The ready position, the forearm pass and receiving

1Why this matters

Volleyball is a popular school sport in Rwanda, and it has an unusual rule: you may not catch the ball. Every contact is a quick hit, so the ball has to be directed from the first touch. The forearm pass (also called the bump or dig) is the first touch in most rallies: it receives the serve and digs up the opponents' attacks. A team that passes well can set and attack; a team that passes badly gives away points.

2The ready position

1. Feet a little wider than your shoulders, one foot slightly ahead of the other.
2. Knees bent, weight forward on the balls of your feet, ready to move in any direction.
3. Back fairly straight, leaning slightly forward from the hips.
4. Arms relaxed and in front of your body, hands apart, at about waist height.
5. Eyes on the ball, from the server's hand onwards.

3The forearm pass, step by step

1. Move your feet first. Get your body behind and in line with the ball, so that you meet it in front of you, between your knees.
2. Make the platform. Lay the fingers of one hand across the fingers of the other and bring your thumbs together side by side, pointing down. Straighten and lock your elbows. The flat surface of your forearms, between the wrists and the elbows, is the platform.
3. Angle the platform towards your target, usually the setter near the net.
4. Contact the ball on the forearms just above the wrists, not on the hands or the fists.
5. Lift with the legs. Straighten your knees slightly towards the target. Do not swing your arms above your shoulders; the ball rebounds off a firm platform.
6. Watch the ball onto your arms, then follow its path.

4Receiving the serve

• Stand in the ready position in your receiving area, a few steps inside the court.
• Read the serve early: watch the server's arm and the ball's flight.
• Call "Mine!" loudly as soon as you decide the ball is yours, so teammates do not collide with you.
• Move your feet to get behind the ball; do not reach sideways with your arms.
• Pass the ball high, about 1 to 2 m above the net, to the setter's position near the net. A high pass gives the setter time.
• A ball that will land clearly outside the court can be left, and the call is "Out!". Remember that a ball touching a line is in.

5Drills

• Self-pass: forearm-pass the ball straight up to yourself as many times as you can without it touching the ground.
• Toss and pass: a partner tosses underarm from 4 m; you pass it back to their hands. After ten, change roles.
• Target passing: pass to a partner standing in a hoop near the net, as a setter would.
• Triangle: three players pass the ball round a triangle, calling "Mine!" before each contact.

Worked example: rating the passes

Coaches rate every serve reception on a 0 to 3 scale: 3 = perfect pass to the setter; 2 = the setter has to move but can still set; 1 = only a high, safe ball can be sent over; 0 = a point lost (the ball hits the floor or cannot be played).

Her one 0 came from a serve she reached for sideways with her arms instead of moving her feet. Her target for next week is an average of 2.2, with no zeros.

Practice

Solution. Feet a little wider than the shoulders, knees bent, weight forward on the balls of the feet, leaning slightly forward, arms relaxed in front, eyes on the ball.

Solution. On the flat part of the forearms, just above the wrists, with the arms straight and joined.

Solution. He is swinging his arms up above his shoulders. He should keep the platform firm and still, and lift gently with his legs towards the target.

Solution. To tell teammates that she will play the ball, so that two players do not collide or both leave it.

Solution. (2 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2) ÷ 5 = 10 ÷ 5 = 2.0.