What are some good beach volleyball drills?

I believe the best drills will mimic actual game play while improving your skills and thought processes. A lot of the game is just knowing what to do or not to do in certain situations.

I recommend playing a game and filming it so that you can review all the areas that you need to work on. It is very easy to see what you should be doing when watching from the sidelines but it’s difficult when you are in the game.

A great drill for passing is to have one person serve you while you focus 5 passes on one specific thing such as keeping your eyes on the ball the whole time, then 5 more on moving your feet fast to get where the ball will be with plenty of time to spare and then 5 more focusing on keeping the arms perfectly straight throughout the whole movement. You want to practice this so much that you don’t even have to think of any one of the steps anymore because they occur naturally.

One of the most important drills is hitting and shooting with a blocker present. You need to learn how to read a blocker and hit where they aren’t. This can’t be done by hitting balls as hard as you can without a blocker there. You have to have a block up during practice.

Author: Bruce Bentley

Click here for more Beach Volleyball Drills at http://howtoplaybeachvolleyball.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruce_Bentley

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What do you need to do to improve your hitting?

How do you get past the level of playing “jungle ball” and all the lack of control that implies and become a good, ACCURATE player??  I’m glad you asked, but I think you already knew the answer, practice, practice, practice.  Yes more drills.  Now I hear the groaning, but don’t despair. If you have seen “The Karate Kid” and remember “wax on, wax off” you know how much this will improve your game.  You may not beat up any bullies, but getting in that game winning shot is just as rewarding.

Before beginning any drills make sure to do some warming up and stretching.  You also want to finish with a cool down and stretching, your muscles will be extremely grateful the next day.  Drills tend to be pretty specific to the skill you are trying to improve. One key thing to focus on is getting full extension.  The fuller you extend yourself the stronger your shots and the further your range of motion.  One extra inch of extension from your arm being straight rather than slightly bent can make that shot a winner. 

The “reach and snap” drill is great for two reasons; it works on your accuracy and positioning with your coach observing you, and you are lined up so that you can see other players and what they are doing correctly or incorrectly and learn from them as well.  You line up towards the back of the court with your side facing the net.  The ball is then tossed in the air, you jump and “reach” and then with a wrist “snap” you hit the ball over the net.  You are trying to get as much reach or extension as possible and also put some spin on the ball.  The observing in this drill is just as important as the doing.  Keep your eyes on the ball, even when you aren’t up, you’ll see the difference that just a little elbow bending can make in making your shots less effective.

After you work on getting your form right so you have that control, you want to get your placement down.  The goal here is to put the ball anywhere the opposing team has no one in position, or to hit the ball towards the weakest player.  That may sound mean, but that’s the Darwinism of volleyball.  In a “four corner” drill you are practicing placing you shots in all four corners of the court.  Your coach or partner will toss up a ball to you, set-style, and you need to practice the movements that will alter the ball placement.  As you practice you will see that many times just a small upper body rotation is all that you will need to add.  When you start getting better you can learn to alter your body position so it is more difficult for the opposing team to read where you will be sending the ball, this is good to learn.

So now you are gaining some skills, and it’s time to add in a drill that incorporates everything you have been learning.   The “running transition” drill does just this. You begin at the net, run to the back line, hit a shot, run forward to half court, hit another shot, run to the net, and hit another shot.  This mimics more accurately what you could be moving like in a game.  It helps you work on hitting, of course, but also, your footwork, your timing and your positioning; and turns you into a more well-rounded player.  Drills seem redundant at first, but the best athletes continue to do them, Tiger does, and if it works for him….

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www.volleyballbeginnerdrills.com

Technorati Tags: improve volleyball hitting, volleyball drills, volleyball hitting drills, Volleyball spike

To play great defense you need the ability to read the
opponents attack and position yourself ready to dig or move
to play the ball.

Good defensive positioning heavily depends on the placement
of the set ball and the formation of the team block.

Here are 5 volleyball tips for making great defensive plays.

