There is much more to hitting a volleyball than just hitting it hard. To be an effective consistent hitter the proper arm swing technique is necessary. If you want an explosive offense, then teaching the proper arm swing technique to your hitters is a must.
In the video clip below Bond Shymansky, University of Iowa Head Coach, does a great job of explaining and demonstrating how he teaching the key components of the proper arm swing technique that will allow his players to hit the ball at peak height and with speed and power. His goal is to get his hitters to hit the ball, not only hard, but also high. Coach Shymansky’s philosophy is “Hit the ball high good things will happen. Hit the ball low, bad things will happen no matter how hard you hit it”
This clip is from a DVD designed to help make your offense more explosive. In that DVD he also covers:
First Contact Ball Control, First Contact Speed,Hitting Position, Serve Receive and Transition. For more information on purchasing the DVD click the link Situational Coaching for Explosive Offense
The YouTube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site (Some schools block access to YouTube)
The technical cues that Coach Shymansky’s use to teach the proper arm swing technique are as follows.
Drive and Draw
The hands and elbows must be driven backward as the hitter begins to jump. As the leave the ground their arms and elbows must be drawn upward such that both elbows are above the ear. Most players will instinctively raise only their hitting arm. This cause the player to tilt forward resulting in a loss of reach and power. In addition, this position puts additional stress on the shoulder.
Hips and Shoulder Open
The hitter should have both their hips and shoulder open to the ball as the receive the ball. They should not have their shoulder parallel to the net.
Exchange
As the hitter strikes the ball the exchange the left hand for the right hand. They exchange the left left elbow for the right elbow and the left shoulder for the right shoulder.