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- Improve Your Volleyball with Coach April
- Basic Volleyball Skills for Beginners
Basic Volleyball Skills: Six Essential Skills Varsity Players Know
Trying out for varsity? There are 6 basic volleyball skills, you need to learn beforehand: setting, passing, serving, hitting, blocking and digging.
Are you a beginner volleyball player trying out for the junior varsity or varsity team?
Learn these six essential volleyball skills that every beginner should know before stepping on the court: setting, passing, serving, hitting, blocking, and digging.
Let's review these six essential volleyball skills
basic rules , rotations, terminology and court information you need to know if you intend to try out for the varsity team.
Essential Basic Volleyball Skills: What is Serving in Volleyball?
What is the serve?
The serve is your first opportunity to score a point against the opposing team. Its the only skill out of 6 that you perform by yourself and don't depend on anyone else to help you score a point.
To serve the ball is sent over the net to start the rally by the player in Zone 1, the right back area of the court either with an over the head contact after tossing the ball in the air or with an underhand serve technique.
Passing Basics in Volleyball
How to Pass the Ball
A Volleyball Beginner's Guide
The pass or the bump is used to describe the most commonly used technique to transfer the ball from one player to another or over the net.
The pass is traditionally used to make the first contact of the ball after its been served into your court by an opposing team.
How to Pass the Ball
A Volleyball Beginner's Guide:
How do you pass the ball?
The pass is a service reception technique usually made when your team is on offense done by
step 1.
- clasping your two wrists together
step 2.
- using one of three popular hand grips to hold your hands together while
step 3.
- keeping elbows straight by pointing the thumbs to the ground
step 4.
- contacting the ball on your forearms below your elbows and above your wrists, not on your closed fists
step 5.
- making contact under the bottom third of the ball to lift it in the air directed to another player or over the net
Basic Volleyball Skills -
What is Setting?
A Guide for Beginners
Basic Volleyball Skills -
What is Setting?
A Guide for Beginners: A set is a way you contact the ball over your head to get the ball to travel from you to another person or over the net . (Ralph Aversen)What is a set?
A set is a way you contact the ball over your head to get the ball to travel from you to another person or over the net .
- Both arms are outstretched above your head with shoulders close to your ears.
- Both hands with palms wide open face the target you are setting
- Once the ball contacts the fingertips of your hands you push it back up into the air towards your target, setting the ball up for the next person to contact it.
The set is usually the second contact in a rally and the person who sets the ball the most is called the setter.
A Volleyball Beginner's Guide -
What is an Attack Hit?
Basic Volleyball Skills on Spiking
An attack hit can be a spike which describes the technique commonly used for the third contact in a rally that sends the ball over the net with power.
A spike starts with an approach of three but quite often four steps.
The first two slow and the last two bigger and faster steps that propel you in the air gathering momentum as you go, to lift you above the top of the net so you contact the ball at its highest height to attack or hit it down into the opposing court.
As you become a better spiker and your hitting technique improves, you will learn to spike faster and quicker sets that are lower to the net.
Volleyball Basics - What is Blocking?
A Guide for Beginners
Basic Volleyball Skills on Blocking
A block is the first opportunity for a team on defense to keep the team on offense from hitting into their court.
The three defensive players in your front row are blockers standing with their hands at their shoulders watching the opposing team pass the ball then set the ball, then hit the ball..
When they hit its the job of the blockers to block the ball back into their court so that it doesn't come over the net.
If the block stops the ball at the net and the ball goes back to the opposing teams floor, that's a point for the block, your team, your team gets to rotate and serve.
If the block does not stop the ball, then your three players in the back row have to dig the ball up to keep the rally going.
A Beginner's Guide to Volleyball -
What is a Dig?
Now its the responsibility of the three back row players on defense to keep the ball off the floor.
They do that by "digging the ball".
The dig" is an underhand technique that describes the first contact of a ball in a rally that's been sent over the net with power.
To "dig a ball" you are in a defensive position, most frequently in the back row, with wrists and thumbs clasped tightly together creating a platform with your forearms which contacts the underside of the ball.
The "platform" arms are angled toward the area where the ball needs to travel to.
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Volleyball Basics:
Where Do You Go From Here?
What you just read was just a warmup!
Just like in volleyball practice, you do a little stretching to warm up your muscles before getting into the real meaty part of practice.
Here you go through a light review of everything before you really begin to dig deep and take each rule, each position, each skill and really explore it.