1. Watch Placement of the Set Ball

If the volleyball is set tight to the net, the defender
needs to be ready to play a ball that can be hit at a
downward angle into the court. The defender should also
watch the path of the ball to make sure the ball isn’t
coming over the net. The worst thing that could happen is to
have the volleyball fall to the ground onto your team’s side
of the court with nobody making a play on it.

2. Watch the Volleyball Hitter Approach

The defender should be aware of the direction the hitter is
approaching, the direction the hitter’s shoulders are
squared up, the hitter’s armswing, and where the hitter
contacts the ball. All these are factors influence where the
ball will be hit.

During the approach, notice the direction the hitter’s
shoulders are facing. If the hitter is swinging, it is
likely they will hit the ball the direction they are facing.
Notice if the hitter is forced to speed up their approach or
take steps sideways due to a low or poor set. By noticing
these details of the hitter approach you are more likely to
anticipate where the ball will be hit.

3. Watch the Volleyball Hitter Armswing

Watch the hitter armswing and be ready not only for a hard
hit, but also an off-speed hit, roll shot, cut shot, or tip.
Often, if the set is too high the hitter will adjust their
approach. If the hitter adjusts their approach watch the
angle of the armswing. Often on high sets the hitter will
contact the ball back behind the head. If the contact is
made back behind the head be ready for a deep volleyball
hit. If the contact isn’t solid, be ready for a short shot.

If the set is too low the hitter will often speed up their
approach and make contact with the ball out in front of the
body. Hitting the volleyball out in front of the body will
likely make the ball be hit more at a downward angle into
the court.

If the volleyball is set off the net, the defender should be
ready to move to play a much easier off-speed shot or tip.

4. Understand Your Volleyball Team Blocking Strategy

Before playing defense, you must communicate with your
blockers and devise a defensive strategy. Obviously,
whatever space your blockers don’t take away with their
block, the defensive players on the court need to cover.

A basic blocking strategy is to have the blockers take away
the line and angle hit while the baseline defender covers
the middle baseline area. This is called playing base
defense. A more advanced defensive strategy involves the
baseline defender to rotate over to cover the hit down deep
line. This is called rotation defense. Rotation defense is
used primarily when the opponent has a really good line shot
that can’t be defended by blockers.

Often holes appear in the block that can’t be closed. As a
defender, help defend this area by lining up around the
block. It is likely your team defensive strategy will change
throughout a match as you discover the best way to defend
your opponent.

5. Be Ready to Defend the Volleyball Tip

Defenders should train to read hitters. Reading the hitter
is especially important for covering tipped balls. A hitter
may tip for many reasons. Usually a tip is done on a poorly
set ball. If the ball is hard for the hitter to get to, the
hitter may decide to tip the ball because tipping is a much
easier way to control the ball. For this reason, defenders
need to be ready to play tips on poorly set balls. Also, if
a hitter hasn’t been hitting well they may decide to try the
tip shot. If a hitter doesn’t take a full approach to hit,
this is usually a dead give away that a tip is coming.
Understanding these game situations allows you to be more
prepared and ready to anticipate your opponent to make great
volleyball defensive plays.

Author: Dennis Jackson

Dennis Jackson is a volleyball player, coach, and referee that provides expert advice on all aspects of volleyball training. For more tips on defense along with strength and conditioning, designing drills, executing skills, and rule interpretations visit: http://www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennis_Jackson

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Technorati Tags: how to defend correctly volleyball, reading volleyball hitter, volleyball defence, volleyball defence drills

The general rule for a good team wounding in volley ball is that they have the capacity to play in team. This will enable them to communicate the plays with one the other in order to keep it exactly where they want it. The beginning of each good wounding play will start with a layer. From here, the other members will want to play the ball. It is not necessary to obtain the ball above the net immediately, but to move in the place the ball around a side of the court in order to find a space of the other team. When you install your offence, you will want to make sure that the doesn T’of team struck the ball too aggressively. They should be able to strike the ball with their palm or fingers in order to upwards keep it without obtaining it more.

