Hitting a Volleyball Terms: Tool, Wipe, Down and Free Ball
June 25, 2010 by jameslucas.
By April Chapple
Hitting a volleyball is the most fun part of the game. In this article I explain several hitting terms like tool, wipe, down ball and free ball.
Tool: “Tool” the block is another way of saying “use the block” which happens when a hitter aims the ball during a hit or a tip towards the outer hand of a blocker so when it intentionally hits the block it is deflected outside of the court.
Wipe: To “wipe the block” is the same as “tool the block.” Savvy outside hitters, (many times the shorter ones) learn how to wipe the ball in such a way that it looks like they are intentionally going to hit the ball out of bounds, but what they are really doing are positioning themselves so that when they hit the ball into the blockers hands, the ball will bounce back outside of the sidelines, scoring their team a point or a sideout.
Down ball: A down ball is an attack made by a player who spikes or hits the ball keeping both of their feet on the floor and uses the traditional armswing to get a hard driven ball into the opposing team’s court. A down ball can be initiated during any of the three contacts a team is allotted to get the ball back into the opposing team’s court. For example, although rarely seen in indoor volleyball a beach volleyball player can hit an easy serve back into the serving team’s court by attacking with a down ball.
A player usually chooses to hit a down ball because for some reason they don’t have time to make a spike approach before hitting the ball. When team B’s blocker’s see that Team A’s spiker isn’t using a spike approach to hit the ball over the net, the blockers usually call out to their team “down ball” and transition off the net to get ready to attack.
A “down ball” has been translated to mean that a hitter is “staying down on the ground” or is “keeping her feet on the ground” to hit or spike a ball.
Free ball: A free ball is a ball that Team A has forearm passed easily into Team B’s court. This is an easy or free ball that should be considered a ‘gift” since the team didn’t attack with a hard driven ball, a tip or a deceptive off speed shot aimed for an open space on the opposing team’s court. When Team A gives Team B a free ball it’s usually because there’s a miscommunication between players, whether its between passers and hitters or more likely between setters and hitters.
When Team B receives a free ball they should do everything in their power to make a perfect pass in order to run a fast attack or get the ball to their go-to player who will definitely score a point since they didn’t have to work hard to get an easy ball from Team A.
And now I would like to invite you to get Free video instruction directly from Olympic gold medalists and pro players on how to become a better volleyball spiker.
You’ll get access to free videos with instructions for indoor and beach volleyball skills that you can use right away!
From April Chapple, creator of the volleyball news hub Volleyball Voices.com and author of the new ebook “86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips:How To Gain Confidence On the Volleyball Court.”
Article Source: April Chapple
Hitting a Volleyball Terms: Tool, Wipe, Down and Free Ball
Volleyball Hitting Terms: The Cutty, Cross Court Shot and Line Shot
June 23, 2010 by jameslucas.
By April Chapple
Here are some volleyball hitting terms that spikers should learn in order to increase their attacking options.
Cut shot: The cut shot or the “cutty” is used by a player who is in zone 2 on their court and attacks the ball with an off-speed shot to zone 2 of the opposing team’s court. The player can also hit a cut shot if they are in zone 4 on one side and contact the ball so it crosses the net and/or over the block to zone 4 of the opposing team’s court. This shot is primarily used in beach volleyball and is very effective as a hitting option for players, especially those who are shorter and may be confronted with a big block or those who are looking for another option to just hitting the ball hard all the time.
To hit the “cutty” (aka cut shot) a player goes up as if they are going to spike the ball, then at the last moment they slow their arm swing down and contact the ball on either of its side panels, either the left one if the player is in or near zone 4 or the right side of the ball if the hitter is in or around zone 2 which should direct the ball diagonally and within ten feet from the net inside the opposing team’s sideline.
Cross court shot: The difference between a cut shot and a cross court shot is that a cut shot falls within three meters or ten feet from the net whereas a cross court shot falls anywhere along that opposite sideline.
Cross court hit: A cross court hit is a hard driven spike or hit directed at an angle that lands in the area within the opposite sideline of the opposing team’s court. So if a player on team A is hitting from zone 4 on her side and her hard driven spike lands anywhere in or around zone 4 or zone 5 in the opposing team’s court, then she scored a point or a sideout with her cross court hit. The same is valid if the team A player is a right side hitter who is spiking the ball from zone 2 on her side to zone 2 or zone 1 on the opposing team’s side then she made a cross court hit
Line shot: The line shot is another hitting or shot option for the spiker which requires the hitter to contact the ball so it travels parallel to and within the sideline closest to them. A player hitting from zone 4 is hitting line or making a line shot if they spike the ball or hit an offspeed shot to zone 5 in the opposing team’s court, or if they are hitting from zone 2 then they are making the line shot if their spiked ball or offspeed shot goes in or near zone 4 or zone 5 in the opposing team’s court.
And now I would like to invite you to get Free video instruction directly from Olympic gold medalists and pro players on how to become a better volleyball hitter.
You’ll get access to free videos with instructions for indoor and beach volleyball skills that you can use right away!
From April Chapple, creator of the volleyball news hub Volleyball Voices.com and author of the new ebook “86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips: How To Gain Confidence On the Volleyball Court.”
Article Source: April Chapple
Volleyball Hitting Terms: The Cutty, Cross Court Shot and Line
