Dear Volleyball Mom, Do You Know What Sets My Private Volleyball Training Apart From Anyone In Vegas? I invite You to read what my private volleyball training mission says before considering hiring me as a private volleyball coach because I'm not available for everyone.

Steps to Passing a Volleyball: 5 Essential Techniques for Success

Want to pass like a pro? Learn the 5 essential steps to passing a volleyball with perfect technique, and learn home passing drills and common mistakes to avoid.

Steps to Passing a Volleyball: Watch The Ball Before It Crosses The Net: Tracking the ball early while its in the opposing server's hands is the key to better volleyball passing technique. (CE Andersen)

Every volleyball rally starts with a pass.

Yet studies show that 73% of points are lost due to passing errors, not hitting or blocking mistakes.

If improving your passing could immediately make you twice as valuable to your team, wouldn't mastering the proper steps be worth your time?

Dear Volleyball Mom, Did you know your player can Upgrade their volleyball skills with an expert college volleyball prep coach Las Vegas based April Chapple (that's me!) creator of the Breakfast Club for College Players.

The difference between sitting on the bench and being a starting player often comes down to one skill: consistent passing.

Coaches know they can teach players to hit harder or jump higher, but reliable passing?

That's what wins games.

When you become the player who rarely shanks a serve, you become indispensable.

In this guide, you'll learn the exact 5-step process that transforms shaky insecure passers into serve-receive specialists.

These aren't just theories - they're the same fundamentals used at every level from high school to the Olympics.

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Even Olympic gold medalist Kelsey Robinson - founder of the Passing Lab and regarded as one of the world's best passers - follows these same fundamental steps tof passing a volleyball each time she passes. If it works for her at the highest level, won't it work for you?

Let's start with the most overlooked aspect of great passing...

How can you get better at volleyball passing?

You can improve the quality of your volleyball pass technique immediately by watching the opposing server closely as soon as they have the ball in their hands ready to serve.

The 5 Essential Steps to Passing a Volleyball

Before I dive into advanced techniques, let's establish the fundamental steps every player must master:

1. Ready Position

- Feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, weight on balls of feet

Before the server toss: hands on knees

After the server toss: arms extended with palms up

2. Read and React

- Track the ball from server's hand

3. Move to the Ball

- Shuffle steps to get behind or close to the ball's path

In my original Boot Camp classes here in Las Vegas my strength and conditioning Coach D works on shuffle step footwork which passers, liberos and defensive specialists use when passing the ball and playing defense.

Fun fact: the player second from the left is Stanford starting senior setter Kami Miner, three year private training client, three year Voice Voice Boot Camp class and Breakfast Club member and three year and the youngest starting setter on my Volleycats Elite VBC teams

4. Create Your Platform

- Hold wrists together, with both thumbs touching side-by-side together while keeping them pointed down to the ground

How Do You Create Your Platform? By wrapping your left hand around your right fist, with your thumbs pointing straight down to the ground.

5. Contact and Re-Direct The Ball

- Make contact with the ball on your forearms angling your platform towards your intended target

Even Olympic players follow these exact same fundamental steps every single time they pass. If it works for them, won't it work for you?

Let's learn how to get better with these passing fundamentals first.

Tracking the ball early is the key to better volleyball passing skills

Steps to Passing a Volleyball
Watch The Ball When Its In the Server's Hands

Think about this:

Would a baseball player wait until the pitch is halfway to home plate before watching it?

Of course not.

So why do volleyball players often wait too long before they begin to track the serve until it crosses the net?

While waiting for the server to complete their pre-serve routine you need to check out the server's body position to pick up any cues as to where she could be serving .

What should you be looking for?

Steps to Passing a Volleyball: Watch The Ball Before It Crosses The Net: Penn State players Focusing On the Ball In Illinois Server's Hands ((Richard Yuan)

After you've checked out the server's body position and made your adjustments based on where it looks like the server is going to serve, then quickly share this information with your teammates.

