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Volleyball Pass Techniques: Watch The Ball Before It Crosses The Net

You can get better at your volleyball pass technique by tracking the ball earlier when its in the opposing server's hands then track it as it crosses the net.

Volleyball Pass Techniques: Watch The Ball Before It Crosses The Net: Tracking the ball early while its in the opposing server's hands is the key to better volleyball passing technique. (CE Andersen)

How can you get better at volleyball passing?

You can improve the quality of your volleyball pass technique immediately by watching the opposing server closely as soon as they has the ball in their hands ready to serve.

Tracking the ball early is the key to better volleyball passing skills.

Improve Your Volleyball Pass Technique In Serve Receive
Watch The Ball When Its
In the Server's Hands

First, while waiting for the server to complete their pre-serve routine you need to check out the server's body position to pick up any cues as to where she could be serving .

What should you be looking for?

Volleyball Pass Techniques: Watch The Ball Before It Crosses The Net: Penn State players Focusing On the Ball In Illinois Server's Hands ((Richard Yuan)

After you've checked out the server's body position and made your adjustments based on where it looks like the server is going to serve, then quickly share this information with your teammates.

What can you communicate to your passers?

"Hey watch the server, looks like she's going to serve short."
"Hey you guys, stay low and be ready to move backwards looks like she's serving deep."

It takes two seconds to say this very quickly to your other teammates before the opposing team serves.

Sharing any serving tendencies that the current server has shown is what to talk about at this point.

If the server has a jump serve then remind everyone "Hey watch the jump" or
If they have a float serve "Look out for the deep float serve down the line!"

If the server has only served cross court all match then talk about that. "Hey you guys watch her cross, watch her serving cross court!"

Passing the deep serve consistently requires teammates to talk to each other to let each other know who is going to move deep in the court to pass the deep serve.

Improve Your Volleyball Pass Technique
Talk About What The Server is Doing

Next, you maintain your focus on the opposing team's server while

you are saying this out loud to your teammate and
getting into the ideal position for you to forearm pass a ball based on what you've just called out.

Volleyball Pass Techniques: Keep visually tracking the ball, keeping your eyes on it as it crosses the net and as the ball travels closer and closer towards you.

After the referee has blown the whistle, your focus should be completely on the ball while its still in the server's tossing hand.

Check to see if you get distracted by taking your eyes off the ball between the time the server serves it and the time the ball crosses the net.

Once the server tosses the ball in the air for their pre-serve ritual there really isn't much they can change.

Passing is done when you hold both wrists together and with both thumbs side by side and pointing to the ground as you contact the ball on the forearms of both arms. (April Chapple)

MY PASSING EBOOK QUICKLY HELPS YOU IMPROVE YOUR PASSING SKILLS. Click to Learn how to perform one of the most important skills you need to know to gain more playing time on the court!

Common Passing Questions From Reddit - Answered by a Pro

Have you ever searched Reddit for passing tips at midnight after a frustrating practice?

You're not alone.

The r/volleyball community is full of players seeking answers, but the advice varies wildly - and some of it's just plain wrong.

Let me clear up the confusion with professional answers based on years of professional training to Reddit's most-asked passing questions.

Why do I keep shanking serves
to the side?

This is r/volleyball's most upvoted passing question.

Here's what I believe is the real answer because for years everyone was taught to get their belly button behind the ball and to pass the ball from your midline...but that technique has been changed.

To begin with you're probably not dropping or 'angling' your inside shoulder enough.

When you angle your platform to redirect the ball to your intended target, you may need to drop or dip your inside shoulder more before contacting the ball in order to create a better angle for the ball.

Watch team captain Sofia as she passes a high float serve that's coming at head and shoulder level which is usually a passing challenge but we've worked on opening up to one side while keeping shoulders level while dropping one foot back and keeping the inside shoulder lower while moving the belly button out of the way so the body is balanced but better able to form an angle with the passing platform to present to the ball without swinging the arms.

