the toes. Stop when your thighs get below parallel to the floor or when your heels come off the floor. If you cannot maintain your upper body position, stop at that point. Work to increase squat depth while maintaining proper body position. The close grip variation will decrease the depth of squat for most people until the upper back becomes more flexible.

2. HULA

This aptly named exercise focuses on the ankle and hip mobility and knee stability and lower body strength. Do 2 sets of 16 here. You can add dumbbells to increase the strength factor.

a. Start from a square, shoulder width stance
b. Push your hips to one side and then rotate the shoulders and hips the opposite way sitting down slightly to load the legs and extend the arms.
c. Go back to the center
d. Push the hips the opposite way, rotate the shoulders and reach again. Continue back and forth and do the hula.

3. HOT HANDS IN’S & OUT’S

This exercise works upper body strength and power as well as core and shoulder stability. Using a small ring helps coordinate and direct movement, but is not necessary. Do 3 sets of 5-8 reps, or for short-timed intervals of 10-20 seconds.

1. Start with the hands directly under the chest in a push-up position.
2. Quickly move the right hand laterally outside of the ring.
3. Move the left hand laterally outside of the ring.
4. Move the right hand back into the ring.
5. Move the left hand back into the ring. You have completed one rep. Repeat for at least 4 more reps. Try and move the hands as quickly as possible. For variation, move the hand forward and back or in diagonal patterns. Basically, any pattern will work. Be sure to maintain a solid core during the exercise.

4. LATERAL LUNGE AND ANTERIOR REACH

This drill develops great lower body strength and flexibility to improve digging position. Keep your head and chest up to see the ball. Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps per side. Add a dumbbell to increase strength or go at various tempos to work on deceleration and explosiveness.

1. Start from a standing position
2. Do a lateral lunge
3. Drop deeper into the lunge and extend the arms to a digging position.

5. VARIOUS SKIPS

Skips of any kind develop coordination, rhythm, timing and power. Keep good form with the knees and toes up and good “L’s” at the elbow. Variations are as many as your imagination. Forward, lateral, backward, crossover lateral, even combinations will work to improve coordinated movement and the ability to apply force to the ground in multiple directions. Do this as part of a dynamic warm-up—3-4 different skips done with purpose.

6. REACTIVE X-BOX

This is not the video game kind. This is a drill to improve reaction time and execution of direction. This drill will also increase lower body strength and power and agility. All sports require the ability to recognize and respond to stimulus and then execute the proper response. The stimulus can be visual, audible, tactile or any combination of the three.
Set up four cones about 15 feet apart in a square. Have the player stand in the center to start. The coach or partner then directs the athlete to a different cone direction using either visual (hand) or audible (voice) commands. You should do 6-8 calls or 8-12 seconds. The reaction should be explosive and decisive for the entire set. Stops should be hard and the direction changes should be abrupt, not rounded. Add in digs and stabs with or without a ball to make the drill more specific.

1. The athlete responds and reacts to the coach’s direction with an explosive first step.
2. The athlete moves to the directed cone and sets up for “action.”
3. The athlete moves back to the center and prepares for the next direction.
4. The athlete makes the next direction change with another explosive first step. Continue for four more calls or until you are timed out. The effort should be all-out, but still in control.

source : volleyballmag.com