What Makes a Good Volleyball Hitter

By Mississauga Volleyball Research Staff

There is no doubt that a hitter is a very important volleyball player on the court. A hitter earns points and contributes to a volleyball team’s success. That’s why it’s so important for a volleyball team to have good hitters. A highly skilled hitter would be a good addition to any volleyball team.

A hitter should always aim to hit the ball forcefully and precisely. If a volleyball player hits the ball harder, opponents find it more difficult to resist an attack hit. Volleyball hitters should constantly improve their skills and do every single thing possible to get better on the court.

There are many things that volleyball hitters should work on to improve their performance on the court and increase the chances of their team for success. Today, we are going to provide the tips that volleyball players need to follow to become better hitters.

So, let’s get started.

Timing

Timing plays a very important role in volleyball hitting. It’s incredibly important to hit the ball at the right time. The ball shouldn’t be hit either too early or too late. That means that a volleyball hitter should be able to select the right moment for hitting the ball.

A volleyball player should start getting ready for volleyball hitting in advance. A volleyball hitter should know when it’s time to prepare for hitting and when it’s best moment to carry out an attack hit.

A hitter should watch the game carefully, try to find the holes in the opposing team’s defense line and select the best moment for hitting the ball. It would be better to select the moment when the opposing team’s blockers are not ready to resist an attack hit.

Footwork

It’s fair to say that the success of a hitter depends a lot on his/her footwork. Oftentimes, a hitter should change his/her position on the court. A hitter may need to move from middle to outside or from outside to middle positions. That means that a hitter should be able to make fast and explosive movements when such a need arises. That’s why a hitter should constantly improve his/her footwork. There is no doubt that volleyball hitters should strengthen their legs. So, leg strengthening exercises need to be a part of a hitter’s training program.

High Vertical Jump

A high vertical jump is crucial for volleyball hitter’s success. Sometimes, hitters should jump as high as possible during the game. That’s why hitters should work on increasing a vertical jump. So, hitters should do the drills that improve a vertical jump regularly. By doing this, volleyball players can improve a vertical jump over time.

Contact with Ball

When hitting, volleyball players should contact a ball in the right way. The right contact with a ball allows volleyball players to generate a lot of power and hit the ball forcefully. It’s necessary to contact the ball with solid hand. And of course, a hitter should always swing the arm quickly.

Accuracy

And of course, we should talk about the accuracy in volleyball hitting. It’s a very important aspect in volleyball hitting. Volleyball players should aim to hit the ball accurately and try to land it on the opposite side of the court successfully. That means that improving the accuracy of hitting has to be one of the top priorities for attackers in a volleyball team. There are many volleyball drills that hitters should do to improve the accuracy of hitting. So, the drills of this type have to be a key part of hitter’s volleyball training program.

Strong Core

Volleyball is the sport that requires a lot of strength. With a strong core, a volleyball player will be able to generate more power and hit the ball more forcefully. So, a hitter should focus on strength and conditioning.

Arm Swing

Arm swing is an important element of a volleyball attack. And of course, a volleyball player should have a fast arm swing. The faster you swing the arm, more power is generated. But most importantly, you will hit the ball more forcefully. If you hit the ball with fast arm, the ball goes very quickly.

Resistance Training

There has been a lot of talk about the importance of resistance training for volleyball. It’s recommended for volleyball players to focus on resistance training. Volleyball training of this type helps volleyball players strengthen their body and increase their hitting power signifficantly. It’s also important to note that resistance training helps volleyball players achieve a faster arm swing.

Cooperation with a Setter

It’s widely known that a setter and a hitter cooperate together on the court during the game. A setter should set the ball with hitter’s preferences in mind. A setter should set the ball in the way that allows a hitter to carry out an attack easily. It would be better for a hitter to discuss his/her preferences with a setter in advance. It goes without saying that a hitter and a setter should always communicate in an efficient way.

Diversity in Hitting

A hitter should be able to hit the ball in many different ways. It would be great for an attacker to master different types of volleyball hits such as bump, cobra, tip, down ball, free ball, cross count hit, line hit, cut shot, wipe and others.

The more types of hits volleyball players master – the better they hit the ball. A hitter should analyze the situation on the court carefully and hit the ball in the best possible way. Also, an attacker should aim to hit the ball in the different parts of the court. As a result, opponents will not know what they should expect from a hitter and where a hitter is going to land the ball on the court the next time.

If a hitter is unpredictable during the game, then the opposing team’s blockers find it difficult to resist an attack hit. On the other hand, the opponents will manage to get used to the hitter’s style if he/she hits the ball in the same way all the time. Remember that diversity allows volleyball hitters to be good at spiking.

Hitting Approach

A volleyball player should always hit the ball in the right way. If the ball is hit correctly, the chances for success increase significantly. Initially, a hitter should develop the correct volleyball hitting approach. That’s why it’s so important for hitters to get the right type of volleyball training.

There are several important aspects that volleyball hitters should focus on. When hitting, volleyball attackers should aim to get the most out of their legs, arms and body to generate more power.

Hitter’s legs have to be loaded. So, a hitter will manage to use the power of his/her legs and move explosively when such a need arises.

It’s also important to note that the success of volleyball hitting depends a lot on hitter’s arms. And of course, it’s crucial for hitters to have fast arms. With fast arms, volleyball players will manage to swing their arms quickly if necessary. As a result, it will be difficult for your opposing team’s blockers to react to it. Keep in mind that resisting a ball that goes quickly can be hard.

The whole body is involved in the process of volleyball hitting. That’s why it’s so important for a volleyball hitter to have a strong body. A strong body allows a hitter to get the maximum hitting power. The exercises that strengthen a body have to be included in volleyball player’s training program.

On top of that, you should contact the ball in the right way. Make sure that your contact with the ball is solid. So, you’ll be able to send the ball to the opposite side of the court with power.

The task of a hitter is to develop the perfect hitting approach. If your hitting approach is correct and you do everything in the right way, then you’ll be able to carry out an attack hit successfully and do a great job on the court. So, your opponent will find it difficult to resist an attack.

Final Thoughts

Thank you so much for reading this article. We’ve just explained what makes a good volleyball hitter. Athletes need to train hard to develop hitting skills and be good at volleyball hitting.

As you can see, volleyball hitters should put a key focus on strengthening their legs as well as arms. Strong legs allow volleyball players to make explosive movements and change their positions on the court quickly when it’s necessary. Strong arms make it possible for volleyball players to achieve fast swing. Those volleyball players, who strengthen their legs as well as arms, can hit the ball with power.

On top of that, we’ve provided the tips on improving the contact with a ball and developing the right hitting approach. Follow our tips to become a better volleyball hitter!

Best of luck!