Championship Productions Blog

Dominate the Middle of the Court with These Exercises!

Get breakdown of middle hitting and blocking with 2011 Big East Coach of the Year, Bond Shymansky!  He is currently the Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Marquette University and has some great advice to offer.  Coach Shymansky points out that middle hitting is not all about just being able to hit the ball hard, its about communicating with your teammates and putting forth a great deal of effort.  This first clip shows the details of footwork mechanics.  See how to maximize elevation off the ground and rise high above the net to make a hit over opponents blockers.

Tips: Coaches, make sure to teach your players to position themselves no more than 3 meters between them and the net.  Athletes, do not jump to close to the net as that will make it easy for opponents to block you.

A good blocker must have excellent vision and be able to read the setter.  One important set of instructions Coach Shymansky feels is necessary is for the blocker to first watch the ball, then the setter, then back to the ball and finally focus on the hitter.  Using a good shuffle will allow you to get in the best position for a block.

Tips:  Athletes, try to anticipate the actions of your opponent by watching the opponent’s shoulders.  Coaches, watch the arm mechanics of your players to ensure they are driving their elbows back to propel themselves off the ground higher.

View an additional clip from the product page of “‘Gettin’ Better’ – 40 Tips for Better Middle Hitting & Blocking.”  Also, take a look at more high quality Bond Shymansky DVDs and other world class instructional Volleyball DVDs.