Hit Volleyball Terms Attack Terminology For Four Types of Attack Hits 

These 4 hit volleyball terms describe four ways to hit a volleyball in the court including a cross court shot, the line shot, the cut shot and the cross court.

Here are four volleyball hitting terms that spikers should learn in order to increase their attacking options.

• cut shot
• cross court
• crosscourt shot
• line shot

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
• contacts 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.

The Volleyball Word
Where do you need to go now? 

Here are three options: 

1. Learn more about the volleyball words, terms and terminology 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 Vegas VB Coach April Chapple
2. What's This Volleyball Word? Basic Terms, Slang and Volleyball Lingo
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3. Hit Volleyball Terms Attack Terminology For Four Types of Attack Hits
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