How to Play Volleyball: Learning the Fundamentals

To play volleyball and learn the fundamentals, it is important to understand how to play and the rules to acquire the necessary skills. Those basic skills in volleyball, and useful volleyball tricks, can be learned from professional and very skilled coaches, such as the ones who are working at Esperia Volleyball Academy.

At its core, volleyball is a team sport played with two teams of six players each, where each group takes half of the volleyball court. The objective is to score points by hitting the ball over the net and into the opponent's court while preventing them from doing the same.

When understanding how to play volleyball, focus on these foundational volleyball techniques:

1. Serving

Starting off with the mother of all volleyball basics: the serve. Any game starts with a serve, where a player hits the ball over the net to initiate play. There are different types of serves, such as the underhand serve, overhand serve, and jump serve. Practice serving with accuracy and power. You can see an example of this on our Instagram.

2. Passing

Passing, also known as bumping or forearm passing, is a technique used to receive the opponent's serve or to set up an attack. Keep your hands together and use your forearms to pass the ball to your teammates.

3. Setting

Setting is the act of accurately placing the ball near the net for a teammate to attack. Use your fingertips to push the ball upwards and toward the intended target. Focus on consistency and precision. Setting the ball in the right way is fundamental and requires a lot of technique in order to give the best ball to the teammate who could be spiking that ball.

4. Spiking

Spiking, or attacking, is the offensive action of hitting the ball forcefully over the net into the opponent's court. Jump, approach the ball, and strike it with an open hand to generate power. Aim for open spaces on the opponent's side. Fun Fact: Do you know how fast players can spike? One of the most famous female players from Italy, Paola Egonu, spiked a ball at 112.7 km/h! That’s incredible! Explore more about the fastest spikes.

5. Blocking

Blocking is a defensive technique used to intercept the opponent's attack at the net. Work on timing your jump and positioning your hands to deflect or block the ball back into the opponent's court.

6. Digging

Digging is a defensive move used to save a spiked or fast-moving ball from hitting the ground. Get low, extend your arms, and use your wrists to control the ball's trajectory.

7. Communication

Effective communication is crucial in volleyball. Constantly communicate with your teammates to coordinate plays, call for the ball, and provide support. Our coaches at Esperia Volleyball Academy cannot emphasize enough the importance of calling the ball. This can be a good result of a very organized game.

Remember, practice is key to ingraining these volleyball tips. Regularly engage in drills, scrimmages, and matches to enhance your understanding of how to play volleyball and develop your abilities. For this reason, at Esperia Volleyball Academy, we organize an internal tournament once a month where all the kids and teenagers who join our courses have the chance to play together in order to improve their games. Learn more on our website.