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Staying Ahead Of The Game

Over the years I’ve noticed a consistent problem that plagues young and inexperienced players, and that is the inability to correctly interpret what the opponent is going to do, also known as reading the play. This is one of the biggest challenges for athletes in team competition. Your ability (or inability) to divine what your opponent is attempting, and making the appropriate adjustments, will be the difference between you starting the game or watching from the bench, and ultimately your team’s ability to win.

In volleyball, anticipating where the opposition’s hitter is about to slam the ball will help you move into position earlier, play the ball better, and aide in a smooth transition to offense. Good play reading skills makes you a better defensive player and more valuable to your team.

Now that I’ve got you thinking about the other team, I’m going to grab your cyber head and turn it around to look at your own court. That’s right, this is not only about reading the opponent’s plays, you also need to know what to look for on your own team. You not only need to know precisely where you should be to defend your area on the court, you need to know if someone on your team is out of position and warn them, or adjust to cover for them.

Let’s talk about some specific tactics for back row defense players that may help you read an opposing hitter ’s body language, which will in turn help you anticipate his/her decisions.

I want to begin by offering this caveat; don’t over-analyze the play! The process of reading a hitter from the back row is very similar to playing the front row. Your first job is to assess the direction and speed of the set and move into position. At that point you must analyze the hitter’s approach and any subtle clues that may give away his/her intended target. The hitter that sweeps wide on the approach will usually aim cross-court, but if the approach is perpendicular, or straight at the net, watch for the shot down the line .

Your own blockers present the next big challenge for the back row. A big part of your preparation is seeing, and hopefully knowing, where your blockers are going to be and covering the high percentage spots outside of their block.

In my article Volleyball 1,2,3 I talk about the necessity of preparation. When playing in the back row it is vitally important to be ‘prepared’ which will give you time to read the hitter. Besides observing where the set is going and the direction the hitter is facing when he/she leaves the floor, you also need to be ready to play the ball off the block.

If you are playing the number 6 position, or middle-back, you need to stay deep so you can recover any ball that is hit off the block and sails deep. You also might want to take an extra step opposite the set so you can play the hard angle cross court shot.

If you are playing the number 1 or 5 position, left or right-back, make sure you always start just behind the 3 meter (10 ft.) line so you can cover the quick middle hit, called the ‘#1′, or the tip from the front row setter.

Do not release from this position until the ball is set outside or to the opposite position. Now I know what you’re thinking, “If the set doesn’t go to the middle hitter I’ll be out of position if I start at the 3m line.” Don’t worry, if you’re on your toes you’ll have time to transition deeper into your court if the set goes up and out.

If the set is away from your side, quickly release into the court with a big step/leap back and one toward the center of the court. As Hayley Merrett says in his tutorial, you must stay ‘in the sunshine’ of the ball when playing defense. He says, “Think about the ball as being a sun, and the block is shielding the sun’s light. On defense, it is important to change your position so that you are never behind the block, because you want to be ready to play the ball
where there is no one else to stop it. When taking your step into the court, make sure you are moving into an area that is not being covered by the block, or in the ’sunshine’.” Hayley offers an interesting metaphor and a good visual to help get you in position.

If the setter puts the ball to your side, take three or four quick steps backwards sticking close to the side line. It is imperative that you are completely stopped and ready to move when the ball is hit. If not, your reaction time will be diminished, and so will your pass. Also, if the ball is hit off the block you may need to spring from your position and run after it, or the ball may be tipped, and you will have go to the floor after it. If you are still moving when the ball is hit, your ability to react properly will be greatly affected.

After the approach and vault, if hitter begins to slow his/her arm swing at all you’ll know a tip is coming , or if the player is attacking a poor set that is tight to the net. If you see a tip coming, react first, call it out second.

When you are anticipating the ball, one necessary preparation is to turn your feet in slightly giving you the ability to explode forward with your first big step toward the ball. Otherwise, get low and be ready to take that hard
shot down the line.

If you watch the direction of the hitter’s approach you’ll know which direction he/she is going to hit… usually. It’s difficult to hit the line if your approach sweeps in from the side, but it can be done. However, for the most part a player approaching the net at an angle will usually hit cross court. If the approach is more perpendicular to the net the hit will most likely go down the line. Always be in ready position, because a hitter may suddenly change the direction of the ball by hitting across their body. This leads to our next point.

Every player has habits, or styles of play that will help you anticipate future moves… if you are paying attention. It will be of great value for you to study the habits of each player throughout a match. So, be a student of the other team’s players, knowing how they serve, hit, pass, etc. We are all creatures of habit, so learn to recognize others’ habits.

I know this is a lot of information, so don’t expect to master this in one day. Your goal in reading the play is to see things before they happen and act accordingly. You need to react to everything on the court, including what your own players are doing. Your coach expects you to be accountable for the space you are defending, so be in position, ready to react, always studying the other team. You’ll be way ahead of the game if you keep this in mind.