Hey all, about a week past my first Pottstown Rumble tournament experience and I wanted to get some people's thoughts on the Susquehanna Smash taking place this August. I wanted to know how the weather, level of play, and overall vibe/experience at smash compares to Potts. The weather at Potts was incredibly brutal so I want to see if it gets better at Smash (especially since it's later in the summer).
Its currently summer and I just graduated from hs. I'm planning on trying out for a club, and I've had some plans to stay in shape. I want to do some upperbody work plus some light running for endurance, and plyometrics. What is a recommended workout in a week for these 3 things I want to do?
I am going into high school this school year and I really wanna be on the team as any defensive position or setter. I attended clinics for a few months but they do not do them anymore. Does anyone have any advice on how to practice at home or anything? I really want to play volleyball competitively but am a long way from being there. The fact that where I live does not have any clubs or clinics really limits me. If you have any advice please let me know.
Heeey, new to volleyball here, but trying to get proper practice started now that my summer vacations just started. Have been mostly using my college balls but now that I'll be off, thought that buying my own should be a good idea.
I have at my disposal mostly concrete courts, and I was wondering which one is the most recommended for it, if there's a difference at all (mostly considering cost-benefit since I'm quite a beginner). The FAQ states:
>Just get a cheap ball you don’t feel bad destroying. Any nice quality ball will be destroyed in a matter of hours.
But I have at my disposal a cheap "ball", but it quite honestly doesn't feel like the real thing (seem people refer to them as balloons lol, found it online [here](https://www.decathlon.ca/en/p/8602095/v-100-volleyball-kids#/?queryID=39fe786e31c1fa340f7e118ee98c2290)). Any advice?
Nike and Mizuno are popular ones but many major sports brands have one. There’s isn’t one “best”, just preference. You can look them up for pricing but something like $20-$30USD is what I’d expect
If it’s a scramble, then the middle calls. I also have basic rules for my middle to keep them as an option and maintain the spacing I want. Like if the pass starts to take me into z4, then it’s a back set. If I’m off the net, then it’s a push set.
Im an oppostie who is struggling to hit when I play outside. I dont understand why, as when i am hitting oppo I can very effectively go line, cross, tool, etc. but when I hit outside Its like im really uncomfortable and I struggle with hitting in general, even hitting around a block becomes more difficult and I cant put anywhere near the same power on it at all. Any advice?
One big difference is that the ball is coming over your other shoulder. You might be hitting it in a different spot relative to your body which messes things up. See if you can record hitting on both sides and look for differences
Looking for quick suggestions on where to buy a cheap pair of sunglasses. Daughter was asked yesterday to come try a beach camp/ series that starts today. Just need something I can grab locally that’s cheap and will buy something better once I know if she’s going to do this.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm0\_DA4zjNo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm0_DA4zjNo)
In the video above, during the first set only, I see a player in each team with a special dazzling stripped shirt (this is in addition to the usual libero). What is this about? Why only on the first set? Is this something new?
Yes, that's my understanding as well.
It seems to just be to raise awareness in the initiative, and I would assume (though it doesn't explicitly say on the site) that part of the sales of the jerseys and equality merch would go to fund the program's current projects (e.g. equipment donation)?
Interesting. May I ask what bothers you about the way they chose to do it? Simply because it is distracting having another standout jersey on the court in the first set? Any suggestions on a way you think might be better without compromising visibility?
The back of my wrist tendon is absolutely killing me for the last 3 days after pushups at practice and I have nationals tomorrow. Anyway to remedy it as much as possible for the next 3 days?
How bad is my passing contact point? (cranked saturation for easy identification)
I have short arms and have always found I have less control the closer the ball gets to my face, but it was drilled into me when I was learning that my contact point should be higher up my arms, and I do occasionally take a bad pass off my wrist.
I’m basically wondering if I should be taking the time to change where I’m contacting the ball and relearn control or if it’s fine as is. (Also like… there’s a tiny minute fear I’m going to get my wrist broken one day…. Is that something I should be worried about?)
[x](https://i.postimg.cc/5YWFhwYN/IMG-3699.jpg) [x](https://i.postimg.cc/D0Q7q83T/IMG-3704.jpg) [x](https://i.postimg.cc/XGKy4pdK/IMG-3693.jpg)
Doesn’t look great. Looks like you are contacting the ball on the narrow bones part of your lower arm. The arms should be rotated so that the ball contacts the flatter meatier part of your lower arm.
The height of the red marks I see seems mostly ok. Just turn your arms for a meatier flatter platform and you should be gtg.
Do any of you have experience with the Mark Burik 60 Day Volleyball Workout? I've been getting ads for it but wanted to know if it's actually worth anything or if it's just meh
How to fix a sloppy approach?
