Basic Volleyball Terminology For Blockers Stopping Hitters At The Net

Basic volleyball terminology like 'roof' 'stuff' and 'house' are slang terms and words that describe how blockers block a hitter before the ball crosses the net.

Basic Volleyball Terminology:
Roof

roof

To "roof" a hitter is a common slang term used when a blocker completely smothers a hitter who's about to hit a hard attack stopping the ball aggressively with strong blocking arms shaped like a roof of a house that 'press' the ball straight down on the hitter's side of the court. 

A blocker presses their arm pits and shoulders so far over the net placing them in the path of the hitter's extended hitting arm where they expect them to contact the ball. 

To time the block correctly the blocker should finish their "pressing motion that builds a roof" above the hitter's arm at the height of their jump just after the hitter has committed to their arm swing and just before they make contact with the ball. 

Basic Volleyball Terminology:
House


house

When a blocker builds a house around the spiker's hitting attempt it means they've completely closed them in and stuffed the ball back into the hitter's court without giving them any room to hit by or past their block. 

When you have "housed" a hitter that means you put them in a place where they can't get out...

A blocker's goal is to house a hitter by reducing or eliminating the amount of court that an opposing hitter can hit to. 

If they reduce the hitting area on the net that means they block "line" to force the hitter to hit cross court where the waiting player in the backcourt defends the ball or they take their cross court area away at the net and in order to avoid the block... the hitter is forced to hit the ball down the line.

If the blocker doesn't take an area away from the hitter but decides to block the ball that's the blockers attempt at eliminating any area for the hitter to hit to. 


Basic Volleyball Terminology:
Stuff


stuff

A "stuff block is when a blocker stops a hitter while blocking in such a way that their arms are extended so far over the net that the hitter doesn't have time to get the ball on the other side of the net and the ball goes straight down. 


Basic Volleyball Terminology: 
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