Learn to do tons of reps and go over each drill repeatedly until you get it right.
Where do you need to go now? Here are two options:
- Learn more about How to Play Volleyball by exploring the Related Links below.
- Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
You might like these articles about the volleyball basics.
Use A Jump Float Serve To Create Power For An Ace Or To Start A Rally
Use the overhand jump float serve to generate a powerful serve that starts a rally after the ref blows the whistle for the player behind the service line.
If A Server Scores A Point From The End Line Its An Ace In Volleyball
An ace in volleyball happens when a server serves a tough unplayable ball from their service line which results in a direct point for the serving team.
Volleyball Serve Use A Float, Jump Or Overhand Serve To Start A Rally
The overhand, underhand or jump volleyball serve is used to start a rally after the ref blows the whistle for the player in Zone 1 behind the service line.
The Volleyball Toss How Consistent Is Your Ball Toss Before You Serve?
The volleyball toss for the overhand serve needs to consistently be two feet up in the air and one foot in front of front foot which puts the ball in front of your serving arm.
Learn 3 Important Steps To Improve Your Volleyball Bump Pass Skills
Players use these three steps to improve volleyball bump pass ability to get the ball to a player holding their wrists together forming a forearm platform.
How To Master The Volleyball Passing Platform: Techniques and Tips
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
Learn the volleyball ready position for passing where clasped thumbs are pointed to the ground to form a platform with forearms to pass balls in a rally.
What Is A Volleyball Serve? Learn The Basics and Advanced Techniques
Are you wondering what is a volleyball serve? It's your first chance to score. Learn float, jump, and topspin serves that transform beginners into ace machines.
Volleyball Spike Approach Master The 3 and 4 Step Approach For Hitting
The volleyball spike approach for hitting is also called the spike approach and is done by a spiker taking 3 or 4 steps to a ball in the air before hitting it.
Volleyball Spike: The Basics For Attacking The Ball Hard For Points
A volleyball spike is the way a hitter attacks the ball after a spike approach sending it over the net to score a point in the opposing court with force.
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.
The Volleyball Dig: What Is It, When To Do It and How To Dig A Ball
The volleyball dig or digging a volleyball up in defense means that you are able to keep an attacked ball by the opposing team off your court floor.
Volleyball Ball Handling Begins With Ball Control and Faster Footwork
Improve your passing skills with great ball control and volleyball ball handling skills along with faster footwork when moving to a served ball on your court.
The Underhand Volleyball Serve How Should A Beginner Serve The Basics
Here's a ten step check list for beginners who can easily learn in ten steps how to perform the underhand volleyball serve.
Here's How To Learn Volleyball Rotations Positions and the 6 Zones
Here's how to learn volleyball rotations, the 6 volleyball zones or positions that players rotate in and out of depending on the offense their team runs.
AUTHOR BIO
April Chapple is an elite private volleyball trainer, former USA National Team member, and University of Tennessee Hall of Fame inductee who has coached in Las Vegas for 15+ years, training hundreds of athletes and helping numerous players reach college volleyball, including Division I standouts.
She's also the head coach for girls and boys 18s at Squad VBC and offers coaches consulting on technical teaching and player development. Connect with April on LinkedIn or at ImproveYourVolley.com, where her eye for overlooked talent sets her apart.
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.
- 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 2026-27 Private and Semi private Volleyball Training
Pre-Registration now open for 2026-27 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 2026-27.
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
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Complete Beginner Serving System: The Ultimate Support System for Beginners
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Transform Your Serve from Weak to Weapon
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Click to Download Your Parent's Volleyball Serving Guide Help Your Player Develop Championship Serves (Even If You've Never Played) Checklist pdf:
🎯Parent's Volleyball Serving Guide Help Your Player Develop Championship Serves Guide - $7
You'll Get:
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✓Discover how to provide encouragement that actually improves performance and mental toughness.
✓Know exactly what to ask coaches to show you're engaged and help your player develop properly.
✓Simple, effective drills that don't require a gym or expensive equipment.
✓Understand the language coaches use so you can better support your player's development.
✓Help your player develop the psychological aspects of serving that many coaches don't have time to address.
From Lady Vol to Legend: Coach April Produces Powerful Passionate Players...is that you?
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Players! Learn How To Transform Your Serve from Weak to Weapon
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🎯Parent's Volleyball Serving Checklist Guide
Parents! Help Your Player Develop Championship Serves (Even If You've Never Played)
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-Coach April
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