Beginner Players Must Learn The 6 Basic Skills In Volleyball First

Beginner players looking to learn how to perform all six of the basic skills in volleyball serving, passing, setting, digging, hitting and blocking start here.  

Okay beginners...so lets start with the basics in volleyball which are in order of importance

  • serving
  • passing
  • hitting
  • setting
  • blocking
  • digging

In this section, which I've dedicated to beginner players..you'll find a directory of all the basic skills in volleyball, basic rules, basic drills and all the basic information that a player needs to know, to learn to study in order to improve their skills so they move from freshman team to JV team to varsity team. 


Basic Skills in Volleyball
If you can't serve, you can't play. 


In this section I put the beginner basic information about every type of of serve that you'll need to know about.

From the specifics about the toss for the float serve, to how to underhand serve, to an introduction to more advanced serves like the top spin and jump float serve to understanding what a let serve is. 

Hint: the let serve is a serving rule you should know as a freshman player. 

Volleyball Serving Rules What Are The Rules When Serving A Volleyball?


The serve is the way the ball is launched over the net to start the rally after the ref has blown the whistle. 

Each official match must

Learn important volleyball serving rules and answers to basic serving volleyball questions about what's legal when serving a ball from behind the service line.

Click to go to the page with the rest of the article information.


Service In Volleyball Who What When Where Why and How To Serve A Ball


The volleyball serve skill is used by a player to launch the ball over the net to start a rally

The serve puts the ball in play once the referee blows the first whistle.

Before the first set of the match the team that wins the coin toss is the team that gets to serve first. 

Learn what the service in volleyball is, who serves and when and discover where the server stays on the court when the ref blows the whistle to start the rally.

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The Volleyball Toss How Consistent Is Your Ball Toss Before You Serve?


Your volleyball toss for the overhand must be consistent regardless of what serving style you choose…but especially important for the standing float serve.

You have to learn to toss the volleyball ball the same way, …at the same height, putting the ball in the same spot every single time.

If you have a problem with your serve, one of the first places to look, in order to solve your problem is at your toss.

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The Underhand Volleyball Serve How Should A Beginner Serve The Basics


Here's a ten-step underhand volleyball serve checklist for beginner players.

Learn how to boost your serve game and drastically impact your ability to make big contributions to your squad from the service line. 

Click to go to the page with the rest of the article information.


Basic Skills in Volleyball
Passing is the most important skill.


Many people think that passing is the most important of the six basic skills in volleyball. 


3 Volleyball Forearm Pass Cues On What To Do With Arms, Feet And Hips


There are three volleyball forearm pass cues you should use to improve your passing skills, keep your arms together, feet grounded and hips behind the ball.

  • keep your arms together
  • keep both feet on the ground
  • move quickly to position yourself behind the ball


Volleyball Passing Platform How Do You Make A Platform With Your Arms?


The digging and passing platform in volleyball is where the ball, after an attack hit, contacts your forearms to be deflected and/or redirected into the air usually towards the middle of the court towards the setter zone near the middle of the net.

A volleyball passing platform is with forearms clasping your thumbs together and pointing them to the ground so ball contacts above wrists and below elbows.  


What's The Correct Volleyball Ready Position For Passing in Volleyball 


What is the ready position for passing in volleyball?

The four steps to passing in volleyball starts with a passer who adopts a volleyball stance for passing 

  • clasps your thumbs together keeping them side by side and pointed to the ground
  • which creates a flat surface on your forearms above your wrists and below the insides of your elbows...
  • used to guide/deflect and angle a ball after contacting its underside

to another player or over the net.  


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Basic Skills in Volleyball
Learning to hit is a big deal because you score points for the team. 


The volleyball spike approach for hitting is also called the spike approach and is done by a spiker who takes 3 or 4 steps to a ball in the air before hitting it. 

The Volleyball Spike Approach For Hitting The 3 and 4 Step Approach


Step One of the Three Step Volleyball Approach

The directional step is the first of three...

  • which you'd use to propel yourself closer to where you want to contact the ball...
  • this is your directional step...and
  • this should be the slower step you take...

For a quick review...

As a right handed hitter you'd


Terms For Types of Volleyball Hits Like Kill, Spike, Hit, And Attack 


These terms describe what its called when you hit a volleyball specifically the 'kill', 'spike', 'hit' and 'attack' which are 4 diff types of volleyball hits. 


Basic Skills in Volleyball
Blocking at the net is the first line of defense. 


A lot of players and high school coaches have difficulty deciding where the hands need to be while moving along the net to block a ball.


What's The Block in Volleyball: Where Do Blockers Place Their Hands?


When you block in volleyball just what should you do with your hands?

Another way to learn how to block a volleyball efficiently is to keep the palms of your hands up at shoulder height in a ready position.


Four Volleyball Blocking Tips These're Basic Rules for Better Blocking


Blocking is the first line of defense.  

To block well you are required to

  1. have good footwork  
  2. have great body control while moving laterally and vertically 
  3. read your hitter to anticipate where and how she plans to attack 
  4. penetrate your hands over the net to block the ball by deflecting it back into your opponents court

To learn what is legal and what common fouls and faults are allowed in the game read this article about volleyball blocking tips.


Basic Skills in Volleyball
Digging the ball sometimes means you have to hit the floor. 


The dig is the last line of defense for a team to keep an opposing team's attack from scoring points by keep the ball off the floor.


A Volleyball Dig Technique We Use In Defense Is Called The Barrel Roll


To dig a volleyball that's more than 2-3 steps away from you and low to the floor, you need to know 

  • how to play balls up on the move, then
  • complete your digging action and 
  • fall to the ground in a safe way that you get back up and keep playing without getting hurt. 

To pick balls up that are 3-4 feet away from you can use the barrel roll technique we teach in Vegas Volleyball Boot Camp classes. 


Defensive Volleyball Plays: When Do You Dig A Ball Playing On Defense?


Defensive plays are made in a rally, after a team serves, the serving team is on defense and the team who is receiving the serve is on offense. 

The team on defense has three blockers in the front row who will try and stop the opposing team's attack hit at the net by blocking the ball before it comes over the net.


Do You Follow Me on Instagram?


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. 



Volleyball Information
Where do you need to go now? 

Here are three options: 

  1. Learn more about the volleyball information on Improve Your Volley.com 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 Information section in the drop down menu at the top of the page


  1. Improve Your Volleyball Performance with Private Volleyball Coach April Chapple
  2.  ›
  3. How to Improve Volleyball Skills: Pass, Serve, Set, Hit, Block and Dig
  4.  ›
  5. Beginner Players Must Learn The 6 Basic Skills In Volleyball First
  6.  ›


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