Best of Club Volleyball: Setting

Developing a strong setter is critical to the success of any volleyball program. While it would be convenient for coaches to consistently find and recruit leaders who are already setters, it's definitely not a routine you can rely on. This video from Los Angeles Volleyball Academy's Nabil Mardini will guide you through the most essential setting skills for all age groups.

Principles and Fundamentals

Coach Mardini has an engineering background that allows him to incorporate quality control methodology into his practice regimen. Most coaches understand the X's and O's, but what Coach Mardini focuses on is the 'why'. He spells out each important setting feature and walks through why the setter should follow the methodical approach.

You'll see Mardini demonstrate how important it is for your setter to shape their hands like a volleyball, keeping the wrists firm and driving the elbows instead of the wrists. Additionally, you'll learn why an upright posture will help setters improve the versatility of your team. Once setters have their hand position and body posture mastered, they can begin learning how to face the ball and open up to where it's coming from. You will learn the visual cues that setters should look for in order to see the direction, speed, and height of the ball.

Next, Coach Mardini presents how to have setters move off the net with a right or left foot spin depending on the angle of the pass. The spinning movement will allow your setter to create enough energy to move the ball to the pins if needed. Additionally, Mardini touches on how to set quickly, create hittable sets, understand which hitters are hot and which ones are off on a given night, and utilizing left/right footwork patterns to maintain balance.

Practice Segments

Mardini brings a refreshing perspective to the setting philosophy. He spends a lot of time working with setters in rotations 1, 3 and 4, which are the most challenging starts for a setter. You'll see how to help your setters:

• Use a spin and kick with the jump when moving off the net to set the pins.
• Understand the concept of jump setting, not jumping to set.
• Set against the flow to take advantage of teams that may want to follow the pass.

Setting can either make or break your team's offensive execution, which is why it's so important to train setters who are fundamentally sound and can take charge as a leader. This video from Coach Mardini details exactly how to train setters who are more than capable of commanding your squad in the heat of battle.

63 minutes. 2019.