What can you communicate to your passers?

"Hey watch the server, looks like they're going to serve short."
"Hey you guys, stay low and be ready to move backwards looks like they're serving deep."

It takes two seconds to say this very quickly to your other teammates before the opposing team serves.

Sharing any serving tendencies that the current server has shown is what to talk about at this point.

If the server has a jump serve then remind everyone "Hey watch the jump" or
If they have a float serve "Look out for the deep float serve down the line!"

If the server has only served cross court all match then talk about that. "Hey you guys watch her cross, watch her serving cross court!"

Passing the deep serve consistently requires teammates to talk to each other to let each other know who is going to move deep in the court to pass the deep serve.

Here's what separates good passers from great ones: great passers communicate BEFORE the ball is served. Wouldn't you rather know where the ball is going before it gets there?

Steps to Passing a Volleyball
Talk About What The Server is Doing

Next, you maintain your focus on the opposing team's server while

you are saying this out loud to your teammate and
getting into the ideal position for you to forearm pass a ball based on what you've just called out.

Steps to Passing a Volleyball: Keep visually tracking the ball, keeping your eyes on it as it crosses the net and as the ball travels closer and closer towards you.

After the referee has blown the whistle, your focus should be completely on the ball while its still in the server's tossing hand.

Check to see if you get distracted by taking your eyes off the ball between the time the server serves it and the time the ball crosses the net.

Once the server tosses the ball in the air for their pre-serve ritual there really isn't much they can change.

Passing is done when you hold both wrists together and with both thumbs side by side and pointing to the ground as you contact the ball on the forearms of both arms. (April Chapple)

MY PASSING EBOOK QUICKLY HELPS YOU IMPROVE YOUR PASSING SKILLS. Click to Learn how to perform one of the most important skills you need to know to gain more playing time on the court!

Volleyball Techniques:
Where Do You Go From Here?

Where do you need to go now?

Your three options are:

You can learn more about Passing in volleyball by visiting the Related Links 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 Ms. Resee the Kangaroo, wearing the #11 jersey below. She's a left side hitter with precision passing and a member of the VolleyBragSwag All Beast Third team.

Meet Resee the Kangaroo and Passing Specialist on VolleyBragSwag's All Beast Team

Reese the Volleybragswag Kangaroo

Explore More Volleyball Passing Techniques in the Pages Below

The Proper Volleyball Serve Technique, What Types of Serves Are Best?
What's the most proper volleyball serve technique to know? Learn the five serve types and terms for the let serve, sky ball, the overhand and underhand serve.
Seven Blocking Techniques in Volleyball Used In Defense At The Net
Some important blocking techniques in volleyball are sealing the net, stuff block, read blocking, cross court block, swing block, commit block, delayed block.
How to Use Good Volleyball Service Techniques To Serve for Points
Learn what good volleyball service techniques in volleyball will help you score points and increase the aces you score during a game after the ref whistles.
Step-by-step Instructions On Performing The Volleyball Dig Technique
Master the volleyball dig technique with my comprehensive guide. Learn step-by-step instructions, tips, and common mistakes to avoid for great defensive plays
Volleyball Hands 2 Ways To Hold Your Hands When You Pass A Volleyball
Learn 2 volleyball passing techniques on where to make contact with the ball on your arms and how to hold your volleyball hands while passing or bumping the ball.
Two Volleyball Blocking Strategies: The Stuff Block and Read Blocking
There are two volleyball blocking strategies players use in defense to stop hitters from spiking across the net, one is read blocking the other stuff blocking.
Improve Your Defense With The Volleyball Barrel Roll Dig Technique
Improve your defense with my comprehensive guide on the volleyball barrel roll technique with my step-by-step instructions and tips to improve defensive plays.
Good Volleyball Ball Control Is the Key To Improve Your Passing Skill
Passing is important in volleyball because your team needs good passers with good volleyball ball control skills to run an offense in order to score points.
Overhead Pass in Volleyball Strategy To Speed Up Your Team's Offense
You can change the pace or control the speed of the game using an overhead pass in volleyball technique which is a way your team can run a faster team offense.
Types of Volleyball Serves What's A Float, Jump Float, Spin, Jump Spin
What're the types of volleyball serves like the standing float serve, the jump float where you add spike approach footwork and the topspin and jump spin serves.
7 Ways A Spiker In Volleyball Can Improve Their Attacking Technique
The outside hitter is the left side spiker in volleyball at the net who is the team's offensive weapon who usually gets the most sets and attack attempts.
What Is Tool In Volleyball? Ways Hitters Use The Block To Score Points
The "tool in volleyball" is an attack hit used by hitters to aim the ball at the outside blocker's outside hand, so it hits the blocker's hand and bounces out