If you install a wounding line, you can employ several strategies to obtain all in place. One of the techniques which are often employed is known as overlappings. This makes it possible to players to leave rotation while they play a game of volley ball. This will make it possible to the wounding players to remain in the foreground and to install various plays for the play. By doing this, you will have the capacity to install the various sets which can help to obtain the ball above the net and on the ground.

When you work with offence, you will want to make sure that they can employ techniques of team in order to succeed. By showing various lines, you can make sure that they can place the ball and find the space on other side of the court for the victory. When you play the ball offensively it will give you a new strategy to take the volley ball to where it belongs

Even when the isn T’on your side of the court, it of ball is important to be ready for him to arrive there. To strike behind exactly at the good time is an important defensive rule for any match of volleyball. There are several techniques which can be employed for the part of the defense of volley ball; all what will help to prevent the team from missing the blow.

The first thing which will have to be made as a defensive team is to be ready for the service. The best manner of doing this is to ensure itself than each one is placed in order to block the ball to fall. Are in a position where knees are slightly folded and the legs loan to move any direction is a good beginning. Generally, you will want to make sure that the line of face and the back line cover a range of space and can strike the ball. Often times, coaches will slightly have the line of face back of stage and have the line does not postpone ahead in order to cover the space which is necessary. 

After each one is placed in good positions, they will have to be ready to attack the ball when it obtains at their side. This will start while being ready for the attack. It is the best to obtain the ball when it is exact below your chin. This will facilitate it to strike, and you will be able to make thus with more power. You will want to also obtain under the ball in order to keep it in addition to ground and to go towards the other side of the court.

From here, the part of defensive play most important must block the ball. Each player should act as the ball comes towards them, and should be ready to stop it of a fall where they see it. A part of blocking can have to make sure that if a block is missed, somebody of other seizes the ball. Other players should be ready to block the ball by the net, just if it would come too much close striking the net and falling.

While being prepared and by paying the attention the service, a play can easily take the turn of a defensive line with wounding. If your team is ready to receive a ball on other side, you will want to make sure that they are also ready to defend their territory. While doing this, they will be able to place the ball as they want it and obtain part from where they put’T want the ball.

By: Janice Sherwood

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For tips on the rules of volleyball and volleyball drills, visit the Volleyball Rules website.

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The volleyball drill is supposed to do several things. First, it should train the players to develop a set of skills that they can not get without repetition and continuous training. Second, it should teach your team to play well together making them unstoppable. Thirdly, it should help to develop muscle tone and strength in the necessary areas. And, the volleyball drill is also necessary to teach players how to react during a game in certain situations. But, why is it then that players hate to do the volleyball drill?

One reason for this is the repetition. No one likes to do the same thing over and over again. But, it could be that they do not understand what they are trying to learn from the volleyball drill either. In this case, provide them with the knowledge they need and they will improve faster during the volleyball drill.

There are several types of volleyball drills that need to be considered for every level of player.

* Attacking is one volleyball drill every player needs to have. In this case, some volleyball drills that could be done include approach and attack, drills that will teach middles to follow ball and beat ball to setter, cover self, defense to hitting transition as well as others.

* A key element that should be taught through a volleyball drill or two is control. There are many types of drills here including 2 X 2 tip drill, 4 X 2 Pepper as well as cross court pepper and a number of others all to teach ball control through volleyball drills.

* Defense volleyball drills are crucial to the successful game. From teaching aggressiveness, to practice digging balls to the responsibilities of players, these volleyball drills are necessary.

* Other important skills that your volleyball team needs to learn through the volleyball drill includes blocking, passing, serving and setting.

Probably the most important of all volleyball drill options is the team drill. All teams need to learn to work together, not to work individually, at making the team a success. Only then can a volleyball drill be effective at teaching students how to win. Both players and coaches can find awesome drills to use to teach these techniques online.

