How To Properly Play Volleyball: A Guide for Vegas Moms and Young Coaches

If you're a Vegas high school player with goals of wanting to learn how to properly play volleyball and improve your indoor or sand skills contact me for info.

Learn how to properly play volleyball in 2023. Pre-Registration opens on December 3 for January to March 2023 Private and Semiprivate Training Sessions with Coach April. 30 sessions - 10 sessions/month - 3 months

Hey there, volleyball enthusiasts of Las Vegas and beyond!

Coach April here, ready to take your volleyball game to the next level!

Whether you're a mom helping your tween refine their skills or a young coach looking to improve your teaching techniques, this guide on how to properly play volleyball is for you.

Let's dive into the nitty-gritty of perfecting those volleyball moves!

Before we jump into the specifics, let's talk about why playing volleyball properly is so crucial:

1. Injury prevention:

Correct form reduces the risk of injuries, especially in our desert climate where we often play outdoors.

2. Improved performance:

Proper technique leads to better ball control and more successful plays.

3. Confidence boost:

As players master correct form, their confidence on the court soars.

4. Team synergy:

When everyone uses proper techniques, team coordination improves dramatically.

Now, let's break down how to properly play volleyball for each fundamental skill.

The serve initiates every rally, making it a critical skill to master.

Here's how to do it right:

1. Stance:

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.

2. Ball hold:

Hold the ball in your non-hitting hand straight out in front of your shoulder ....

3. Toss:

Toss the ball consistently to the same spot, about 1-2 feet above your hitting hand and in front of the path of your serving arm.

.
4. Contact:

Contact the ball with an open hand, contacting the ball, while watching your hand contact it. just under the middle of the ball panels facing you.

Common mistakes to avoid:
- Inconsistent toss height
- Hitting the ball with a closed fist
- Not following through after contact

Professional Tip for Vegas Players:

When serving outdoors, be aware of the wind. Adjust your toss slightly to compensate for breezy conditions common in our area.

Passing, or bumping, is the foundation of good volleyball. Here's how to do it correctly:

1. Ready position: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, and arms out in front.

2. Platform creation: Join your arms from elbow to wrist, creating a flat surface.

3. Ball contact: Let the ball hit your platform, don't swing your arms.

4. Direction control: Angle your platform to direct the ball to your target.

5. Follow-through: Extend your legs to generate power, not your arms.

Common mistakes to avoid:
- Swinging the arms to hit the ball
- Keeping legs straight
- Breaking the platform before ball contact

Vegas Coach's Advice:

In our dry climate, players often get sweaty palms. Encourage them to keep a small towel nearby to dry their arms between plays for better ball control.

Setting is all about precision and soft hands. Here's the proper technique:

1. Hand position: Form a triangle with your thumbs and index fingers above your forehead.

2. Body alignment: Face the direction you want to set the ball.

3. Ball contact: Use only your fingertips to push the ball, not your palms.

4. Follow-through: Extend your arms fully in the direction of your set.

5. Footwork: Step into the set for added power and accuracy.

Common mistakes to avoid:

- Holding the ball (a violation in volleyball)

- Setting with palms instead of fingertips

- Poor footwork leading to off-balance sets

Local Tip:

Our high-altitude affects ball flight. Setters in Vegas and nearby mountain areas should practice adjusting their touch for the thinner air.

Hitting is the most exciting part of volleyball. Here's how to spike properly:

1. Approach: Take a four-step approach, starting slow and ending fast.

2. Jump: Explode upwards, swinging both arms back then up.

3. Arm draw: Draw your hitting arm back, elbow high.

4. Contact: Strike the top of the ball with an open hand at the highest point of your jump.

5. Follow-through: Snap your wrist and follow through across your body.

Common mistakes to avoid:

- Arm-swinging instead of using a full-body approach

- Hitting with a closed fist

- Landing on one foot (injury risk)

Vegas-Specific Advice:

When playing on sand volleyball courts (we have plenty in Vegas!), adjust your approach to account for the softer surface.

Shorter, quicker steps often work better.

How To Properly Play Volleyball: Blocking

Blocking is crucial for defense. Here's the proper technique:

1. Ready position: Stand close to the net, hands at shoulder height.

2. Jump timing: Time your jump with the opponent's approach.

3. Hand position: Reach over the net, fingers spread wide.

4. Penetration: Push your hands into the opponent's court to block.

5. Landing: Land on both feet, ready to transition to offense.

Common mistakes to avoid:
- Swinging at the ball (a violation)
- Jumping too early or late
- Closing your eyes during the block

Tip for Desert Play: In outdoor games, be aware of the sun's position. Adjust your blocking position to avoid being blinded during crucial plays.

