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1. Improve Your Volleyball with Coach April
2. Volleyball Techniques Fix Your Pass, Set, Serve,
3. Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Use To Seal The Net With The Block

Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Use To Seal The Net With The Block  

My blocking tips volleyball players use to improve technique used when sealing the net with arms close to the net when stopping hitters from attacking the ball. 

Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Know: Against blockers who jump with arms straight up the hitter only has to aim the ball at the blocker's hands so the ball dribbles between blocker and the net. (Al Case)

With improper blocking volleyball technique many hitters score points that they shouldn't, not because they are great hitters but because the blockers hands and body positioning were too far away from the net when they jumped to block.

Often times hitters are successful because they are hitting the ball against blockers who jump straight up in the air, making the mistake of keeping their hands, arms and shoulders behind their ears and/or off the net when they are in the air.

Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Know: So all the hitter has to do is hit the ball and aim it right at the hands of the blocker which allows the ball to come dribbling down in front of the player's body between the blocker and the net. (Ralph Aversen)

So all the hitter has to do is hit the ball and aim it right at the hands of the blocker which allows the ball to come dribbling down in front of the player's body between the blocker and the net.

That's always an easy point for the hitter and its a sure sign that the opposing blockers need to work to improve a proper volleyball blocking finish with their hands and arms sealing off that space between them and the net.

Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Know: "Seal the net" when jumping to block shoulders, hands and arms to close off the space between the blocker's hands and the net (Michael E Johnston)

Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Know:
How To Seal The Net

Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Know: If the blocker had used better blocking technique by correctly "sealing the net" then while jumping up to block the ball, they would have kept their shoulders, hands and arms in front of their ears as they were jumping which would close off all that space between the blocker's hands and the net (Aversen)

If the blocker had used better blocking technique by correctly "sealing the net" then

• while jumping up to block the ball,
• they would have kept their shoulders, hands and arms in front of their ears as they were jumping which
• would close off all that space between the blocker's hands and the net

so a ball couldn't come through their hands and down the inside of the net.

This is a movement to focus on while working on your volleyball blocking drills in practice.

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Volleyball Block Technique: 
When Sealing The Net What Do Your Hands Do?

Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Know Blockers penetrate the plane of the net with angled hands/arms that deflect the ball to the middle of the opposing court. (Aaron Vazquez)

To avoid "being used" an outside blocker should train to go up to block a ball in a way that their hands and arms, once they penetrate the plane of the net...

...are angled so that they are turned back into the opposing team's court.

Blocking Tips Volleyball Players Know: While jumping to block, keep shoulders, hands and arms in front of your ears to close off the space between the blocker's hands and the net.

This way, while they block and their shoulders, arms and hands penetrate the plane of the net...

...their arms and hands are positioned to deflect the ball back into the middle of the opposing team's court.

Blocking Tips Volleyball Technique: While blocking shoulders, arms and hands penetrate the plane of the net with arms positioned to deflect the ball back into the middle of the court. (Al Case)

The blocker wants to position their arms over the net...and where they want the ball to go.

Hands first go straight up and then immediately over the net so that the blockers arms and hands aren't "used" or "wiped off of" by the hitter.  

Blocking Tips Volleyball: The blocker's arms reach outside her body and hands are facing out of bounds so the blocker increases the chances of the hitter using her block. (Joy Van Buhler)

In this picture of players at the net, I notice there are two things that the Central Michigan blocker wearing the number 15 jersey should be concerned about.

First as she is going up to block jump, her arms are reaching outside of her body and her hands are facing out of bounds.

With these blocking tips volleyball form is the priority, the blocker increases the chances of the hitter using her block because her body and her hands are facing and moving outside the court  instead of facing and moving inside the court.

Your three options are: 

1. You can learn more about Blocking by visiting 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 Volleyball Techniques section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get started. 
4. Before leaving this page Say "Hi" to Miss Tattoo the Tiger wearing the #9 jersey below.  Miss Tattoo is the starting defensive and serving specialist for the All Beast VolleyBragSwag All Star team.

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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.