About The Author

Bryan Watson has enjoyed over 35 years of fresh air leisure pursuits, and has a passion to help as many people enjoy the great outdoors life to the fullest. He therefore has built a site dedicated to providing as much practical and helpful advice to help other people do the same. http://www.outdoors-life.com/index.asp?action=page&name=9&subname=18.

This article was posted on January 26, 2006

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Volleyball Beginner Drills: The Best Basic Volleyball Drills for …

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Partner Lane Slides: This drill is effective because it closely mimics actual sport moves. Watching the video you can envision defending an opponent in basketball, soccer, or volleyball. Easy set-up and the ability to perform it almost anywhere puts this drill on our top three:

4-Corner Agility Drill: This is another one-on-one drill, but now the athletes can move in multiple directions. We try to time the work to rest ratio to match the sport the best we can. Example: most football plays last 6 seconds with a 30 second rest between plays, or a 1:5 work to rest ratio. This increases the carryover to the sport that coaches and players love. The drill only involves 6 cones and we like to set up a few stations if a large number of athletes need reps.

Mat Drills: This can be timed in a specific ratio as stated above, or as a conditioning tool by going longer. Florida State, Georgia and many other top programs use this regularly in the off-season group training as a way to enhance toughness, conditioning, competition, team cohesion, and of course…reactive agility.

1.J Sci Med Sport. 2006 Aug;9(4):342-9. Epub 2006 Jul 17

Josh and Tyler Fagan have dedicated most of their lives to helping young athletes improve their game through sound strength and conditioning training progression principles. Check out the site at www.ImprovingAthletes.com and sign up for their free newsletter.

By: Josh Fagan MS, CSCS

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Videos can also be seen at: www.Improvingathletes.com

Technorati Tags: Volleyball agility drills, volleyball coaching

The volleyball serve is the first form of attack. It’s the first attempt you have to make a direct point against the opposite team. By breaking up the serving volleyball skill by body part you will learn how to effectively put the opposite team in difficulty.

You will learn quickly that what you do with your feet and lower body determines how well you will perform all volleyball fundamentals. That’s why alot of my advice and tips focus on the correct positioning of your feet and lower body.

Feet In order to begin the serve we first start with your feet positioning. Right handers place your right foot behind your left foot so your Right foot is perpendicular to your Left. Your left foot should be pointed Exactly in the direction of where you want to serve. If you want to serve down the line then your Left foot ,hips and upper body should be pointed straight ahead. When serving cross court your left foot , hips and upper body should be turned and facing cross court. All your body weight should be on your back (right foot. The only lower body movement needed when you serve will be a shift in weight from your back (Right) foot to the front (Left) foot. Upper Body – Left Arm Extend your Left arm straight out in front of your palm facing up. Place ball in the palm of this hand.

Toss – The toss is one of the most important elements of the serve. Make sure the starting position for your Left arm is straight out in front of you – not down by your waist. With a straight Left arm Toss the ball no more than 2 feet in the air. For practice, while learning, let the ball fall to the ground. A correctly tossed ball will land about 10-12 inches – Every Time. Your toss should be the same EVERY TIME. Two feet up in the air and 10 inches in front of your LEFT foot. If you Toss to the left or right of your front foot

1. you will be forced off balance.

2. you will be forced to chase your toss – which will force you Not to serve in the direction you want to. Believe it or not the TOSS is where many serving errors start. RIGHT ARM Right arm is fully extended with fingertips and palm facing downward lightly covering the top of the ball. After the toss – you step forward shifting your body weight from back foot to front foot to meet the ball. At this moment you begin your arm swing. Start your RIGHT arm swing by pulling your arm straight back – palm facing outward – keep elbow high your elbow should pass Over the level of your ear – in slow motion you should be able to turn your head slightly to look underneath your elbow as you pull your arm back – use the same movement you would use to pull a bow and arrow. Once you’ve pulled the arrow (your elbow) as far back as it will go, keeping the elbow as high as possible -raise the forearm above your head – palm facing the sky – bring arm forward to make contact with the ball. Contact should be made squarely in the center of the ball with the flat upper palm portion of your hand.