Fix: Keep shoulders level then drop your back foot back and move your belly button out of the way so your body is balanced but you're able to form a better angle to present to the ball without swinging your arms.

Watch how Aubrey moves her midsection out of the way deciding early which side of her body she is going to open up and get out of the ball's path while putting her passing platform outside of her body line in the path of the ball while keeping her inside shoulder angled towards her target.

Ever play dodge ball?

You know how you dodge the ball by either opening your shoulders up or moving your belly button out of the ball's path as it comes to you?

I like to work on this 3 person "Dodgeball" drill where the person in the middle has to choose which side to get their midsection out of the way of the oncoming ball that's being tossed at their chest before they present their passing platform with an angled shoulder positioned towards the target.

That's the way I like describing the passing technique used when a ball floats towards you and you need to move yourself out of the way while still presenting your angled platform arms perpendicular to your body in order to pass the ball to your target.

How do I pass a float serve that moves everywhere?

Track the ball earlier - literally look at the ball from when its in the server's hand.

If you start tracking the ball when its already over the net or even on the net that's too late because against a good float server that ball with drift and float on you and be on the floor before you can react.

Float serves really start the "floating action action with the dips and floats" just as it approaches the net and even more once it crosses the net.

So in order to get a jump on the ball before it gets to the maximum part of its float moves you need to be prepared to watch the ball moving towards you...at an earlier point..I have my players 'lock in" visually on the ball as the ball is being contacted by the server.

The earlier you read the ball, the faster you can move towards where you think its going to land, which more times that not means the less the ball surprises you.

The advice on Reddit varies wildly but here's what I know actually works because I teach it everyday to my club players and private clients and many of them are recruited to play in college because of their passing abilities.

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Proud of my starting senior libero Athena Zhen who is going to play volleyball in New York at Molloy University.

Should I move my arms when passing or keep them still?

The Reddit debate rages on.

But from my years of training passing in volleyball here's the truth according to me, the expert!

Make minimal arm movement during the pass but lots of movement to 'present the angled platform with straight forearms" before the pass.

My tips on How to do wall passing drills...

Volleyball wall passing and wall setting drills can be done daily at home with a goal of at least 250 - 500 reps of various drills to keep your

passing or setting technique,
angled platform work,
ball contacting skills and
control of the ball.....extremely sharp!

Pick a brick, a specific spot on the wall or mark a big X in chalk on a wall or use a basketball net or backboard ...no matter what you decide to use as your target... anybody walking by.... should be able to see exactly where the spot is that you are aiming for EVERY...single....time .⁠

Do 3 to 5 sets of 100... five feet from the wall ....then side step two feet and repeat. Then step back and repeat.⁠

Complete 300 to 500 passing repetitions

But don't take my word for it.

Lets listen to Karch Kiraly former US womens' Olympic gold and silver medal coach (now the US men's Olympic coach) and who I modelled my passing form after when I played professionally which was at the same time he was playing professionally in Italy explain the best way to pass the float serve.

When I saw Karch explaining how to pass the float serve ball outside of the body line I asked our social media person to post this on our Vegas Volley Instagram feed and use some of my players passing the ball correctly according to what he was saying because its exactly I've taught my girls and guys 18s club players and private clients (who're visible in the video).

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When I saw Karch explaining how to pass the the float serve ball outside of the body line I asked our social media person to post this on our Vegas Volley Instagram feed and use some of my players passing the ball correctly according to what he was saying because its exactly I've taught my high school and club players and private clients.

Think "cushion the ball" or "absorb the contact of the ball on your forearms" but not "swinging the arms" when passing the ball.

Your legs get you to the ball and keep you balanced, while your shoulders

stay in front of your knees
which helps you support the arms
that create the platform that
'angles the ball'
preferably 18-20 feet in the air and just inside the 10 foot line close to zone 3 in other words
redirecting the served ball to its intended target

If you're swinging your arms, you're actually making it harder to control the ball you're trying to pass to your intended target.