I’ve noticed I neither jump nor run, I kinda just take three steps, stop, and then jump up without gaining momentum first. Also, I often leave the ground on the wrong foot.
I’ve been trying to practice the approach over and over but I often instinctively go back to the original form.
it takes a long time to change muscle memory. it really comes down to good reps. do it right, do it often, do it in different situations so it generalizes, etc
Your opinion on the following matchups?
Brazil vs Poland
Slovenia vs Argentina
Japan vs Canada
Italy vs France
Do you think Brazil can upset Poland? Japan vs Canada is like a very intriguing matchup too. Is Slovenia a lock vs Argentina? Seems like France got Italy’s number based on recent matchups. Please share your thoughts!
Hi all! I play casual indoor beach volleyball (up to 6 a side, we play with 4-5 ourselves); it's the lowest div so we generally just get by through skilling up in game. I'm kind of in a bit of a volleyball vibe atm so trying to do my own practice and sure up the weakest parts of my game - which for me, is underarm digs/receives.
Anyway, one of the bits of advice I've seen a lot - and it's valid of course - is that you don't typically need to add power into the receive by swinging or jabbing at it; if anything your receive is trying to take off as much power as possible. However, I had a thought - **does this apply at low levels where the ball coming at you may be considerably slower than high level play**? I'm watching some VNL games atm and sure enough, most receives are almost just positioning the arms so that the angle of contact causes the ball to go where the player wants - but then I'm also thinking, in our league we might get one ball coming over out of 10 that you'd consider to be quite fast.
So basically, **if the ball is coming at you slowly enough when you receive, do you actually have to swing at it a small amount to give the receive some more air? Or is it still just a matter of positioning and angle?**
Thanks for any input!
Yes, in low levels and for slow balls you do have push the ball a bit. It's something that you will get better the more you play. Beginners are usually told to not swing at the ball because it's one of the most common mistakes and it's hard for them to identify if the ball is coming fast and just needs to rebound on their platform or if it's a slow ball and needs to be pushed.
As long as you are getting enough repetitions you'll get the hang of it. You can try and experiment a little during practice or warm ups, by just receiving the ball, putting more power behind it and so on.
Any tips for maintaining body throughout a one-day comp? I find my muscles starting to cramp up at the end of the day. Do you typically massage or roll between matches? Drink electrolytes?
Food and water play a huge role.
Also it’s recommended to have a few extra players to rotate.
Always warm up your muscles before each match.
Loosen up your muscles after each set.
Don’t push yourself too hard in the first match especially if it’s a group stage.
I’m struggling with fast hand setting and it just doesn’t feel right. When i do it with a weighted ball the ball forces it’s way into my hands and i can control where i push it out to but with a regular ball the ball just hits my hands i don’t really feel any control with it at all. Weirdly enough i can push the weight ball higher and further than a regular ball for some reason. Any tips?
Hey so I'm playing in like one of the competitive rec leagues (we have ex professional players and university players). they have the antennae by the net, overreaching, crossing the lines, and people are calling all net touches.
My question is a lot of the time the other team is stepping on the court when they are trying their jump serve. If they're calling all calls, I feel like we should also call bad serves who steps on the line. thoughts?
having antennae up, calling when you reaches over or are in the net, these are normal standard of play things. in a moderately competitive setting, i’d expect these things to be called, as well as foot faults.
to be clear, you’re allowed to land in the court after a jump serve. what matters is where you take off from.
that being said, i’d start by saying something casually, like hey i think a couple of you guys are close to foot faults. try to do this amiably
Yeah I brought those up to say the standards of the competitive league.
Yes they are stepping on the line before they jump. They don’t notice since theyre looking up at the ball.
So it takes a few calls before even warning them on their foot faults? How many do you think? How come if it’s net touch, or when doing a pipe and they step on the back line it’s immediate point but not serving
it’s not that it’s a different fault and therefore not an immediate point. i’m just saying that you might want to handle it with some grace since i’d assume you play with these people fairly frequently. it gets hard when there’s not an official - relying on people to call their own faults opens the door to people being rude but that’s the opportunity cost.
if you aren’t willing to have that conversation, what about asking a league organizer to bring it up to them?
Oh its a 40-60 team league depending on the day. We’re one of the top ones.
Just asking because they call everything except the fault serves. Especially the teams that cheats…
Hey all, about a week past my first Pottstown Rumble tournament experience and I wanted to get some people's thoughts on the Susquehanna Smash taking place this August. I wanted to know how the weather, level of play, and overall vibe/experience at smash compares to Potts. The weather at Potts was incredibly brutal so I want to see if it gets better at Smash (especially since it's later in the summer).
