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Coach April's
May 16 -17 and 30 -31
Spiking and Hitting clinics

COACH APRIL’S MAY HITTING CLINICS AT ITS ALL VOLLEYBALL For serious players ages 11–17 who want to improve: - approach footwork - hitting mechanics - power - ball placement - attacking confidence Perfect for: NYS players newer club players club travel players who need more focused hitting work DATES May 2–3 May 16–17 May 30–31 TIMES 10am–11am ages 11–13 11am–12pm ages 13–15 12pm–1pm ages 15–16 1pm–2pm ages 16–17 $40 one session $80 two sessions $120 three sessions Email info@improveyourvolley.com to register today
COACH APRIL’S MAY HITTING CLINICS AT ITS ALL VOLLEYBALL For serious players ages 11–17 who want to improve: - approach footwork - hitting mechanics - power - ball placement - attacking confidence Perfect for: NYS players newer club players club travel players who need more focused hitting work DATES May 2–3 May 16–17 May 30–31 TIMES 10am–11am ages 11–13 11am–12pm ages 13–15 12pm–1pm ages 15–16 1pm–2pm ages 16–17 $40 one session $80 two sessions $120 three sessions Email info@improveyourvolley.com to register today
COACH APRIL’S MAY HITTING CLINICS AT ITS ALL VOLLEYBALL For serious players ages 11–17 who want to improve: - approach footwork - hitting mechanics - power - ball placement - attacking confidence Perfect for: NYS players newer club players club travel players who need more focused hitting work DATES May 2–3 May 16–17 May 30–31 TIMES 10am–11am ages 11–13 11am–12pm ages 13–15 12pm–1pm ages 15–16 1pm–2pm ages 16–17 $40 one session $80 two sessions $120 three sessions Email info@improveyourvolley.com to register today
COACH APRIL’S MAY HITTING CLINICS AT ITS ALL VOLLEYBALL For serious players ages 11–17 who want to improve: - approach footwork - hitting mechanics - power - ball placement - attacking confidence Perfect for: NYS players newer club players club travel players who need more focused hitting work DATES May 2–3 May 16–17 May 30–31 TIMES 10am–11am ages 11–13 11am–12pm ages 13–15 12pm–1pm ages 15–16 1pm–2pm ages 16–17 $40 one session $80 two sessions $120 three sessions Email info@improveyourvolley.com to register today

Email: info@improveyourvolley.com for info or to register for this weekend's clinics! 


Volleyball Tipping
6 Attack Strategies Outside Hitters Use To Score

The hard volleyball hit is not the only point scoring option a hitter has. Volleyball tipping is an offensive strategy you can use to vary your attack hits.

Volleyball Tipping: Be sure to mix up your shots as an attacker. Here are six ways you can use the tip as your offensive weapon. (Ralph Arvesen)Volleyball Tipping: Be sure to mix up your shots as an attacker. Here are six ways you can use the tip as your offensive weapon. (Ralph Arvesen)


About volleyball tipping.

Be sure to include "the tip" as one of your options to your volleyball hit strategy to use in order to  mix up and vary your attack hits against opposing teams. 

Volleyball tipping. You want to be unpredictable as a hitter. And if your spike attacks are always hard hits, then that's very predictable. (Ralph Arvesen)Volleyball tipping. You want to be unpredictable as a hitter. And if your spike attacks are always hard hits, then that's very predictable. (Ralph Arvesen)

Volleyball Tipping: 
Don't Always Hit The Perfect Set


In your spike training drills, you want to know and you want to practice all the possible things you will do, if and when you get the perfect set.

Of course, when you get a perfect set you are going to want to hit the ball. But, that is also what the defense is expecting you to do.

To mix up your game, in practice, when your setter sets you the perfect ball to hit, don't! 

Tip it instead.


Volleyball Tipping Strategy: Catch the defense back on their heels because they expected you to hit hard and instead you tipped it softly over their block, short in their court. (Michael E. Johnston)Volleyball Tipping Strategy: Catch the defense back on their heels because they expected you to hit hard and instead you tipped it softly over their block, short in their court. (Michael E. Johnston)


If you do, you will catch the defense back on their heels because they expected you to hit that ball hard and instead you fooled them and tipped it softly over their block, short in their court.

Now they have to scramble to pick a ball up that they didn't expect to get.

In the book “The Art of War’ Sun Tzu says “Make your enemy prepare on his left and then attack on his right.”

This means you must be flexible. You must be prepared to do what your enemy does not expect you to do.


Smart hitters look for volleyball tipping opportunities to outsmart the opposing team's defense. After you've hit a few balls hard on the next good set tip the ball to an open space. (Gallery Three)Smart hitters look for volleyball tipping opportunities to outsmart the opposing team's defense. After you've hit a few balls hard on the next good set tip the ball to an open space. (Gallery Three)


This is what smart hitters do.

They look for opportunities to outsmart the opposing team's defense.

After you've hit several balls hard against their block, on the next good set your setter gives you, you should tip the ball to an open space on the opposing team's court, they will never expect it.

A good strategy to adopt is for every 5 or 6 balls that you hit you may want to try a tip on the next good set that you get.


The Volleyball Tipping:
Using The Tip To Save A Broken Play


Sure I know that you use the tip to save a broken play because many times, at the last minute, that's the only thing you think you can do to keep the ball in play.

But the question is still, how are you going to use the tip to save a broken play?

This suggestion may sound risky but like all things once you get used to doing it in practice then it will become a habit.

Once things become a habit, then we aren't so afraid of trying them when we have to, like in a game situation.

One way a player like yourself, can save a broken play is to soft tip the ball into the block on purpose.


Sure I know that you use the tip to save a broken play because many times, at the last minute, that's the only thing you think you can do to keep the ball in play.Sure I know that you use the tip to save a broken play because many times, at the last minute, that's the only thing you think you can do to keep the ball in play. (Michael E Johnston photo)


Professional players use this volleyball tipping technique to give themselves another opportunity to attack the ball.

The way to do this is to aim the ball at the wrists and forearms of the opposing teams blockers as they are in the height of their block against you.


One way a player like yourself, can save a broken play is to soft tip the ball into the block on purpose. This gives your team a chance to replay the ball. (Ralph Arvesen)One way a player like yourself, can save a broken play is to soft tip the ball into the block on purpose. This gives your team a chance to replay the ball. (Ralph Arvesen)


You do it by contacting the ball with the tips of your fingers and actually aiming it for the blockers wrists and arms so the ball will bounce back high off of their arms and back into your court in a way that your team, who should be covering you in defense as you hit the ball, has a chance to easily replay the ball, digging it back to your setter so she can set up another play.


Volleyball Tips 
Where Do You Go From Here?


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

  1. Learn more about How To Spike A Volleyball by checking the links in Related Links section.
  2. Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
  3. Or visit the pages in the How To Play Volleyball section in the drop down menu at the top of the page.


You might like these pages on how to spike a volleyball better. 

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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 Produces Powerful Passionate Players...is that you?

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🎯Parent's Volleyball Serving Checklist Guide

Parents! Help Your Player Develop Championship Serves (Even If You've Never Played)


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Thanks for stopping by. Hope you learned something today that will help you reach your volleyball goals.

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Stay strong! Stay motivated!

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as seen as on USA News InfluencerTennessee Athletics Honors April Chapple at Champions Weekend for Legendary Volleyball Achievements
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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! In It To Win It Tournament, May 2-4, 2025 Tournament A-1 Vegas Volleyball Club Gold Medalists, 18s Premier Division

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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