How To Properly Play Volleyball: Digging

Digging keeps rallies alive. Here's how to do it properly:

1. Ready position: Low stance, arms out, on the balls of your feet.
2. Move to the ball: Take quick, short steps to get behind the ball.
3. Platform angle: Angle your arms to control where the ball goes.
4. Ball contact: Let the ball hit your platform, absorbing the impact with your legs.
5. Recovery: Quickly get back into ready position after the dig.

Common mistakes to avoid:
- Standing up straight instead of staying low
- Swinging the arms at the ball
- Digging with closed fists

Vegas Coach's Insight: Our outdoor courts can be windy. Teach players to adjust their platform angle slightly into the wind for better ball control.

Putting It All Together: Proper Volleyball Rotations

Understanding and executing proper rotations is key to team success:

1. Know your position: Each player should understand their starting position and how it changes with rotation.
2. Communicate: Call out rotations and positions to avoid confusion.
3. Cover: Always be ready to cover for your teammates.
4. Transition: Move quickly between offense and defense.

Common team mistakes:
- Out of rotation violations
- Confusion during serve receive
- Slow transitions between plays

Local League Tip: Many Las Vegas leagues use modified rotation rules for beginners. Make sure you're familiar with your specific league's regulations.

Mental Aspects of Properly Playing Volleyball

Physical skills are just part of the equation. To truly excel, players need to:

1. Stay focused: The desert heat can be distracting. Teach mental techniques to maintain concentration.
2. Communicate constantly: Encourage players to call for the ball and alert teammates to open spots.
3. Stay positive: Volleyball is a game of errors. Teach resilience and positivity.
4. Read the game: Develop court awareness and anticipation skills.

Volleyball Mom's Role in Proper Play

As a volleyball mom, you play a crucial part in your child's development:

1. Encourage proper technique practice at home.
2. Reinforce coach's instructions.
3. Focus on effort and improvement, not just results.
4. Help create a positive, supportive environment.

Young Coaches: Teaching Proper Volleyball Techniques

For our budding coaches out there:

1. Demonstrate correctly: If you can't perform the skill properly yourself, find someone who can.
2. Use drill progressions: Start with basic form and gradually add complexity.
3. Offer specific, constructive feedback.
4. Be patient: Proper technique takes time to develop.

Conclusion: Mastering Proper Volleyball Play

Remember, learning how to properly play volleyball is a journey, not a destination. It takes time, patience, and lots of practice. But with the right technique and mindset, players can excel on the courts of Las Vegas and beyond.

Whether you're playing in the air-conditioned gyms of Summerlin, on the sand courts of Henderson, or in the mountain air of nearby Utah, proper technique will elevate your game. So get out there, practice these skills, and watch your volleyball prowess soar!

Got questions about proper volleyball techniques? Need more specific advice for playing in our unique desert environment? Don't hesitate to reach out. As your local Vegas volleyball expert, I'm here to help our community spike, dig, and set their way to success!

14 year old Kami Miner starting setter on my Volleycats Elite 17s team and 3 year private training client now the 2022 Pac 12 Setter of the year at Stanford.

Learn

• how to spike a ball harder
• block better
• set a volleyball more accurately
• become a better more consistent passer
• serve like a pro 
• play defense

like you've already earned a college scholarship. 

That's right! I want to help you to make your school team, club team, USA High Performance team or achieve your collegiate team goals. 

For absolute beginners visit my learning how to play volleyball page which breaks down into easy-to-understand chunks of information that cover 

• basic game rules,
• the positions players specialize in,
• zones on the court and
• a description of the skills you

need to know when you are ready to improve your volleyball playing skills.  

For those intermediate and advanced varsity players who already know the basics and are ready to take their game to the next level be sure to visit my volleyball instruction page.

Regardless of what skill level you are, you've come to the right place!

I have a blast coaching volleyball playing skills here in Las Vegas and I want to share what I do on the court, with you.

I'm sure, you've come to my site to learn how to improve your volleyball skills, take your game to the next level and possibly reach a goal or two, am I right? 

Volleyball players come to this site because they want to make a varsity or JV school team or a club or collegiate team.

The more motivated and disciplined you are, the more you'll learn and with practice, the better you'll get.  

Stay motivated, stay disciplined and keep coming back to learn how to play volleyball.

Players with goals, I love that!

I've helped a lot of players reach their goals and I'm sure I can help you too.

Follow the suggested reading on this page or visit the pages in the Vegas Volleyball Instruction section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get familiar with or plan on taking taking classes, get advanced training, improve your playing with me or learn more about the history of our boot camp classes. 

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-Coach April

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