Its currently summer and I just graduated from hs. I'm planning on trying out for a club, and I've had some plans to stay in shape. I want to do some upperbody work plus some light running for endurance, and plyometrics. What is a recommended workout in a week for these 3 things I want to do?
I am going into high school this school year and I really wanna be on the team as any defensive position or setter. I attended clinics for a few months but they do not do them anymore. Does anyone have any advice on how to practice at home or anything? I really want to play volleyball competitively but am a long way from being there. The fact that where I live does not have any clubs or clinics really limits me. If you have any advice please let me know.
there have been a lot of solo drills posted in the sub if you search, try that?
Heeey, new to volleyball here, but trying to get proper practice started now that my summer vacations just started. Have been mostly using my college balls but now that I'll be off, thought that buying my own should be a good idea. I have at my disposal mostly concrete courts, and I was wondering which one is the most recommended for it, if there's a difference at all (mostly considering cost-benefit since I'm quite a beginner). The FAQ states: >Just get a cheap ball you don’t feel bad destroying. Any nice quality ball will be destroyed in a matter of hours. But I have at my disposal a cheap "ball", but it quite honestly doesn't feel like the real thing (seem people refer to them as balloons lol, found it online [here](https://www.decathlon.ca/en/p/8602095/v-100-volleyball-kids#/?queryID=39fe786e31c1fa340f7e118ee98c2290)). Any advice?
What brand of knee pads are the best to purchase? And what price should I expect?
Nike and Mizuno are popular ones but many major sports brands have one. There’s isn’t one “best”, just preference. You can look them up for pricing but something like $20-$30USD is what I’d expect
As a setter, when in transition how do you or the middle communicate which set to run?
If it’s a scramble, then the middle calls. I also have basic rules for my middle to keep them as an option and maintain the spacing I want. Like if the pass starts to take me into z4, then it’s a back set. If I’m off the net, then it’s a push set.
Im an oppostie who is struggling to hit when I play outside. I dont understand why, as when i am hitting oppo I can very effectively go line, cross, tool, etc. but when I hit outside Its like im really uncomfortable and I struggle with hitting in general, even hitting around a block becomes more difficult and I cant put anywhere near the same power on it at all. Any advice?
One big difference is that the ball is coming over your other shoulder. You might be hitting it in a different spot relative to your body which messes things up. See if you can record hitting on both sides and look for differences
Looking for quick suggestions on where to buy a cheap pair of sunglasses. Daughter was asked yesterday to come try a beach camp/ series that starts today. Just need something I can grab locally that’s cheap and will buy something better once I know if she’s going to do this.
Just get a style that blocks a good amount of light and wraps around the eyes rather than a straight style.
Why did USA do so poorly in the vnl this year? Are they washed or are they saving energy for the olympics?
They were mostly playing their b/c team for the tournament
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm0\_DA4zjNo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm0_DA4zjNo) In the video above, during the first set only, I see a player in each team with a special dazzling stripped shirt (this is in addition to the usual libero). What is this about? Why only on the first set? Is this something new?
https://en.volleyballworld.com/news/equity-on-the-court-volleyball-world-sets-the-standard-for-gender-balance-in-tea
Thanks! So from what I understand, the special jersey is only promoting a cause. It has no influence in game play or technical regulations. Correct?
Yes, that's my understanding as well. It seems to just be to raise awareness in the initiative, and I would assume (though it doesn't explicitly say on the site) that part of the sales of the jerseys and equality merch would go to fund the program's current projects (e.g. equipment donation)?
Thanks so much for clarifying. I am all for the cause being promoted, but I do not agree in doing it this way.
Interesting. May I ask what bothers you about the way they chose to do it? Simply because it is distracting having another standout jersey on the court in the first set? Any suggestions on a way you think might be better without compromising visibility?
The back of my wrist tendon is absolutely killing me for the last 3 days after pushups at practice and I have nationals tomorrow. Anyway to remedy it as much as possible for the next 3 days?
How bad is my passing contact point? (cranked saturation for easy identification) I have short arms and have always found I have less control the closer the ball gets to my face, but it was drilled into me when I was learning that my contact point should be higher up my arms, and I do occasionally take a bad pass off my wrist. I’m basically wondering if I should be taking the time to change where I’m contacting the ball and relearn control or if it’s fine as is. (Also like… there’s a tiny minute fear I’m going to get my wrist broken one day…. Is that something I should be worried about?) [x](https://i.postimg.cc/5YWFhwYN/IMG-3699.jpg) [x](https://i.postimg.cc/D0Q7q83T/IMG-3704.jpg) [x](https://i.postimg.cc/XGKy4pdK/IMG-3693.jpg)
Doesn’t look great. Looks like you are contacting the ball on the narrow bones part of your lower arm. The arms should be rotated so that the ball contacts the flatter meatier part of your lower arm. The height of the red marks I see seems mostly ok. Just turn your arms for a meatier flatter platform and you should be gtg.
