Volleyball skills
19 skills, beginner to advanced. 17 of them you can film on a phone and get measured. No fake scores.
Skills by level
You can film17 of 19 skills
Beginner 5
- Ready Position & PlatformVolleyball starts from a balanced ready position you can move and pass from, and a flat forearm 'platform' for controlling the ball. Ready position: feet about shoulder-width, knees flexed, weight forward on the balls of your feet, shoulders over your knees, hands ready in front.
- Forearm Pass (Bump)The forearm pass (bump) is the most-used skill in volleyball — how you receive serves and dig attacks. You get your body BEHIND the ball with a balanced base, knees flexed (a deep bend, shoulders over knees), and a flat platform, then CUSHION the ball by angling the platform and pushing gently through your legs…
- Overhand ServeThe overhand serve is your first chance to score, and the single biggest factor in a good one is a consistent TOSS. You stand with your opposite foot slightly forward, toss the ball a controlled height in front of your hitting shoulder, keep your elbow HIGH and back in a cocked position, step and transfer your…
- The SetThe set (overhead pass) is the controlled, accurate touch — usually the second contact — that delivers the ball to a hitter. You move your feet to get UNDER the ball with a balanced base and flexed knees, form a triangle/window with your hands above your forehead, and contact the ball with your finger PADS (not…
- Two-Foot Landing & Knee SafetyVolleyball is the most jump-and-land-intensive sport, so learning to LAND well from day one is a foundational safety skill — every jump (serve, spike, block) ends in a landing, and how you land drives your knee and ankle injury risk. The rule: land on BOTH feet, balanced, with your knees BENT to absorb the force…
Intermediate 5
- Spike Approach FootworkGreat spiking originates from the ground up, and the approach footwork is the foundation. The classic right-hander's rhythm is a 3- or 4-step approach with a slow-to-fast tempo: a calm first step (or two) to read and adjust to the set, then an explosive, aggressive last two steps — the 'step-close' (left-right…
- Double-Arm Backswing & JumpYour arms aren't passengers in the spike — they're power generators. During the step-close, BOTH arms swing BACKWARD together (at least to waist height), then explode UP together as you plant and jump.
- Bow-and-Arrow Arm SwingThe 'bow-and-arrow' is where spike power originates — and it's an overhead rotational kinetic-chain action, the same torque a baseball pitcher uses. At the top of your jump, your GUIDE (non-hitting) arm points up toward the ball while your HITTING arm pulls back, elbow HIGH (around shoulder line, an 'L' shape) —…
- Spike Contact & Wrist SnapContact is where the swing meets the ball, and two things matter most: WHERE you contact it and the WRIST SNAP. You contact the ball at FULL REACH (arm vertical/extended), slightly IN FRONT of your hitting shoulder, at the top of your jump — and you hit it with your WHOLE hand, slightly 'clawed,' snapping your…
- The BlockBlocking is your front-row defense against a spike: at the net you penetrate your hands OVER the net with fingers spread and firm (thumbs up), jump STRAIGHT UP (not drifting into the hitter), and press the ball down — then land BALANCED on both feet. Your jump should come just slightly AFTER the hitter's, with…
Advanced 5
- The Float ServeThe float serve is the opposite of a spike contact: the goal is ZERO spin so the ball wobbles unpredictably (like a knuckleball). The keys are a low, consistent toss in front of the hitting shoulder, and a FIRM, FLAT contact in the CENTER of the ball with a LOCKED wrist and almost NO follow-through — 'stamp' the…
- The Jump ServeThe jump serve is a serve version of the spike — the most powerful and most analyzable serve as a closed skill. You take a spike-style approach (3 or 4 steps), toss the ball OUT in front (often on the second step) so it leads you into the court, jump, and deliver a full kinetic-chain arm swing.
- Setting on the MoveGame sets rarely come to you perfectly — the advanced skill is moving to the ball and still delivering an accurate set, often from a pass that's off-target. The keys: read the pass early and MOVE your feet to get under the ball, SQUARE your shoulders/hips toward your target before contacting, keep the same hand…
- Back-Row AttackA back-row attack is a spike launched from behind the court — and the defining rule is that your last ground contact before jumping (your TAKEOFF) must be BEHIND the 3-meter (10-foot) attack line; if your foot touches or crosses the line at takeoff, it's illegal (you may LAND past it). This forces a longer, more…
- Landing Mechanics & ACL SafetyThis is the signature SAFETY lesson in volleyball — the most jump-and-land-heavy sport, where you land hundreds of times a session. Two big injuries are tied to landing: JUMPER'S KNEE (patellar tendinopathy), which affects up to ~45% of elite players and is linked to high eccentric quad loading, knees caving in…
Insane 4
- Hitting Shots & Shot-MakingElite hitters aren't one-dimensional — they have a toolbox of SHOTS beyond the hard swing: the tip (soft placement over/around the block), the roll shot (controlled topspin placement to open areas), the cut shot (a sharp cross-court angle), the line shot, and off-speed hits. The mechanical key is DISGUISE — using…
- Advanced Spike PowerMaximum spike power comes from the full kinetic chain and explosive athleticism — NOT from tensing up to 'hit hard.' It builds on everything: an explosive approach converting horizontal speed to vertical lift, a big double-arm swing for height, a full bow-and-arrow with strong external rotation, and a fast (loose,…
- Reading the Block & DefenseElite attacking is as much VISION as power — seeing the block and defense in the air and hitting where they aren't. This is largely a game-intelligence/decision skill a solo video can't grade, so it's coached here.
- Jump-Load & Shoulder CarePlaying a lot of volleyball at a high level means managing two overuse areas the sport is known for: the KNEES (jumper's knee, tied to JUMP VOLUME) and the SHOULDER (rotator-cuff tendinitis/tears from repetitive spiking and serving — the overhead swing). Plus the low back can suffer from repeated hyperextension in…