Four Blocking in Volleyball Tips To Improve Your Defensive Skills Fast

An important blocking in volleyball tip is to watch the hitter you are going to block in order to pick up important clues that'll help you block the hitter.

Four Volleyball Blocking Tips: What Cues Do You Follow To Successfully Stop An Attack Hit While Blocking (Ralph Arvesen)

When blocking in a game do you watch the ball or do you watch the hitter?

Learn which options to choose and why. 

Varsity high school middle watches the hitter while blocking in volleyball game. (Ralph Arvesen)

Regardless of the types of blocking in volleyball that you do its always important to watch the hitter or hitters that you are going to block in order to pick up important clues that will help you stop the attack at the net.

Ball - Setter - Ball - Hitter

Ball - Setter - Ball - Hitter is the pattern of movement your eyes as you are blocking in the front row (also the back row defense but we will get back to that later) should follow when in the front row, after your team's server has served the ball over the net. 

Your job as a blocker is to stop that ball at the net. Oklahoma Sooners put up a double block in this Ralph Arvesen photo (Ralph Arvesen photo)

These are the places you should be looking at, in other words where your eyes should be looking...to get clues as to who and where the opposing team now on offense intends to do with the ball (give the ball to), for their third contact... an attack hit that will send the ball back into your court. 

Your job as a blocker is to stop that ball at the net. 

These tips about blocking in volleyball will show you how. 

The Ball

Once your server serves the ball over the net to start the rally, you first want to track with your eyes the BALL that's being passed.

• Why? 
• What are you looking for? 
• What are you trying to quickly evaluate about the pass? 
• What information do you need to quickly get that will help you make a good volleyball block action?

If its a perfect pass that goes right to the setter then you know the setter doesn't have to move off the net to go chase a bad pass. 

Okay so as a blocker that will tell you right away the setter is in a position to use ALL of her possible hitters to run an offense. 

If three hitters are in the front row then she has three players she can set to. 

If there are two hitters in the front row then she can easily set those two hitters or try to dump or attack the ball herself. 

Florida Gator setter dump attempt while blocker watches ready to jump. (Matt Pendleton photo)

If the pass was a bad pass that forces the setter to move off the net and chase the ball down...now as a blocker you say to yourself "Self, the setter is in trouble and can't make a perfect set to all of her possible front row hitters!

Because of where and how she is chasing the ball down, WHO is the most likely hitter or hitters can she set or give the ball to..in this situation?"

"By the way, good job, Self!"

Blocking in Volleyball: Before The Block "B-S-B-H": Illinois Players Watching the Setter For Clues, Who's She Going To Set? Photo by Richard Yuan

The Setter

Once you've quickly made a determination on the pass, now your eyes go to the Setter.

If it was a perfect pass, now you watch the setter's body language and/or hand position. 

Some setters will show with their setting body position, that they intend to make a back set because they arch their back alot when then do, but when making a front set or a set to the middle, they don't.  

Some setters show when they intend to back set because they arch their back when then do, but when making a front set or a set to the middle, they don't. (Ralph Arvesen)

These are the types of skill cues and clues while blocking in volleyball that you are trying to read and interpret in order to improve your defensive skills! 

If it was a bad pass you do the same thing.

But because you've identified that the setter is in trouble and can't easily deliver a perfect set to all her possible hitters, you look to pick up clues from her body language. 

Blocking in Volleyball: Volleyball Players Watching The Hitter While They Block Photo by Michael E. Johnston

Is she running off the court or to her back court with her back to her hitters?

If that's the case, she will probably not even be able to set the ball with her hands but will bump it up in the air. 

The Ball

Once we've glanced or watched the setter to get some information about what she is about to do, now we watch the ball she just touched. 

• Where's the set going? 
• Is it a high ball or a faster set like a "Hut" or a "Go"?
• Is the ball going to the hitter in front of me or to the middle or to the other hitter in front of my teammate on the other side of my middle blocker?

Blocking in Volleyball: Professional Players Volleyball block: (Jaroslaw Popczyk photo) during CEV Champions League

The Hitter

By quickly determining where the ball is going you can then determine where you need to move and the type of blocking you need to do next.  

Once you see that

• your  hitter, the hitter in front of you is getting the ball and 
• you quickly note what type of set they are going to get--by looking at the type of ball the opposing setter has set to your hitter
• you now want your eyes to focus on your hitter

Now hopefully from these volleyball block tips you've found out a sure way to increase the number of blocks you can successfully perform in a match.

Thanks for visiting. Be sure to check out more of my volleyball passing articles by clicking one of the links below! (April Chapple)

Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball serving drills we do in class with my followers.

Many of these volleyball practice drills you can do at home by yourself or try at your next practice with your teammates.

If you're a B team or JV player trying to make varsity next year...your goal should be to complete 1000 reps a day of at least three of the basic skills on your own...volleyball passing, serving and setting should be at the top of the list. 

We know where you need to go now! Here are three options: 

1. Learn more about Blocking by clicking one of the links in the Related Links below. 
2. Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
3. Or visit the pages in the How to Play Volleyball section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get started. 

Related Links:

Blocker Footwork and Timing For Making A Good Block

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