The forearm pass (bump) is how you receive serves and most hard-driven balls: you get your feet behind the ball, make a straight-armed platform, and angle it so the ball rebounds to your setter. Volleyball Canada calls the platform angle the most crucial part of the pass, and the classic fault is swinging the arms instead of letting the ball rebound. From the side or front the app reads your body position, knee bend, your platform at contact and how much your arms swing; it doesn't track the ball.
Get behind the ball, low
Start in your ready position: feet slightly wider than your shoulders, knees flexed and in line with your feet, trunk bent slightly forward, shoulders over your knees, arms relaxed in front of you. Face the server.
weight on the front of your feet, ready to move any way.
Read the serve and move to get behind the ball. Stay at the same height as you move; don't bob up and down. Arrive before the ball does.
level, quick feet.
Stop your feet before you pass. Brake with both feet, with the foot nearer your target slightly in front. You should be still, not moving, when the ball arrives.
planted, then pass.
Flat platform, angle to target
As your feet stop, straighten your arms and push them out in front, away from your stomach, then join your hands. Overlap your hands or wrap one fist in the other, thumbs side by side and pointing at the floor. Don't interlock your fingers. Your arms sit at roughly a right angle to your trunk.
arms straight first, hands together second.
Turn your shoulders toward your target and set the angle of your platform. The angle of your forearms decides where the ball goes. When the ball comes from one side, dip the shoulder in the direction of the pass so the platform still faces the target.
belly button and platform pointing at the target.
Cushion with the legs
Let the ball hit both forearms about 5 to 10 cm above the wrists, with your arms straight. Not on your hands or wrist bones.
the ball lands on the flat, fleshy part of both forearms.
Keep the arm action small. Any arm movement comes from the shoulders: a slight upward and forward lift toward the target, with no big swing. Finish with your elbows below shoulder height.
quiet arms; the ball rebounds off the platform.
Use your legs and body, and stay bent forward. At contact your weight shifts onto your front foot and your knees extend toward the target, while your trunk keeps leaning forward. Don't stand up straight. On a fast, hard ball, give a little with your arms and body to absorb it; the follow-through may be very short.
leaning into the target, not lifting up.
Feel it
A good pass feels quiet: you're already stopped behind the ball, arms straight and joined, shoulders turned to the target, and the ball rebounds off your forearms with little arm effort. Coaching cue words: bend knees, shoulders forward, belly button to target, flat steady platform. If the ball shoots high and fast, your arms swung or you stood up.
Fix-its
- You swing your arms at the ball Keep the movement at your shoulders and small. Finish with your elbows below shoulder height and let the platform angle send the ball.
- You stand up as you pass Stay bent forward through contact and push your belly button toward the target instead of up.
- Your arms are bent or close to your body Straighten your arms and push your hands away from your stomach before you join them.
- The ball hits your wrists or hands Move your feet so the ball drops onto your forearms 5 to 10 cm above the wrists, with your arms out in front of you.
- You're still moving when the ball arrives Get there early and brake with both feet, front foot toward the target, then pass.
Drill
- Self-toss and catch: toss the ball up and catch it at belly-button height or lower with straight arms and hands away from your body, in your passing stance. 5 catches per stage.
- Toss and pass, stationary: partner 2 to 3 steps away while you pass from your knees, then 3 to 4 steps away standing. Toss in front so you reach out to it. 5 passes each, then switch.
- Touch-up: run forward to touch your partner's ball, back-pedal, stop when they slap the ball, then pass their toss back. 5 reps, then switch. You must be stopped to pass.
- Side to side: two tossers 1 to 2 steps apart, you about 4 to 5 m away. Shuffle across, stop, and pass each toss back. Then pass diagonally to the other tosser, dipping the shoulder toward the target. 5 reps each, then switch.
- Film yourself from the front or side and check: still feet at contact, straight arms, trunk still bent forward, elbows below shoulder height on the finish.
By position
Liberos and back-row players: you take a large share of serve receive and digs, so a stable, repeatable platform matters most for you. Setters: the second contact is usually yours, but you still forearm pass when you dig or play a ball you can't get your hands to.
Sources
- Volleyball Canada — Basic Passing (skill description)
- Sask Volleyball (Atomic Volleyball Instructor's Manual) — Fore Arm Passing: Sample Training Sequence (2021)
- USA Volleyball — Junior High Glossary & Cue Words (2020)
- Ridgway & Hamilton — The Kinematics of Forearm Passing in Low Skilled and High Skilled Volleyball Players, ISBS Proceedings (1987)
Last checked 2026-10-26.