Crusaders Volleyball: Hitting Approach & Armswing

For a RIGHT-HANDED hitter / / / Three Step Approach

PREP
Wait for the set in athletic stance. Shoulders are in front of hips, arms down in front of you. All your weight should be on your right foot, left toe on the floor.

STEP 1
Take a small step forward with your left foot (this is your timing step), Right heel comes off the floor.
Hips open toward the right.
Your arms swing in front of your body, palms face down.
Next, arms swing back to the midline, palms face behind.

STEP 2
Pull arms straight back so palms are facing the ceiling. Step with your right foot, heel first, toe points 45 degrees to the right. Bend your left knee.

STEP 3
Weight transfer heel to toe on right foot. Step with the left foot at a 45 degree angle in front of the right foot so that feet are shoulder width apart. Both knees are bent and butt is down. Arms move forward and up into prep position.

FOOTWORK: Left----RIGHT-LEFT. The power steps are the last two. The timing is slow-quick-quick. ACCELERATE and EXPLODE into the last two steps. They are POWERFUL.

PREP POSITION:
Right arm: Elbow, wrist, hand are all at shoulder height in line with the ear and parallel to the floor. Palm faces down. Elbow has ~a 90-degree angle. Think of a slingshot or a bow-n- arrow position. Left arm: Arm is up, elbow slightly bent, palm faces forward.

ARMSWING:
Right arm accelerates up toward the ball, leading with the elbow, hand trails. Arm should be close to the ear. Palm faces the ceiling and then snaps over top of the ball (arm is fully extended). Silmultaneously, the left arm drops and tucks into the stomach. As you jump straight up, the hips close and feet turn and point forward. Body pikes so the shoulders are ahead of the hips. CONTACT POINT: to find where the best place is to make contact with the ball, place your left bicep over your left eye. Now place your right hand over your left hand. Drop your left hand. This is your contact point.