CHANGE YOUR GAME
Passing is the most important part of any volleyball strategy for success.  It all starts with a proper pass.  Control of the offense can never be realized if the setter cannot get the ball with time or ability to set up the attack.  Great teams are invariably good passers and ball handlers.  Here is a collection of ideas that I have been able to use successfully from the U14 to U17’s level of competition. 

Footwork and Body Posture

Good passing starts with the feet.  John Dunning, Stanford’s head volleyball coach, believes there are some standard practices that typify good passers.  He first believes that any aspiring passer should “Keep it Simple”.  It is easier to allow the athlete to be athletic.  It starts with keeping your feet staggered rather than parallel.  Staggered feet allow a quicker response to a majority of movement stimulus.  The legs should be slightly bent ready to move but not too low preventing a more rapid response.

A passing platform is created by the triangle formed from the hands together to the shoulders.  The upper body should be leaning slightly forward with the platform ready to contact the ball within the “Strike Zone”.  The strike zone is located between the knees and the chest. 

Shuffling is the best way to move to the ball.  The steps are short and quick rather than long strides requiring the body to exert more energy and control to stop momentum at the contact point.  The upper body should remain the same throughout the shuffle to the ball.  This allows consistent contact with the ball and prevents lunging and arm swinging.

Non-linear passing

I first heard about “non-linear” passing discussed by Georgia Tech’s head volleyball coach Bond Shymanski.  I incorporated this concept into my coaching instruction and it has dramatically improved the coverage area for the teams that I have coached.  In the spirit of John Dunning’s instruction to “Keep it Simple”, non-linear passing simplifies the approach to passing while increasing the coverage area and reducing run-downs.

All passes are designed to arrive to the target location with minimal effort required of the setter to reach the ball.  This leaves the setter with valuable time to evaluate the best options for attack.  It starts with squaring your shoulders to the ball rather than the target location.  This allows for greater confidence in the passer making solid contact with the ball and keeping the ball in the court.  The next step is called differently by different coaches.  Mark Massey (University of Puget Sound) calls it 5 o’clock passing.  Bond Shymanski (Georgia Tech) calls it “left knee” passing.  John Dunning (Stanford) calls it “tilting”.   I will use Mark Massey’s verbage because it presents a better picture on paper.

Picture your chin at 12 o’clock and the point of your platform at 6 o’clock.  Move your hands to 5 o’clock (just over your left knee) while keeping your shoulders square to the ball.  Your platform will automatically tilt towards the target from a contact point of center to left of the target location (viewpoint from the end line looking at the net).  I like this approach because run-downs are kept to minimum.  All contact is funneled towards the target location.  Even if the ball does reach the optimal location, it is kept in the court and playable.

Not all balls are going to allow the athlete to set up for a 5 o’clock pass.  This is where a drop-step pass increases your range while keeping the ball funneled to target minimizing run-downs.  Imagine yourself in position 4 facing the net.  As the ball travels to your left beyond your ability to get ball contact within your strike zone at your left knee, you drop your left foot back with your stomach facing the sideline.  Drop your inside shoulder, tilting your platform towards target.  Shuffle to a position making contact with your platform extended.  You must prevent any arm swinging—your hands should not extend past your chin.

A hi-lateral pass can be used in an emergency situation to prevent the ball from landing on the end-line, acing your team.  The athlete will turn completely around facing the end-line while extending the platform up with elbows at chin level and make contact with the ball directed towards target.  This ball would have aced you previously and now you have not only made it playable, but kept it in the court for a possible offensive attack.

Using these three passing techniques, or non-linear passing, will significantly increase your range of coverage and accuracy to target.  There is one exception to this concept and common sense has most likely already told you.  When a left side attack hits a down ball to the opposing left side of the defense, the defensive player’s platform should already be facing the target in a 6 o’clock position.  This is a nice segue into my final observation. 

Volleyball’s arrive at different speeds.  This would mean that the ball will react differently off the passers platform.  Free-balls may need a little more push to target while a down-ball needs no help at all.  Digging a down-ball requires the passer to allow the ball to rebound off the platform rather than striking at the ball.  This will allow the passer to maintain a good funnel to target without over-passing or passing so high that your offense becomes too predictable.

Read and React

Good passers are able to beat the ball to the contact location.  Great passers are able to read where the ball is going and set their platform before ball contact.  Reading the opposing player is really not that difficult.  In my opinion, it is made difficult by lack of practice.  If a player were to purpose to practice reading the opposing player, anticipation will come naturally in a game setting.

Watch where the athlete has their feet pointing on the serve.  Where did the ball go in relation to the hitting shoulder?  Inside the shoulder most likely means ball will move to the servers left.  Outside the hitting shoulder to the right.  What was the arm speed?  Is it going short because the arm slowed down before contact?  What “tells” will predict a players intent.  Did the body relax or tense before contact?  Could mean aggressive attack or soft drop.  Seconds matter on the volleyball court—use every advantage you can!

Mindset/Mental Focus

There are few sports in which an athlete must refocus for a repeated play in isolation in such a short period of time.  You must develop a short memory as a passer.  You cannot dwell on the mistakes or get too excited about success.  Each time an opponent serves is a reset of needed focus in the right mindset.   “The next play is the best play.”  I use this phrase repeatedly as a coach to help refocus the team or individual players in both practice and games.

As a coach I like to see routines on the court.  Much like a basketball player at the free-throw line or a baseball player at the plate, volleyball players face this situation with each serve.  I believe it to be significantly important to rally as a team to the middle of the court after each play.  It forces the team to be a “team”.  Mistakes can be forgotten.  Encouragement can be given/received.  Team focus can be reestablished to score the next point.  After the players break the huddle, they go through a physical routine that works for them (for example: putting their hands on their knees before the whistle blows, deep breath, etc.).

A good passer is level headed, a good communicator, optimistic, encouraging.  A good passer denotes controlled aggression.  By that I mean they are not out of control but always seem to be around the play, diving to the floor, never giving up and yet staying within the teams plan of attack.  A good passer is the anchor of the team.  They are always the catalyst to stop the opposing teams momentum.  Good passers/diggers work very hard in practice, they seem driven to exact every ounce of ability from themselves.  Finally, good passers are not afraid to make mistakes or accept responsibility for their play.  They have a high level of confidence providing them the self-assurance that mistakes are an aberration and success is in the next play.

Conclusion

Passing is about confidence.  The more you pass the ball  the better you will become.  Is this not a universal truth?  You must practice, to master.  This article is a few people’s opinions on how to pass the ball effectively.  Keep it Simple!  Use your athleticism to your advantage.  Try new ideas, you never know—one might take you to the next level of competition.  I wish you all a good endeavor and positive outcomes as a result of your hard work.