Quote:
Originally Posted by wmavbplyr14  I am just putting in my 2 cent about the previous post. It is not good to stand off the net right before you block because one ur momentum is going forward to block and two if the opposing team decides to quicken up the sets your going to struggle to try and position urself correctly with good block. I would suggest really focusing on reading the sets and the hitters so that you can make a concious effort early to play defense or block. |
I completely agree. It is bad form to start off the net then come up to block. You could probably get away with it at lower levels, but moving up the ladder will result in serious burns. I would suggest not blocking at all, rather than developing a habit like that. The best way is to start at the net, judge the pass and the set. If you are dropping, open yourself up and sprint back, while remaining open to the court and watching the ball. The trick is you want to have your momentum completely stopped by the time the hitter contacts the ball, and be balanced enough to dig a hard driven ball or move in any direction to pick one up. I know I'd lick my chops and make a low pass and get a quick set if a blocker started off the net like that. It also will mess up your partner's ability to position themselves on defense.
One more tip on jumping in the sand: on approach, make sure your feet are closer to parallel when taking off. This will create more upward momentum, whereas indoor you want one foot slightly forward to get more forward momentum.
On a side note, we had a good weekend making the finals of a big tourney and got written up in a local paper (we got second and I was the guy that got served):
Vail Daily News for Vail and Beaver Creek Colorado - Sports