Outside hitting help!!

Question
Dear Coach Juan,

Hi, my name is Rachel from Chicago I'm 13 years old and 5'7. I recently just started playing volleyball about 2 months ago and really enjoy it a lot. I was an all-star cheerleader for 7 years and because of my EXTREME athletic ability I decided to give volleyball a try. I've been going to volleyball camps and clinics here in Chicago 4 days a week and i practice with my dad 2 times a week. I'm really dedicated and a hard worker. Okay, so I'm learning the game quite well and local club coaches are taking a lot of notice. But here's the major problem, every time I take my approach to outside hit I ALWAYS end up right under the ball causing me not to get a good bend of the elbow or arm swing and my arm is COMPLETELY straight in the air, it also causes me to spread my legs (like a toe touch) in the air and I loose about 2 inches on my vertical, I already jump extremely high but still I'm losing height!! My father calls me "the bat" (Lol) because my arm is straight the whole time in the air because I'm RIGHT UNDER THE BALL and there is no other way for me to hit it!! Some coaches have told me to jump sooner, take shorter steps, or wait longer to help me get the ball in front of me instead of me being directly under the ball. They usually say to other players "Get your feet to the ball!" but in my case I'm getting there to fast! Getting the ball in front of me would solve all my problems and make me a happy camper :)))) Lol. I need to know a solution to this problem before club tryouts October 1!! I hope I was clear enough for you to help me :). Thank you soooo much for your time and help and I EXTREMELY appreciate it.

         - Up and coming volleyball player,
         Rachel

Answer
Hello Rachel and welcome to www.AllExperts.com

My name is Coach Tovar

To make sure that all my readers young and old can understand some of my comments, I have chosen to use simple vocabulary words and interpret the rule for this sole purpose.

Well Rachel this is a question that I have already answered before but I will give you a little bit more information.

The main reason players have trouble with their timing is that they don't have a consistent approach. If the approach is slightly different every time, then the timing will also be off.

Here are some of my pointers on becoming a great and consistent hitter.
1. The less number of steps in your approach, the better.
2. Start your approach about 1 to 2 feet behind the 10 foot line.
3. Don't jump straight up, use you approach as momentum to push yourself up in the air.
4. Always hit the ball at it's highest point.
5. Your body should be facing the setter as you jump and turn into the net as you hit.
6. At home, hit a branch or object that is 1 foot higher than your net. Change the height as you get better.
7. Point your arm at the ball just before you spike it.
8. Curl your fingers and palm into a "C" formation when hitting.
9. If possible, throw the volleyball up into the air and practice hitting the ball after it bounces as it is going up.
10. If possible, throw the ball over the net with your approach just like a normal spike.
11. Practice aiming at the ball and taking your eyes off the ball as you hit it so that you can see whether the blockers are looking down or not.
12. Once you perfect your approach, your timing then comes into play.

I will help you more with this part of your problem so we will concentrate more on numbers 6, 9 and 10 above.

Your starting stance should be balanced enough in that you should be able to go forward or backward at any moment.

I would have my players in a balanced stance. When I yelled back they should be able to get the ball behind them. The same happened when I yelled forward. Later I just threw the ball either short, high, or in back of them. If the player had a balanced stance then they would always be ready to go. This is very important so that you can have total control of your approach. Patience is very important.

Number 6 - find a branch at a certain height and mark three areas with a ribbon or any three clothes objects. Have them as 1,2, and 3. Make a starting point or line. In your mind call out ribbon two. Look up and swing at ribbon two which should be further than ribbon one. Do this over and over using all three ribbons one at a time. This will help you keep the ball in front of you. You can also use 3 balloons on a string or three rolled up socks each on a string.

Number 9 - If possible, throw the volleyball up into the air and practice hitting the ball after it bounces as it is going up.

If you have a partner - get close to a wall about 15 feet away. Get on one knee, if you are right handed then get on your left knee, you can also try either knee which ever feels more comfortable. Have your friend throw the ball in front of you and hit the ball in front of you. If the ball is on top of you then don't hit it. Do this about 10 times in a row X 3.

Number 10 - If possible, throw the ball over the net with your approach just like in a normal spike. Try to land the ball as close to the ten feet line as you can. You can also have someone practice quick sets with you where you jump from the back row and hit a quit or 2 ball(meter ball).

Extra help. Try throwing the ball up as high as you can with both hands. As the ball is coming down place your elbows next to the sides of your stomach and try to catch the ball without disconnecting the elbows from your stomach. Later do the same but then take a swing once you have positioned yourself behind the ball with a balanced stance.

I hope this answers your question.

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