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- Improve Your Volleyball with Coach April
- Words Used in Volleyball
- Volleyball Terms To Know
A List of Volleyball Terms To Know For Liberos and Backrow Players
Here's a list of volleyball terms to know on digging and defensive terminology for liberos and backcourt players who need to know about backrow defensive terms.
This list of volleyball terms to know for defensive players is an extensive checklist of funny terms and words borrowed from everyday language for normal people and turned into definitions for defensive playing actions on the court that mean something completely different to players, coaches and fans.
Remember the goal of the team on defense is to keep the ball off their floor so, the players are set up to strategically cover areas at the net and areas in the back court to keep the opposing team from attacking to those areas.
As you learn more about the game, you'll learn more advanced defensive strategies like
how more advanced defensive options work, like playing team rotational defense.
This is a basic explanation of volleyball defense.
Discover specific volleyball terminology collegiate and professional athletes use regularly for defensive actions performed in competition.
A List of Volleyball Terms To Know With Words And Jargon For Liberos and Backrow Players:
What's a libero?
A libero in volleyball can be compared to a pinch hitter in baseball.
The libero is a defensive specialist given much court space to cover to dig up balls in the backrow.
As an expert in serving, passing and backrow defense, the role calls for them to be the one back row player to enter games for a front row player, when that player has to go serve in the backrow without having to be "substituted" in.
The libero's jersey is always a different color shirt color than her teammates to make it easier for the ref and officials to differentiate her from her teammates since she only plays in the back row.
A List of Volleyball Terms To Know With Words And Jargon For Liberos and Backrow Players:
What's a pancake?
The "pancake" is volleyball terminology used in defense to describe what a player does as a last possible effort to keep the ball in play by keeping it from contacting the floor.
If the ball falls below the level of where she would normally form her platform, she can still drop to the floor and place her hand, with her palm down on that very spot on the ground so the ball contacts her hand and not the floor and bounces back up into the air.
This can be an effective method if you have completely extended yourself to get to a ball and the only option you have left is to put your hand out, on the floor, so the ball hits it, instead of the floor.
With a very flat hand well-placed under the ball on the floor, the ball will bounce straight up from your hand, as if it contacted the floor.
A List of Volleyball Terms To Know For Liberos and Backrow Players:
What's a chicken wing?
In beach volleyball defense, this move is used by a player who uses a bent elbow to defend a hard hit spike that's aimed right at her head and shoulder area.
Usually she will chicken wing a ball because she doesn't have time to get both her arms out to form a platform.
As a quick deflective movement, a player will bend their elbow, so the arm looks like its in the shape of a chicken wing, and dig a fast approaching ball that's usually headed towards the digger's face.
The chicken wing is a reactive movement and quite often is unplanned.
A List of Volleyball Terms To Know And Words And Jargon For Liberos and Backrow Players:
What is pepper?
Sure it's a spice!
But pepper in volleyball is a pre-game warm up practice drill used by teammates who partner up and perform all three basic volleyball defense and setting, passing and spiking skills in different combinations in order to do one or all of the following five things:
a. To improve ball control skills.
b. To improve serve receive volleyball technique.
c. To increase the amount of court area you cover.
d. To narrow your focus and concentration.
e. To quicken your reactions and reduce fear of the hard hit ball.
Some coaches use pepper as a conditioning drill or as a way for players to improve their reading ability and digging consistency and technique.
My List of Volleyball Terms To Know With Words And Jargon For Liberos and Backrow Players:
What's a roll?
A roll is an acrobatic defensive technique that players use to collapse safely to the floor after they've been forced to leave their feet to dig a ball.
This volleyball dig video became so popular it was trending on Twitter!
Texas Girls high school volleyball player Autumn Finney pulled off one of the greatest volleyball digging displays ever caught on tape.
Finney soars through the air and makes a fearlessly successful diving save.
This volleyball dig video became so popular it was trending on Twitter!
Read more about volleyball terms to know with words and jargon for liberos and backrow players on these pages.
Unlock the Secrets of Setter Slang and Terminology for a Fast Offense
Unlock the secrets of setter slang and terminology to boost your volleyball offense. Learn about key second tempo sets and incorporate them into your strategy.
Setting In Volleyball: My Guide To The Basic Slow Offense Setter Calls
I'll teach you the volleyball setting calls and offensive plays that beginner players learn and work on in freshman practices including four, two and five sets.
Volleyball Hits Ten Types of Spiking Attacking And Hitting Terms
Why do elite hitters score in 10 different ways while others only know 2? Master all 16 volleyball hits and become unstoppable. Full terminology breakdown.
25 Volleyball Communication Terms for Effective On-Court Strategy
Elevate your game with volleyball communication terms for specific positions, non-verbal cues and tips for effective on-court communication in competition.
Words Used In Volleyball: Basic Terms, Slang, Phrases, Jargon, Lingo
Explore the extensive list of words used in volleyball with basic slang, lingo and vocabulary terms often used on the court by players and coaches and fans.
Four Types of Volleyball Blocks Varsity Volleyball Players Should Know
These blocking terms describe the four types of volleyball blocks varsity players know to do: one-on-one blocking, double block, triple block and swing blocking.
Basic Volleyball Terms For Blocking A Ball At The Net For Points
A double block is one of the basic volleyball terms for blocking that describes when 2 players jump to cover cross court or the line to stop an attack hit.
The Volleyball Dig Pass: 5 Types of Digs For Passing A Ball In Defense
The volleyball dig pass is a term that describes how to pass a hard driven ball in defense using techniques like the Gator, Flipper, Pancake, Shank and J Stroke
14 Volleyball Hitting Terms That Explore The Spike, Attack and Hit
By familiarizing yourself with these 14 volleyball hitting terms and attack techniques you'll learn the attack skills and the offensive game much faster.
Spiking Volleyball Vocabulary Words A Directory of Hitting Term Pages
Start here to find a directory of the pages on Improve Your Volley that explain how to spike, improve your hits and other hitting volleyball vocabulary words.
2 Dig Volleyball Definition Terms For Liberos and Defensive Players
The dig volleyball definition for two terms with explanations for an "up" and what "tagged" means which describe what happens in back court defense.
Words Related To Volleyball Digging A Ball What Does Lip A Ball Mean?
These words related to volleyball digging are "dig lips" or "digging lips" refer to a defensive player who digs a hard hitter multiple times in the same play.
Types of Volleyball Hits: 5 Attack Techniques I Teach My Club Hitters
Discover in this article, how I show you the different types of volleyball hits I teach my Vegas Volley club 18s players-from basic spikes to strategic shots.
The Volleyball Wipe Wiping The Block And What's A Wipe in Volleyball?
The "volleyball wipe" is a great hitting option for short outside hitters who need a way "to beat the block" and to score a sideout or point for their team.
3 Types of Hits in Volleyball The Tool, The Wipe and Hitting The Line
There are other names for an attack or hit used in volleyball like 'tool', 'wipe' and 'hitting line' that're 3 types of hits in volleyball used to score points.
Common Terminology Volleyball Hitters And Attackers In Volleyball Know
Learn the terminology volleyball hitters and attackers in volleyball know when spiking the ball softly like tip, dink, cutty, tomahawk, joust, pokey and poke.
The Down Ball in Volleyball Is A Hard Attack Hit With No Approach Jump
The "down ball in volleyball" is a volleyball term that hitters use for attacking the ball on the court without using a spike approach jump to score points.
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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.
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.
- 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 2026-27 Private and Semi private Volleyball Training
Pre-Registration now open for 2026-27 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 2026-27.
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
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TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS!
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