Dear Volleyball Mom Do You Know What Sets My Private Volleyball Training Apart From Anyone In Vegas? You should learn what my private volleyball training mission says before considering hiring me as a private volleyball coach because I'm not available for everyone.

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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.

utkaprilcollegepiconneylandstadiumvideoboard

Tennessee Hall of Fame inductee, Coach April Chapple is

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 2025 Private and Semi private Volleyball Training

Pre-Registration now open for 2025 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 2025.

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

Serving slang is not just about individual techniques; it also relates to overall game strategy. A coach might instruct a player to serve a "short serve" or a "deep serve" to target specific areas of the opponent's court or exploit weaknesses in their serve receive formation.

Ari, my private training client and I are working specifically on serving on jump float cross court serves ...short to Zone 2

There's so much we work on to get to this point where she can contact the ball with

the same toss height and same toss location
the same armswing speed
the same timing for when her serving hand contacts the ball
the middle of the hand contacting the middle of the ball every single time
getting use to watching her serving hand contact the ball at the highest point of her jump ...before she starts to land
and finally contacting the ball in the precise spot on the ball so it goes where the coach wants the player to put it so in this case ..a short serve in the farthest short right corner on the court also called Zone 2.

kamiminerpac12setteroftheyearformercoachaprilchappleprivateclient3years

Tommi Stockham All Big West Conference sophomore former Coach April Chapple private client 3 years

katepriorallwestcoastconferencebyufreshmanformercoachaprilchappleprivateclient3years

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Dear Vegas Parent

Read my open letter to Las Vegas Jr high/high school volleyball parents about my predictions on individual and small group volleyball training trends for 2019/2021

Improve Your Passing Tips: Press both wrists together when passing no matter what...

Improve Your Passing Tips: Move your feet first to position yourself behind the ball.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Present your platform after you've stopped running.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Focus on the ball in the opposing server's hands not on the server's face. Its the ball you have to pass.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Keep your eyes on the ball. focus early on the ball before it comes to your side.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Anticipate where you need to be. Get there BEFORE you start to pass.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Keep your eyes on the ball. Visually track it from the server's hands to your passing platform.

Click to read Passing in Volleyball: Fundamental Skills For Receiving The Ball Better

Improve Your Passing Tips: Pass with both feet on the floor. Avoid the jump bump.

Improve Your Passing Tips: Work on speed and agility drills so you can move quickly to get to balls in serve receive.

Tennessee Athletics Honors April Chapple at Champions Weekend for Legendary Volleyball Achievements

From Lady Vol to Legend: Coach April Produces Powerful Passionate Players...is that you?

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Congratulations to my seven Boys-18s Vegas Volley club players who played in two state championship finals yesterday, the 3A and 5A State champinship finals at Sunrise Mountain High School.

TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS!

A-1 Vegas Volley VBC

In It To Win It Tournament

May 2 - 4, 2025 Tournament

Gold Medalists

18s Premier Division

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Making A-1 Vegas Volleyball history as the very first TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS! In the In It To Win It Tournament, May 2-4, 2025 Tournament, A-1 Vegas Volleyball Club Gold Medalists, 18s Premier Division