Blocking and game play

1Why this matters

With the net only about a metre high, the block is often the first and best defence in sitting volleyball. A well-placed block can win the point outright, and even when it does not, it takes away part of the court and lets the defenders behind it know where the ball is likely to come. And because the serve may be blocked, the block starts to matter from the very first contact of a rally.

2Blocking technique

• Only front-row players may block.
• Shuffle along the net to sit in line with the attacker's hitting shoulder, not the ball.
• Hands up above the net, fingers spread wide and firm, thumbs close together, so the ball cannot pass between your hands.
• Reach over the net at the moment of the hit and press the hands forward and down, so the ball rebounds into the opponents' court.
• Stay seated, and do not touch the net.

A block touch does not count as one of the team's three touches.

3Block and defence together

The area behind the blockers' hands is the shadow of the block: a hard hit rarely lands there. The defenders sit outside the shadow, where the ball can still go.

Figure 2. The blockers take away part of the court (grey shadow); the defenders cover the areas the block leaves open. Diagram: Ganzaa.

• Against an attacker who usually hits cross-court, the blockers line up to take the cross-court shot away, and a defender covers the line.
• Against a weak or slow set, one blocker may be enough, and the others stay back to defend.
• Against the serve, the front row can block a serve that comes low over the net.

4Game play

Good teams combine all their skills in a simple plan: serve to the weakest receiver, block the best attacker, pass the ball to the setter, and attack the gaps. Communication holds it together: the setter calls who gets the set, and defenders call "mine!" for balls between them.

Worked example

The opponents' best attacker, in position 4, always hits cross-court. Your team is about to defend.

Decision. Your two front-row blockers line up on her hitting shoulder, angled to take away the cross-court shot. One defender covers the line behind them; another sits deep for a ball off the block. Her favourite shot is blocked, and her second choice is covered.

5A class game

1. Mark a 10 m by 6 m court with tape or chalk (or a smaller one for beginners), and set a net or rope at about 1 m.
2. Play 3 against 3 or 6 against 6, seated. Beginners may use a lighter, softer ball so that rallies last longer.
3. Play sets to 15, rotating after each serve change so that everyone plays every position.
4. Between sets, the team talks about one thing that worked and one thing to change.

Because everyone sits, a classmate with a leg impairment and a classmate without one play the same game on equal terms.

Practice

Solution. On the hitting shoulder, because that is where the ball is struck from and where its path to your court begins.

Solution. A fault. Only front-row players may block.

Solution. Three: pass, set and hit. The block touch does not count.

Solution. The block protects the area behind it, so hard hits rarely land there. Defenders are more useful where the ball can still go.