Volleyball
Sand Volleyball 101
blotchy red forearms from the constant smacking of ball against skin. Instead, keep your hands above your belly button but below your chest. When making contact with the ball, make a small, controlled, shrugging motion. Pro Tip: Here’s a good way to know how high to hold your hands when preparing for a pass: Look up toward the top of the net. Now, move your arms up until you can just see them in the bottom of your field of vision. That’s the proper height for keeping your hands at the ready.
to keep the ball up. “The higher you make the ball, the better,” said Harris, “especially in rec ball.” With six people on a team, if a ball is passed high, one of those other five players will be able to get to it. 6. Point your hips toward the target. If you rush toward a ball with your hips facing off the court, chances are high that the ball is going off the court after you touch it. To be sure you don’t get caught running out of bounds, move laterally— in a step Harris calls a jab-shuffle. Lead with the outside leg, jabbing out to the side, and then shuffle with the other leg to catch up. In just a few strides, you can cover half the distance of the width of the court while keeping your hips squared to the net… which is probably the general direction you want the ball to move after you hit it. 7. Talk. The biggest mistake teams make is failure to communicate. Call that ball. “When you’re passing and moving around the court, talk. Call the ball,” said Harris. “And then give a nice high five.” 8. Beat the ball. If you get there ahead of the ball, you’re good, said Harris. If you get there at the same time, your chances of making a successful pass diminish. If you’re late… then your teammates will be sad. SERVING TECHNIQUE Anyone can serve a ball overhand. “Most adults have more than enough upper body strength to serve—it’s just that they don’t know how,” said Harris. “It’s not about how strong you are, it’s about how fast you strike the ball.” With a good, fast strike, the ball compresses and then bounces off your hand. If you strike slow, the ball won’t compress, will have very little rebound, and won’t go very far.
1. Less is more. Harris explained many people want to start their serve by holding the ball down low, then tossing it high into the air before striking it. “You’re not Serena Williams, and this isn’t tennis,” said Harris. “Utilize a less- is-more strategy. The less movement you have, the more accurate you’ll be with the ball.” Keeping the ball closer and lower will also cut down on the amount of time the wind has to move your ball before you strike. Lift the ball to the higher position, then drive it home quickly. 2. You don’t need to step. While it might feel natural to step through your swing, Harris teaches people to serve without stepping. Instead, keep your weight on your back foot, and then rock your weight forward onto your front foot as you strike the ball. Staying in one place should increase your accuracy. 3. Don’t paint the ball. If you drag your fingers along the ball (like a paintbrush) when you serve, you’ll put backspin on the ball and it will lose power as it heads over the net. Work to make that contact with the ball fast, hard, and direct. “Think of a celebration high five,” said Harris.
3. Watch your stance. Stand in an athletic position with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, and weight on the balls of your feet, not in your heels. Have your hands at the ready about belly-button high, so when the ball comes you’re ready to bring your hands together. 4. Stay on your feet. No one ever won a race on their knees, observed Harris. Although it’s tempting to make a graceful dive into the sand to rescue the ball—once you’re down, there is no hope of getting back up in time to make another play. Instead of diving, run through the ball. 5. Pass high. Sand volleyball uses an eight-foot net, so it’s always safest
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FALL 2018
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