Volleyball Techniques
Senior 4 · Physical Education
Volleyball Techniques
Lesson 2 of 3
25 min
Volleyball is played wherever there is flat ground: in school yards, on Lake Kivu's beaches, on sandbanks by the Nyabarongo. Wherever it is played, the rally follows the same pattern: pass, set, hit. The first contact, the reception of the serve or the dig of an attack, decides what follows. A pass that reaches the setter lets the team choose its attack; a poor pass leaves only a weak "free ball" over the net. In Senior 1 you learned the ready position, the forearm pass and the overhead pass. This lesson refines both passes, uses geometry to aim the platform, and shows how coaches measure passing.
Definition
Reception: the receiving team's first contact with the serve. Dig: the first contact with an opponent's attack.
Forearm pass (bump): a pass played off the forearms, held together as a flat platform. Overhead pass (volley): a pass played with the pads of the fingers of both hands above the forehead; when it sets up an attack it is called a set.
Three-hit rule: a team may touch the ball at most three times before returning it (a block touch does not count); a player may not hit it twice in a row.
Pass rating: a coach's score for each reception, often 3 (perfect, the setter does not move), 2 (the setter must move), 1 (only a weak return is possible) and 0 (error or ace).
| Phase | Key points |
|---|---|
| Ready | Feet a little wider than the shoulders, knees bent, weight forward on the balls of the feet, arms relaxed in front |
| Move | Read the server's arm and the ball's flight early; shuffle so that the ball arrives in front of your body, between your knees |
| Platform | One hand in the other, thumbs together and pointing down; elbows straight; forearms flat and level |
| Contact | On the forearms, above the wrists; angle the platform towards the target; for a hard serve, no arm swing, let the ball rebound; for a slow ball, add a small push from the legs |
| Finish | Hold the platform pointing at the target for a moment; then move to cover the attack |
Get under the ball early, facing the target. Hands above the forehead, thumbs and index fingers forming a triangle-shaped "window" through which you watch the ball. Contact with the pads of the fingers and thumbs, elbows out, and extend the legs and arms together towards the target, finishing with the arms straight. The overhead pass is more accurate than the forearm pass, so setters use it, and receivers use it for high, slow balls.
In a simple model, the ball leaves the platform like light from a mirror: the angle between the incoming ball and the line the platform faces equals the angle between that line and the outgoing ball. So the platform must face along the line that bisects the directions to where the ball came from and to where it should go:
Worked example
Worked example 1: angling the platform. Measure angles from straight ahead (towards the net), left negative and right positive. The serve comes from ; the setter is at .
Face the platform 5° to the left, so that both the serve and the target are 25° from it, as in the diagram. Notice that the platform does not point at the setter: a beginner who simply turns towards the setter sends the ball too far right. The model ignores spin and the ball's speed, but coaches teach the same rule: "angle the platform; do not swing the arms".
Worked example
Worked example 2: who should receive? In practice, Uwase's ten receptions are rated 3, 2, 3, 1, 0, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1; Mutesi's are 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2.
Both average 2.0. Mutesi is more consistent and never gives away an ace; Uwase gives more perfect passes but more poor ones. Against strong servers a coach may prefer Mutesi's reliability; against weak servers, Uwase's perfect passes give the setter more options. Averages alone hide this difference.
Video: "USAV Skill Video Forearm Passing", USA Volleyball. Watch the ready position, the early footwork and how the platform is angled rather than swung.
Tip
"Feet first, then the platform." Most bad passes are footwork errors. Move to the ball so it arrives in front of you, then just angle the platform.
Warning
Common mistakes. Swinging the arms at a hard serve. Bent elbows or hands apart (the ball flies off one arm). Contacting the ball on the hands or wrists. Standing upright with straight legs. In the overhead pass, slapping the ball with flat palms (a catch or a double contact).
Practice
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
How should the hands and arms be held for a forearm pass?