Establish a Serving Rhythm

1. Assume the Start Position with your feet in the "2 o’clock" position – your weight on the back foot, prepare to toss with the Left hand.

2. Take a step shifting your weight from your back (Right) foot to the front (Left) foot towards the ball.

HIPS 1. Start arm swing (just like pulling the bow of an arrow) as you step forward (shift weight) to go contact the tossed ball.

2. Contact the ball squarely in the middle of it – with the upper part of the palm of your hand. Don’t "Shot Put" Your Serve. Shot putting occurs when your elbow is too low during your arm swing. When your elbow is low the server is forced to try and lift the ball over the net just by using the force of an open palm which doesn’t produce enough force or momentum to get the ball over the net. Don’t Disguise Your Serve Let everyone in the gym know where you are going to serve – especially whoever you are serving to. This often puts pressure on the passer. With practice and repetition you will be able to serve tough enough so that your target will have difficulty passing your serve.

Also, when you try to show that you are serving in one direction then serve in another direction- it usually forces you to add more movement than necessary in your serving technique. When this happens more often than not you will

1. miss the timing of your toss, or

2. Contact the ball on its side or

3. Be forced off balance which all contribute to a possible missed serve.

So Remember you want to …

0. Face your target

1. Aim

2. Toss

3. Shift your weight

4. Step to the Toss

5. Contact the ball squarely

6. Serve Tough.

7. Become a Fabulous Serving Sensation!

April Chapple is a former USA National Womens Volleyball Team member and Volleyball Professional who created the first virtual volleyball mentoring community with volleyball skills coaching and information sites where females learn how to play better volleyball.

By April Chapple Published: 8/27/2007

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MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Serving errors lead to Cardinals’ downfall – SPORTS

The Ball State University men’s volleyball team did not start off the way coach Joel Walton wanted it to in serving, which led to the team being swept by George Mason University. 

Put the Punch in Your Volleyball Top Spin Serve

How do you put that maximum impact into your volleyball serve? Everyone has a style that works for them, and it’s going to be up to you to discover ways to influence your preferred style 

Technorati Tags: volleyball drills, volleyball serve, volleyball serving

Girls Volleyball 5 Reasons Why You Have a Wimpy Serve

Regardless of how much playing experience you have or how tall or short you are, if you can serve tough then you are guaranteed more playing time on the volleyball court.

Professional volleyball players will tell you that serving is the volleyball game’s "equalizer", because from start to finish they know that you and only you control every aspect and especially the outcome of the serve. It doesn’t matter how tall, how wide or how short you are, if you develop a tough serve that makes points consistently, I guarantee you will regularly see court time.

1. Mentally decide to attack with your serve.

Many volleyball players with serves that are inconsistent or ineffective need to first change their mind set about serving. For elite athletes serving isn’t about getting the ball over the net so the other team can start the play. On the contrary, "the play" STARTS with the serve meaning the serve is used as the first "attack" you make against the opposing team. So learn to "attack" with your serve. This is a mental process first. Decide to be aggressive with your serve. Create a mental picture of yourself serving tough and making an ace in your mind. Then in practice, practice making high velocity tough attack serves, not wimpy ones.

2. Keep your elbow high just like when you spike the ball.

When volleyball players complain about serving into the net one of the first things I watch is how high their elbow is. Whether you use a bow and arrow armswing or a simulation spike to serve…(that’s what I call it) if you drop your elbow when you serve, your ball will rarely clear the net. Your elbow needs to be high …always above the level of your ear. Then you need to speed up your armwsing and reach.

3. Low toss or inconsistent toss.

This is the second place I look to check for wimpy volleyball serves. If your toss is low then that means you have to go chase your ball off balanced. Because the toss is low, in order to recover and make something happen you usually lean forward…which drops your elbow which means you contact the ball below the level of net and so on …the ball won’t clear the net. Or, if one time you toss the volleyball to the right of your front foot, then another time two feet over to the left you will never create a system for yourself so you can consistently serve tough.