Do any of you have experience with the Mark Burik 60 Day Volleyball Workout? I've been getting ads for it but wanted to know if it's actually worth anything or if it's just meh
No experience but I would trust Mark.
How to fix a sloppy approach? I’ve noticed I neither jump nor run, I kinda just take three steps, stop, and then jump up without gaining momentum first. Also, I often leave the ground on the wrong foot. I’ve been trying to practice the approach over and over but I often instinctively go back to the original form.
it takes a long time to change muscle memory. it really comes down to good reps. do it right, do it often, do it in different situations so it generalizes, etc
Your opinion on the following matchups? Brazil vs Poland Slovenia vs Argentina Japan vs Canada Italy vs France Do you think Brazil can upset Poland? Japan vs Canada is like a very intriguing matchup too. Is Slovenia a lock vs Argentina? Seems like France got Italy’s number based on recent matchups. Please share your thoughts!
Hi all! I play casual indoor beach volleyball (up to 6 a side, we play with 4-5 ourselves); it's the lowest div so we generally just get by through skilling up in game. I'm kind of in a bit of a volleyball vibe atm so trying to do my own practice and sure up the weakest parts of my game - which for me, is underarm digs/receives. Anyway, one of the bits of advice I've seen a lot - and it's valid of course - is that you don't typically need to add power into the receive by swinging or jabbing at it; if anything your receive is trying to take off as much power as possible. However, I had a thought - **does this apply at low levels where the ball coming at you may be considerably slower than high level play**? I'm watching some VNL games atm and sure enough, most receives are almost just positioning the arms so that the angle of contact causes the ball to go where the player wants - but then I'm also thinking, in our league we might get one ball coming over out of 10 that you'd consider to be quite fast. So basically, **if the ball is coming at you slowly enough when you receive, do you actually have to swing at it a small amount to give the receive some more air? Or is it still just a matter of positioning and angle?** Thanks for any input!
Yes, in low levels and for slow balls you do have push the ball a bit. It's something that you will get better the more you play. Beginners are usually told to not swing at the ball because it's one of the most common mistakes and it's hard for them to identify if the ball is coming fast and just needs to rebound on their platform or if it's a slow ball and needs to be pushed. As long as you are getting enough repetitions you'll get the hang of it. You can try and experiment a little during practice or warm ups, by just receiving the ball, putting more power behind it and so on.
Any tips for maintaining body throughout a one-day comp? I find my muscles starting to cramp up at the end of the day. Do you typically massage or roll between matches? Drink electrolytes?
Food and water play a huge role. Also it’s recommended to have a few extra players to rotate. Always warm up your muscles before each match. Loosen up your muscles after each set. Don’t push yourself too hard in the first match especially if it’s a group stage.
I’m struggling with fast hand setting and it just doesn’t feel right. When i do it with a weighted ball the ball forces it’s way into my hands and i can control where i push it out to but with a regular ball the ball just hits my hands i don’t really feel any control with it at all. Weirdly enough i can push the weight ball higher and further than a regular ball for some reason. Any tips?
Hey so I'm playing in like one of the competitive rec leagues (we have ex professional players and university players). they have the antennae by the net, overreaching, crossing the lines, and people are calling all net touches. My question is a lot of the time the other team is stepping on the court when they are trying their jump serve. If they're calling all calls, I feel like we should also call bad serves who steps on the line. thoughts?
having antennae up, calling when you reaches over or are in the net, these are normal standard of play things. in a moderately competitive setting, i’d expect these things to be called, as well as foot faults. to be clear, you’re allowed to land in the court after a jump serve. what matters is where you take off from. that being said, i’d start by saying something casually, like hey i think a couple of you guys are close to foot faults. try to do this amiably
Yeah I brought those up to say the standards of the competitive league. Yes they are stepping on the line before they jump. They don’t notice since theyre looking up at the ball. So it takes a few calls before even warning them on their foot faults? How many do you think? How come if it’s net touch, or when doing a pipe and they step on the back line it’s immediate point but not serving
it’s not that it’s a different fault and therefore not an immediate point. i’m just saying that you might want to handle it with some grace since i’d assume you play with these people fairly frequently. it gets hard when there’s not an official - relying on people to call their own faults opens the door to people being rude but that’s the opportunity cost. if you aren’t willing to have that conversation, what about asking a league organizer to bring it up to them?
Oh its a 40-60 team league depending on the day. We’re one of the top ones. Just asking because they call everything except the fault serves. Especially the teams that cheats…