Let me end with giving you one more example. How about one of Coach Karch Kiraly's starting outside hitter and parttime libero gold medalist Kelsey Robinson?

Even Olympic gold medalist Kelsey Robinson - founder of the Passing Lab and regarded as one of the world's best passers - follows these exact same fundamental steps every single time she passes.

In fact, if you watch Robinson's passing technique in slow motion, you'll notice she never deviates from these 5 steps.

Whether she's receiving a float serve in practice or a jump serve in an Olympic final, her process remains identical.

That's not coincidence - it's mastery of fundamentals.

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Even Olympic gold medalist Kelsey Robinson - founder of the Passing Lab and regarded as one of the world's best passers - follows these same fundamental steps tof passing a volleyball each time she passes. If it works for her at the highest level, won't it work for you?

If it works for her at the highest level, won't it work for you?"

Volleyball Pass Techniques:
Where Do You Go From Here?

Where do you need to go now?

Your three options are:

You can learn more about Passing in volleyball by visiting the Related Links below.
Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
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.
Before leaving this page Say "Hi" to Ms. Resee the Kangaroo, wearing the #11 jersey below. She's a left side hitter with precision passing and a member of the VolleyBragSwag All Beast Third team.

Meet Resee the Kangaroo and Passing Specialist on VolleyBragSwag's All Beast Team

Reese the Volleybragswag Kangaroo

Explore More Volleyball Passing Techniques in the Pages Below

Steps to Passing a Volleyball: 5 Essential Techniques for Success
Want to pass like a pro? Learn the 5 essential steps to passing a volleyball with perfect technique, and learn home passing drills and common mistakes to avoid.
The Proper Volleyball Serve Technique, What Types of Serves Are Best?
What's the most proper volleyball serve technique to know? Learn the five serve types and terms for the let serve, sky ball, the overhand and underhand serve.
Seven Blocking Techniques in Volleyball Used In Defense At The Net
Some important blocking techniques in volleyball are sealing the net, stuff block, read blocking, cross court block, swing block, commit block, delayed block.
How to Use Good Volleyball Service Techniques To Serve for Points
Learn what good volleyball service techniques in volleyball will help you score points and increase the aces you score during a game after the ref whistles.
Step-by-step Instructions On Performing The Volleyball Dig Technique
Master the volleyball dig technique with my comprehensive guide. Learn step-by-step instructions, tips, and common mistakes to avoid for great defensive plays
Volleyball Hands 2 Ways To Hold Your Hands When You Pass A Volleyball
Learn 2 volleyball passing techniques on where to make contact with the ball on your arms and how to hold your volleyball hands while passing or bumping the ball.
Two Volleyball Blocking Strategies: The Stuff Block and Read Blocking
There are two volleyball blocking strategies players use in defense to stop hitters from spiking across the net, one is read blocking the other stuff blocking.
Improve Your Defense With The Volleyball Barrel Roll Dig Technique
Improve your defense with my comprehensive guide on the volleyball barrel roll technique with my step-by-step instructions and tips to improve defensive plays.
Good Volleyball Ball Control Is the Key To Improve Your Passing Skill
Passing is important in volleyball because your team needs good passers with good volleyball ball control skills to run an offense in order to score points.
Overhead Pass in Volleyball Strategy To Speed Up Your Team's Offense
You can change the pace or control the speed of the game using an overhead pass in volleyball technique which is a way your team can run a faster team offense.
Types of Volleyball Serves What's A Float, Jump Float, Spin, Jump Spin
What're the types of volleyball serves like the standing float serve, the jump float where you add spike approach footwork and the topspin and jump spin serves.
7 Ways A Spiker In Volleyball Can Improve Their Attacking Technique
The outside hitter is the left side spiker in volleyball at the net who is the team's offensive weapon who usually gets the most sets and attack attempts.

