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How To Set A Volleyball A Basic Setter Guide To Good Setting Technique

Want to be a good volleyball setter? I show you how to set a volleyball the way I teach my club players, focusing on hand and body placement and ball contact.

Need to learn how to set a volleyball correctly? Watch and Pin on Pinterest as My Vegas Volley 18s setter Mai is captured in a beautiful photo by volleyball photographer and a former client "Shots by Shanty" Shantalle Demerjian who captured the setter in her full body setting technique while contacting the ball, with ball shaped hands positioned above her forehead, ready to set the ball to one of her hitters during a December 2024 practice.

Are you setting a volleyball correctly?

Since my goal for you is to become a better setter, I write articles in a way that on your own, you'll be able to check yourself to see how to set a volleyball correctly so you can tell whether you are setting the ball using the right technique.

How To Set A Volleyball
#1 Watch Your Upper Body and Lower Body Positioning

When learning how to set a volleyball correctly, you want to check to be sure that your body parts are in the right position to deliver a hittable ball.

Ideally you want your whole body to be lined up underneath the ball every time, before you get ready to set it.

My Vegas Volley 18s starting left handed setter Kiara has spent the season working on getting her feet to the ball so she's lined her body up directly underneath the ball with her hands up early to be able to contact the ball at the highest part of her jump set while maintaining good body control in the air. (Photo Shots by Shanty)

Learn How To Set A Volleyball
#2 Run Quickly To Get To The Ball

You want to run to position and place yourself underneath the ball, QUICKLY.

Let me say it again...

..you should not be leaning to the ball but

you should get to the ball quickly and
be in a slight loaded position, with
knees slightly bent

The slight "knee bend athletic ready position" will give you a bit of added power from your legs to help you push the ball to your intended target (or to jump set should you choose to) once your fingers make overhead contact with the ball.

Your body is erect and perpendicular while your legs are doing the work. To become a better setter, its best to use your forehead and your feet to guide you as you position your whole body underneath the ball.

Learn How To Set A Volleyball Better
#3 Move Quickly To Get Into Position Before Setting The Ball

How To Set A Volleyball: Watch as Vegas Volley 18s setter Kiara faces Zone 4 to jump set the ball to her outside hitter during one of our December 2024 club practices.

Here's something you should remember...when the ball has reached its highest height, it can only come straight down.

With this in mind, once you determine...

Then, it's a matter of moving your legs quickly enough to get your forehead, followed by your shoulders, chest, hips and the rest of your body underneath the ball in order to get in the correct slightly squatted ready position for setting it.

There's one more thing for players to remember before making contact with the ball.

Learn How To Set A Volleyball Correctly
#4 Square Your Body and Shoulders to Face Your Target

Once you've determined where you need to be in order to set the volleyball - you need to square your shoulders to the left side hitter position, or face whoever you are setting to before you contact the ball.

Vegas Volley 18s setter, Mai has positioned herself perfectly, perpendicular to the net, to be able to set to her three or four possible positions, whether its to the middle for a quick set, to her left front hitter on the outside in Zone 4, to a back row hitter or even to her right side hitter if she decides to set backwards, which would be to Siena (pictured behind her) who's the opposite hitter

In the picture above, my 18s Vegas Volley setter, Mai has been working on positioning herself correctly, directly underneath the ball, so she isn't leaning forward, or reaching backward, while ending up perpendicular to the net.

What I mean by this is that she has positioned herself perfectly to be able to set to her three or four possible positions, whether its to the middle for a quick set, to her left front hitter on the outside in Zone 4, to a back row hitter or even to her right side hitter if she decides to set backwards, which would be to Siena (pictured behind her) who's the opposite hitter waiting to see if she's going to get set.

If she wanted to back set, she is in great position as well because she isn't turning her shoulders or leaning to her right or her left.

If she chooses to, she will just set the ball within the plane of her body directly behind her to the right front hitter

Learn How To Set A Volleyball
#5 Create The Perfect Ball-Shaped Setting Window With Your Hands

Watch as Vegas Volley 18s setter, Mai, forms a triangle shaped window above her forehead, with her thumbs and index fingers creating a loosely shaped triangle that she looks through to track the ball when its coming down towards her. (Shots by Shanty)

When you're learning how to set a volleyball correctly, creating the right hand position is very important.

Your hands should form a triangle shaped window above your forehead, with your thumbs and index fingers creating a loosely shaped triangle when you look up through them to track the ball when its coming down towards you.

Here's exactly what you want to do with your hands:

Spread your fingers comfortably apart so you take up as much space on the ball as possible when making contact

Point your thumbs back toward your forehead to help you keep fingers wide

Create a soft, relaxed curve with your fingers in order to contact the ball with the tips of all ten fingers

Position your hands as if you're holding a basketball

Keep your elbows wide and shoulders strong, so you maintain a strong upper body position which helps you create the strength needed to push the ball back in the air and towards your intended target

Remember, when learning how to set a volleyball you don't want to:

Let your palms touch the ball

Create a flat surface with your hands

Bend your wrists when contacting the ball
Position your triangle shaped or ball shaped hands too far forward in front of your forehead or too far back behind your head

If you're setting the ball behind you, the palms of your setting hands should be facing upwards towards the ceiling. Watch as I coach, my Vegas Volley 18s left handed starting setter on her back setting technique during practice. (Shots by Shanty)

Watch as I coach, my Vegas Volley 18s left handed starting setter on her back setting technique during practice focusing on palms facing the ceiling when setting backwards. (Shots by Shanty)

The key to learning how to set a volleyball successfully is to create a soft, rounded but strong surface with your hands and fingers that mirrors the shape of the volleyball.

This allows you to control the ball better and direct it exactly where you want it to go.

When you contact the ball the palms of your hands should be facing the target that you're setting if you're setting the ball in front of you.

If you're setting the ball behind you, the palms of your setting hands should be facing upwards towards the ceiling.

When you contact the ball the palms of your hands should be facing the target that you're setting if you're setting the ball in front of you. If you're setting the ball behind you, the palms of your setting hands should be facing upwards towards the ceiling. Watch as Vegas Volley 18s left hand setter Kiara, sets up to back set with palms facing the ceiling before delivering the ball behind her to her right side hitter.

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Follow me on Pinterest Volleybragswag 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.

How To Play Volleyball: Where Do You Go From Here?

Where do you need to go now? Here are three options:

Learn more about Setting by checking out the links in the Related Links section below.
Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
Or visit the pages in the How to Play Volleyball section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get started.
Before leaving this page Say "Hi" to Miss Ricci the Raccoon, wearing the #5 jersey below. She's the setter and team captain for the VolleyBragSwag All Beast team.

Say "Hi" to Miss Ricci the Raccoon, wearing the #5 jersey below. She's the setter and team captain for the VolleyBragSwag All Beast team.

Need to learn how to set a volleyball?
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