Create a "ritual" where you toss the same way every time you serve. I point my foot exactly in the direction of where I’m going to serve, then with an open-palmed left hand I toss the ball two feet above my head and one foot in front of my front foot. How do I know these measurements? Because at home or by myself I practiced my toss…just my toss for hundreds of repetitions. Two feet up ,one foot in front. Let the ball drop without swinging at it to make sure it lands in front of the toe of your front foot. Why? This keeps your body balanced so all you have to do is transfer the weight from your back foot to your front foot, quicken your armswing and make solid contact with the ball.

4. Not facing your target.

Some volleyball players think its really sneaky to try and fake out the opposing serve receivers by not showing where they are going to serve. On the contrary I say…let everybody know where you are going to serve. Face Your target! I’m talking about the floater serve, here. Place everything that you have, your feet, hips, shoulders and tossed ball in the direction of where you plan to serve. Face that player or that space on the court and just let it go! If ALL your energy is going in one direction you can create more force than if different parts of your body are going in different directions. If everything is all lined up in one direction and balanced then you can focus on one last element…

5. Ball contact.

If you don’t make solid contact right in the middle of the volleyball panels facing you then you probably won’t get that tough floater serve you are looking for. Contact on the sides gives the ball side spin and contacting the ball too low gives a back spin which is usually pretty easy for the opposing team to pass. In practice watching where you contact the ball helps you improve your ball contact when you serve.

April Chapple is a former USA National Womens Volleyball Team member and Volleyball Professional who created the first virtual volleyball mentoring community with volleyball skills coaching and information sites where females learn how to play better volleyball.

By April Chapple Published: 8/27/2007

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Beach Volleyball Serve on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Beach Volleyball Serve by sgmerle. AVP Tour: Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player.

Top 5 little secrets to help your serve receive game « Silver …

Once the server takes the volleyball in their hands and positions themselves to indicate where and how they are going to serve, it’s at this point most elite athletes focus 125% on the ball in the server’s hands. 

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Technorati Tags: 5 mistake of poor volleyball serve, mistakes for volleyball serve, volleyball serve

Increasing your vertical leap is not that hard as long as you have a solid program to follow. Find out what the best vertical jump exercises are.

For basketball player and volleyball players, having a strong vertical leap is essential for increasing your level of play. Whether you are going up for a rebound in basketball or hitting a spike in volleyball, a high vertical leap makes it much easier.

The following list details the best exercises for helping an athlete increase their vertical jump.

1. Toe Raises – This exercise helps build the strength in the calf muscles. Toe raises can be performed with or without weight. A toe raise machine can be used if you are doing this exercise in a gym and if you are doing them at home you can use a thick piece of wood or a stair. Start with your heels hanging over the edge and then rise up onto your tip toes. Then lower back down and repeat.

2. Step Ups – This vertical jump exercise helps to build up the quad muscles which are essential in jumping. For this exercise a chair or a bench can be used. Start with one foot on the bench and simply step up onto the bench. Then step back down and repeat with the opposite leg. The exercise can be done with or without weight.

3. Squats – Squats are one of the best exercises for increasing overall leg strength. A squat rack can be used at the gym or you can perform your squats without weight. Start in an athletic stance and start to bend at the knees like you were going to sit down onto a chair. Continue to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Then rise back to a standing position. Make sure to keep your back straight and look forward while performing the squat. Squats are often performed with improper form and you should make sure to work with a trainer when doing them for the first time. This will ensure that you learn proper form and do not injury yourself.

If you are looking to increase your vertical jump, performing these three exercises is essential. Make sure to measure your vertical jump height before starting any program so you have a base measure to gage your results from. This will allow you to see what is working to help increase your vertical jump and what is not.

For more information on increasing your vertical jump and a full listing of the best vertical jump exercises browse over to our listing of the best vertical jump programs and start on your own vertical leap training today.

By Kurt Howard Published: 1/22/2007

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Technorati Tags: drill to increase jump, increasing your vertical jump, volleyball veritcal jump