Every sport has a set of basic skills associated with it and the same is the case with volleyball. Contrary to the popular belief, there are much more skills than the setting, bumping, and spiking when it comes to mastering volleyball. In truth, volleyball is a sport of power, agility, speed, balance, and quick reflective actions. It is the volleyball spiking equipment that helps the player improve a mix of all these abilities so that he or she can achieve that crisp bump, perfect set, and game-winning spike. This article tells about the basic skills that a volleyball player must have to master the sport.
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Bumping or Forearm Passing
One of the most basic skills in volleyball is forearm passing which is also referred to as bumping. This is when a player contacts the volleyball using their forearms and tries to redirect the ball to one of their teammates. But a player is not just supposed to stand still and wait for the ball, rather he or she is required to move to meet the ball. When the ball arrives, a player shouldn’t just swing his arms at the ball but also aim the pass by the point of the hands and shoulders in the direction where he wants the ball to go.
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Volleying
Many beginners think of volleying and setting as the same things, but actually, these two are two different things. A volley is a generic term that implies contacting the volleyball with the hands (mostly fingers) as an overhead pass. A volley can be used by the player on his own side of the court or it can also be used as an offensive way of getting the volleyball back over the net. When a player tries to volley, he is supposed to put his hands up over his head, with the index fingers almost touching the forehead and thumbs and the index fingers should be shaped into almost a diamond.
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Setting
The setting is a specialized type of volleying. It is basically the second hit and it is intended to set up anyone teammate to attack the volleyball. In simple words, it can be said that setting is basically volleying the ball in such a way that the attacker could hit the ball over the net. Getting the volleyball on the target is the most vital factor when a player set the ball.
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Spiking
Spiking is considered the most well-known type of attack when it comes to playing volleyball. Hitting or spiking is when the volleyball player jumps up and hits the ball using a one-armed overhead swinging motion and also contacting the ball squarely with a slightly opened hand. The intent of a hit is pure power and it is the jumping that helps a player generate more power and momentum. A beginner to refine his spiking and jumping must consider practicing using volleyball spiking equipment. When hitting the ball, players can either use their fingertips or knuckles.
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Diving
Diving is basically crashing to the floor in an all-out attempt to prevent the volleyball from touching the floor. When a player dives for the volleyball, he should remember to contact the ball before hitting the floor. The diving technique is simply a way a player can use to land on the floor that reduces the amount of impact on his body.
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Serving
Every play in the volleyball is started by serving the ball. Serving is the only time in the entire game when a player starts with having full control of the volleyball. A player can either serve using over or underhand. On one hand, an underhand serve is oftentimes considered a beginner or recreational type of serve. On the other hand, the overhand serve is considered a professional type of serve. Other than these two, there are many different techniques and strategies a player can use to serve the volleyball.
Conclusion
Now that one is aware of the skills required to master volleyball, the question here is how to improve the listed skills. It is when volleyball spiking equipment comes into the picture. This particular equipment acts as an incredible training assistant that reduces training downtime and improves overall conditioning. Using this equipment a player can improve spiking, jumping, and arm swing.