Blocking the ball

25 min

The first line of defence

A spike can travel faster than 25 m s⁻¹; from the attack line it reaches the back court in a fraction of a second. The block is the defence's answer: front-row players jump at the net with their hands above it, either to stop the ball coming over (a "stuff" block that scores a point) or to slow it and channel it to the defenders behind. Because a block touch does not count as one of the team's three hits, a good block also gives the team a better chance to counter-attack. In Senior 2 you studied blocking systems. This lesson refines the technique of the individual blocker, the physics of reach and timing, and the FIVB rules that decide when a block is a fault.

Definition

Block: the action of players close to the net to intercept the ball coming from the opponent, by reaching higher than the top of the net (FIVB Rule 14.1). Completed block: a block that touches the ball. Collective block: two or three players blocking close to each other.

Penetration: reaching the hands over the net into the opponent's space.

Standing reach: the height of the fingertips with the arms stretched up, standing flat-footed. Block reach: the height of the hands at the top of the block jump.

Read blocking: watching the setter and the ball before moving, rather than guessing in advance.

Technique

Phase	Key points
Ready	About an arm's length from the net, feet shoulder-width, knees bent, hands up at shoulder height, palms facing the net
Read	Watch the ball to the setter, then the setter's hands, then the ball and the hitter's approach
Move	Side-step (shuffle) for short distances; a crossover step for longer ones; finish square to the net, opposite the hitter's hitting arm
Jump	Take off from both feet, slightly after the hitter for a high set; jump straight up, not into the net
Hands	Arms straight, hands over the net (penetrate), fingers spread, thumbs up, wrists firm; shoulders pressed up towards the ears; outside hand turned in to keep the ball in the court
Land	Pull the hands back without touching the net; land on both feet, knees bent; turn to see where the ball went

Worked example

Worked example 1: how high must Uwase jump? Uwase's standing reach is 2.10 m. On a women's net (2.24 m) she wants her hands 0.20 m above the net tape. How high must she jump, and how long does she take to reach the top $(g = 9.81\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-2}})$ ?

Target block reach: $2.24 + 0.20 = 2.44\,\mathrm{m}$ .
Jump height: $2.44 - 2.10 = 0.34\,\mathrm{m}$ .
Time to rise $h$ (from $h = \tfrac{1}{2} g t^{2}$ ): $t = \sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}} = \sqrt{\frac{2 \times 0.34}{9.81}} = 0.26\,\mathrm{s}$

Timing. Her hands are at their highest about a quarter of a second after take-off, and they stay near the top only briefly. If the hitter strikes the ball 0.26 s after Uwase leaves the floor, her hands are in the right place; jumping earlier means she is falling when the ball arrives. That is why blockers usually jump just after the hitter, and why tall players with a high standing reach need a smaller, quicker jump.

Blocking and the rules (FIVB Rules 11 and 14)

Situation	Decision
The blocker touches the ball in the opponent's space before the opponent's attack hit	Fault (14.6.1)
The blocker reaches over the net and touches the ball after the attack hit	Legal (14.3)
A back-row player or the libero takes part in a completed block	Fault (14.6.2, 14.6.6)
Blocking the opponent's service	Fault (14.5, 14.6.3)
The ball goes out off the block	Fault by the blocking team: point to the attackers (14.6.4)
The blocker touches the net between the antennae while playing the ball, including the landing	Fault (11.3.1)
After a block touch, the same blocker plays the ball again	Legal: the block was not a team hit, and the team still has three hits (14.4)

Worked example

Worked example 2: referee's decisions in a school match. Decide each case and give the rule.

Habimana, in the back row, jumps beside the front-row blockers and touches the spike. Fault: a back-row player completed a block (14.6.2).
Gatete reaches over the net and blocks the ball just after the opponent's spike. Legal: penetration is allowed after the attack hit (14.3).
The ball touches Keza's block and lands outside the court. Point to the attackers: the ball was sent out off the block (14.6.4).
Mutesi touches the ball on the block, then digs it herself. Legal: the block touch was not a team hit (14.4.2).

Video: "Upgrade your Block Position feat. Rachael Adams | Olympians' Tips", Olympic Games. Watch the ready position, the hands pressing over the net and how the shoulders stay close to the ears.

Tip

"Read, move, jump, press." Read the setter, move into line with the hitter's arm, jump straight up just after the hitter, and press the hands over the net.

Warning

Safety and common mistakes. Jumping forward into the net, or landing under it, where the centre line can bring a foot under an opponent's: ankle sprains at the net are among the most common volleyball injuries, so land on your own side, on both feet. Swinging the arms at the ball instead of pressing. Spreading the hands so wide that the ball passes between them. Jumping too early. Watching only the ball and not the hitter.

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Practice

Define a block, a completed block and a collective block.
Describe the position of the hands and arms in a good block.
A player's standing reach is 2.30 m. How high must he jump for his hands to be 0.30 m above a men's net?
How long does it take him to rise to the top of that jump?
Explain why a blocker usually jumps slightly after the hitter.
Decide: a blocker touches the ball over the opponent's court while the opponents' setter is still about to set it.
Decide: after the block touch, the ball falls on the blockers' side and the blocker who touched it plays it again.
Evaluate this coaching advice: "Always jump as high as you can and swing your arms hard at the ball."

Show answersHide answers

Block: players close to the net reach above it to intercept the ball from the opponent. Completed block: one that touches the ball. Collective block: two or three players blocking close together.
Arms straight, hands pressed over the net, fingers spread, thumbs up, wrists firm, shoulders pushed up towards the ears; the outside hand turned in.
2.43 + 0.30 = 2.73 m; 2.73 − 2.30 = 0.43 m.
t = √(2 × 0.43 ÷ 9.81) = √0.0877 = 0.30 s.
The hitter's ball arrives at the block point a short time after the hitter's take-off; jumping slightly later means the blocker's hands are at the top of the jump when the ball arrives, not on the way down.
Fault: the blocker touched the ball in the opponent's space before their attack hit (14.6.1).
Legal: a block touch is not a team hit, and the blocker may make the first hit after it (14.4).
Poor advice: maximum height is useless if the timing is wrong, and swinging the arms makes the ball fly out off the block (a point to the attackers) and risks net faults. Better: time the jump, press the hands over the net with firm wrists, and angle the outside hand in.

Quick check

A block touch counts as one of the team's three hits.

Remember

Ready at the net, read the setter, move square to the hitter, jump just after the hitter, press the hands over, land on both feet.
Block reach = standing reach + jump; time to rise $t = \sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}}$ .
Faults: touching the ball in the opponent's space before the attack hit, back-row or libero blocking, blocking the serve, ball out off the block, net contact while playing the ball.
A block touch is not a team hit; the blocker may play the ball again.

1The first line of defence

2Technique

3Blocking and the rules (FIVB Rules 11 and 14)

The first line of defence

Technique

Blocking and the rules (FIVB Rules 11 and 14)