National High School Junior of the Year Award

I've been reading about a junior of the year award and have been wondering what it was. There isn't much information about it, but it seems to be an award given to 1 of 35 players selected at a state tournament and get awarded MVP. Last year, the player of the year was Kelly Vahos. She is 6'2" and still growing along with her game. She used to be a middle blocker, but now is being dominant as an outside hitter. She was also named one of LoHud’s “Athletes to Watch in 2014”. I think she's a really lucky girl to be named such a high title and would be extremely happy if anything close to this were to happen to me. This article talks about her and how she has lead her team three years in a row!

Learn How to Serve a Volleyball

There are many different ways to serve a volleyball. One of the most common is the overhand serve. Here are some helpful tips to help  improve your serves.

Step 1- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your non-dominant foot should be in front of you. Your shoulders and hips should be aligned with the net because that is where you are aiming.

Step 2- Place your non-dominant hand almost directly in front of you, but with a flexible elbow and the ball in your hand.

Step 3- Swing your serving arm behind you. Make sure it is at or slightly above your ear.

Step 4- Toss the ball up about 12-18 inches (30-45 cm). Remember that the toss is the most important part when you serve, so you do not want to toss with your fingers.

Step 5- Now only hit the ball with the heel of your dominant hand and smack it. Do not hit it with your fingers or the flat of your palm, as this will cause the serve to have less power. If you want to add momentum to your serve, step forward with your dominant foot and send all your weight from your arm to the ball.

Learn How to Hit a Volleyball

Here are nine useful steps on how to hit (spike) a volleyball:

Step 1: Make sure you stretch about 10-20 seconds before hitting. Try to focus especially on arms and legs. This will reduce any injury or the risk of pulling a muscle.

Step 2: This is called "transition". Move to the back of the 10 foot line and adjust yourself where you feel most comfortable hitting from.

Step 3: Be sure to always watch where the ball is going. The setter should be calling the name of your position, your name, the number of your position, or any nicknames your team has for that position. Also, make sure to call the ball very loudly for everyone to here, especially the setter.

Step 4: This is taking your approach. Once the ball is set to you, you want to (if you are right handed) step with your left foot, then your right foot, then left foot, then jump and swing and vice versa if you are left handed (right left-right). You should be at a forty-five degree angle from the net.

Step 5: To hit the ball harder, make sure the ball isn't directly overhead, but in front of you. To jump higher, it's helpful if you swing your arms backward then forward like a swing motion. Don't forget to keep your knees bent.

Step 6: For better aiming, use an open hand, not a fist and remember to always be behind the ball.

Step 7: To add topspin to the hit, you want to flick your hand so it will hit the ground faster. Be careful not to "carry" the ball as this will cause your team a penalty.

Step 8: Bring your arm through the ball and next to your body. This will ensure that you don't lose momentum during your hit. Bend your knees when you land to absorb the shock.

Remember you don't always have to ht the ball. You can totally surprise your opponents by tipping the ball barely over the blockers.


How to hit a volleyball. Photograph. USA VolleyballWeb. 9 Oct 2013. <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gke3t8bUTCE/UKq0moON7FI/AAAAAAAAABg/uwO45zuOymE/s1600/spiking1.jpg>.

Learn How to Set a Volleyball

The set in volleyball is also very important in a rally. The set has to be perfect in order for the hitter to get a  kill. Learning how to set is easy, but mastering it is the hard part. Here are four steps to learn how to set a volleyball:

STEP 1: Extend your arms up over your head. Your thumbs should be about two inches away from your forehead. You want to separate your fingers as if someone was placing a volleyball into your hands. Your elbows, which are very important shouldn't be facing out, but be even with your shoulders.

STEP 2: Spread your feet so they are shoulder width apart. When setting, you also want your right foot slightly in front of your left. Your knees have to be bent, but not as bent as when you pass a volleyball.

STEP 3: When you're ready to set, get under the ball and extend your legs and arms to push the ball away from you. Setting backwards is the same process, except you want to throw your thumbs back and use your wrists.

STEP 4: When you set the ball, get directly under it. Your hands should be in the shape of a triangle. Push as high as you can so your teammate can have as much time as possible to jump and hit the volleyball.

If you like visuals, here is a video that teaches you how to set a volleyball.

         Volleyball: How to Set a Volleyball. Film. 17 Sep 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d6FYi2TVm1I>.

Learn How to Pass a Volleyball

When passing a volleyball, you want it to be perfect so your setter can have a good set and your hitter can have a good hit. It all starts with a pass, but you'll want to remember some things before stepping on the court.

When you're getting ready to pass a ball, you want to be in "ready position" which is just knees bent, arms forward, back straight, and hips back. If you are right handed, your right foot should always be slightly in front of your left. The ball is almost never going to be served straight at you, so when you move,  you want to shuffle your feet (without crossing them) forward, back, right, and left.

Passing Form. 2012. Photograph. Robert Morris Volleyball CampsWeb. 26 Aug 2013. http://www.rmuvolleyballcamps.com/images/091710 RMU Volleyball 0100_200-x.jpg.

You never want to be late to pass the ball. In your head, you want to calculate where the ball is going by looking at whoever is hitting it and get to that spot before the ball does. When hitting the ball, you should hit it with your forearms and not with your hands. You always want your forearms to be straight in front of your chest and pretend you're locking your elbows so they don't bend. To pass the ball where it needs to go, your forearms should face the setter or whoever you're passing the ball to.

Hand placement is important here. You either want to overlap your hands or interlock them (make a thumbs up with your left hand and wrap your right hand around it). You DO NOT want to use interlocking fingers. It takes too long to react and it's way easier to break a finger this way. It's too dangerous.

Hand Placement. 2012. Photograph. Web. 26 Aug 2013. http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Dig-a-Volleyball-Step-1.jpg.

Common errors that players make when passing a volleyball are:
 - there is no movement, no shuffling to the ball, late reaction
 - bent elbows
 - too much arm swing, (it's not baseball)
 - contacting the ball with arms apart (breaking your arms)
 - contacting the ball with hands and not forearms