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From Lady Vol to Legend: Coach April Honored At UTK Champions Weekend

Lady Vol volleyball legend and record holder Coach April Chapple a University of Tennessee, Knoxville Hall of Fame Inductee, 3-time All American, 3-time SEC Champion, SEC Tournament MVP, 2-time All SEC Team is celebrated with her 1984 SEC champion teammates at Neyland Stadium during Champions Weekend on November 1-2, 2024.

utkaprilcollegepiconneylandstadiumvideoboard

Tennessee Hall of Fame inductee, Coach April Chapple is

the first First Round Draft Pick for the first American pro indoor women's league
named to the first First Team All-Pro team for Major League Volleyball in USA volleyball history
former USA National team member
one of the few American women players named as an Italian Pro League D-I Championship Finalist, Italian Cup Finalist and Cup of Cups Tournament Finalist

April Chapple The first First round Draft Pick For Major League Volleyball the first American Women's Pro League Honored At Athlete Unlimited Pro Volleyball Match

Coach April's 2025 Private and Semi private Volleyball Training

Pre-Registration now open for 2025 Private and Semiprivate Training Sessions with Coach April . Get prepared for club tryouts or train with me during club season!

Email now for information on semiprivate or private indoor skills, individual or small group training volleyball classes and my Breakfast Club for College Players training for 2025.

Invest in your improvement while preepping for your next level and college goals while working hard and training smart.

Email me right now to register or for more information.

info@improveyourvolley.com

Serving slang is not just about individual techniques; it also relates to overall game strategy. A coach might instruct a player to serve a "short serve" or a "deep serve" to target specific areas of the opponent's court or exploit weaknesses in their serve receive formation.

Ari, my private training client and I are working specifically on serving on jump float cross court serves ...short to Zone 2

There's so much we work on to get to this point where she can contact the ball with

the same toss height and same toss location
the same armswing speed
the same timing for when her serving hand contacts the ball
the middle of the hand contacting the middle of the ball every single time
getting use to watching her serving hand contact the ball at the highest point of her jump ...before she starts to land
and finally contacting the ball in the precise spot on the ball so it goes where the coach wants the player to put it so in this case ..a short serve in the farthest short right corner on the court also called Zone 2.

kamiminerpac12setteroftheyearformercoachaprilchappleprivateclient3years

Tommi Stockham All Big West Conference sophomore former Coach April Chapple private client 3 years

katepriorallwestcoastconferencebyufreshmanformercoachaprilchappleprivateclient3years

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Dear Vegas Parent

Read my open letter to Las Vegas Jr high/high school volleyball parents about my predictions on individual and small group volleyball training trends for 2019/2021

Improve Your Passing Tips: Press both wrists together when passing no matter what...

Improve Your Passing Tips: Move your feet first to position yourself behind the ball.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Present your platform after you've stopped running.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Focus on the ball in the opposing server's hands not on the server's face. Its the ball you have to pass.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Keep your eyes on the ball. focus early on the ball before it comes to your side.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Anticipate where you need to be. Get there BEFORE you start to pass.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Keep your eyes on the ball. Visually track it from the server's hands to your passing platform.

Click to read Passing in Volleyball: Fundamental Skills For Receiving The Ball Better

Improve Your Passing Tips: Pass with both feet on the floor. Avoid the jump bump.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Work on speed and agility drills so you can move quickly to get to balls in serve receive.

Tennessee Athletics Honors April Chapple at Champions Weekend for Legendary Volleyball Achievements

From Lady Vol to Legend: Coach April Produces Powerful Passionate Players...is that you?

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Congratulations to my seven Boys-18s Vegas Volley club players who played in two state championship finals yesterday, the 3A and 5A State champinship finals at Sunrise Mountain High School.

TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS!

A-1 Vegas Volley VBC

In It To Win It Tournament

May 2 - 4, 2025 Tournament

Gold Medalists

18s Premier Division

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Making A-1 Vegas Volleyball history as the very first TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS! In the In It To Win It Tournament, May 2-4, 2025 Tournament, A-1 Vegas Volleyball Club Gold Medalists, 18s Premier Division