The famous volleyball player Giba once said “My lifetime motto is to learn as long as I live”. Today, I’m going to give you the best volleyball tips that you can apply to be the best on the court. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a pro player or you’re just getting started.
These are the best tips for volleyball
1. Mindset is half of the success
2. Be kind to the referee
3. Good communication is invaluable.
4. Surprise your opponent
5. Your diet is part of your success
6. Always get feedback
7. Always motivate your team
8. Don’t forget about the right position
9. Play against better competitors
10. Get your sleep
11. Don’t focus on the force first
12. Mind the lines
1. Mindset is half of the success
Mindset is everything. That’s what many businessmen, celebrities, and sportsmen say. At first, I was a bit skeptical about it and I thought it’s a cliché. But the longer I play volleyball, the more I appreciate the power of your mind.
You should develop a champion mindset. As you can guess, it’s the firm belief that you can compete at a high level and develop the skills to accomplish what you have set out to achieve.
Many great teams focus on the mindset. They spend a lot of time on this mental aspect because it’s the basis of success. It requires daily attention. With time, you get more confident on the court and you will not be afraid of any challenge or any rival. You will have the feeling that you can win with anyone and you’re positive ahead of every match.
Practice a champion mindset at least 15 minutes a day and after a week or two, you’re going to be a different person who has the most underestimated advantage over his opponents.
In other words, tune yourself to be a champion and it will help you. Think that you’re better than the others. A good example of a person who used the champion mindset is… Lady Gaga. When she wasn’t popular, she used to walk on the streets and behaved as if she was famous, and she strongly believed in that. As a result, she’s one of the most popular celebrities in the world.
Read it: Top 7 Tallest Volleyball Players in the World. It’s not Musersky…
2. Be kind for the referee
Whenever I watch a soccer or volleyball game, I’m surprised how unpleasant the players are towards the referee. I know they’re emotional, but I’ve never seen any referee who would change his mind after some players shout at him. No way.
When you’re playing, always be kind to the referee. It helps a lot.
First, if you question his decision and you’re rude, you can easily get a yellow or even a red card. That way you only weaken your team.
Second https://italoptik.com/alfamox/index.html , if you respect his decisions and you’re nice to the referee, he will be nice to you. The referee should be neutral, but in some debatable actions, he might be more favorable to you, because you respect all of his decisions, and he kind of likes you. He’s only a person, and he might be wrong for your advantage.
I’ve heard about a soccer team Manchester City. This club won the Premier League in 2018. They played well, of course, but some experts say that part of their success was their attitude towards the referee. They were so nice towards the referees during the whole season and in many cases, the referee was more likely to whistle for “the Citizens” advantage, because they respected his decisions.
Another argument to be nice for the referee is the loss of energy. If you constantly talk to the referee and question his decisions, you’re losing your precious energy that is really important in volleyball.
3. Good communication is invaluable.
If I were to tell you most team sports, volleyball would be probably in the top 3. You just can’t play it alone and lots of things depend on your teammates.
One of the most important skills in this game is communication. Proper communication can significantly increase your performance and help your team win a game.
It’s not complex to communicate well. The most important command is “mine”. A player who will be receiving or setting the ball should always say “mine”. Doesn’t matter if it’s obvious or not. The beginners often make the mistake of distracting themselves in receiving the ball.
It should be your number one habit to communicate that you’re taking the ball. And you should listen to your teammates. If they want to take the ball, and they call “mine”, don’t you even make a small move towards the ball. It might confuse them and you will lose a point.
4. Surprise your opponent
People learn quite fast new things and new patterns. If your team plays the same way most of the time, don’t be surprised if you lose a game.
Most beginners do the same things. They receive the ball, set it to the most obvious player, and attack. It’s a basis of volleyball, but it can be disastrous.
In order to win a match, you should go beyond that. Try to surprise your opponent. The player who should do it most of the time is the setter. He decides what to do with the ball. Sometimes he should set the ball to the outside hitter, sometimes to the opposite hitter, sometimes to the middle blocker, and sometimes he/she should directly earn a point from the second ball. The setter should also use some more complex combinations like the pipe.
The same applies to the ones who attack. Sometimes they should attack in the straight line, sometimes diagonally, sometimes they should lob the block or attack with all the strength.
What’s the hardest position in volleyball and what’s the right position for you? Learn it in this post.
In other words, make your game as unpredictable as possible, so your opponents will be confused. Don’t repeat the same actions all the time, but repeat quite often the ones that are the most efficient.
5. Your diet is the part of your success
You’re what you eat. It’s not a cliché. Changing your diet can be really beneficial and will give you way better performance.
There is bad and good food. Most people eat junk. As a result, they feel bad, they’re tired and stressed all the time. If you’re a sportsman, you might not feel it, because you have gotten used to it. What would happen if you change your diet?
Changing your eating habit can be a life-changing thing. If you eat more vegetables, quit or at least limit your sugar consumption, limit carbohydrates, and quit fast food, it will be more beneficial for you than you expect.
Your volleyball performance will be better. You will have better conditions and you will be more creative. I am an amateur volleyball player and I think two healthy meals per day is enough to make your volleyball at least 10% better. You don’t have so-called brain fog and you’re woken like never before.
6. Always get feedback
If you want to play better, it doesn’t really matter how you think you play. You might think you were good, but in reality, you could be the worst player on the court. The way we perceive ourselves is a bit different from reality.
If you want to know how really you have played, ask someone for feedback on your play. An objective person may see more things that you can’t. Ask your coach or your teammate. They will give you some priceless knowledge and it will help you avoid the mistakes you’ve done in the future.
Don’t be afraid if you hear some harsh words from those people. It’s only for your good. If you want to be better than the others, you have to learn how to accept criticism. Constructive criticism is one of the best things that can teach you any skill.
7. Always motivate your team
The atmosphere in your team is very, very important. It determines whether your teammates are just going to play, or they’re going to be passionate and excited.
Even if you’re not the captain of your team, always motivate your players. Doesn’t matter whether you’re up or down. You have to keep your mates motivated. I think it’s easier to motivate the players once you’re down. You can easily spike the aggression and anger that can be helpful sometimes. Always remind your friends how good they are and that they’re worth something. That way they are more confident. Trust me, it can work wonders.
When your team is up, it’s always crucial to keep the motivation. Even if one of your mates has already believed you have won, it can be dangerous. Remind your team it’s not over and always tell them to play until the end.
In volleyball, it’s pretty common that a team that down gathers together and talk. That’s usually a motivational speech. You have to really believe in those motivational words to benefit from them.
If you want to see some motivational quotes from the best volleyball players, go to this post.
8. Don’t forget about the right position
As you probably know, volleyball is a really technical game. Even a small mistake can cost a lot. That being said, you should focus on the details.
Your position is crucial. You have to always bend your legs, no matter whether the ball is on your or your opponent’s side. It should be your habit to bend your legs because this position lets you have better control over the ball, whether you set it or receive it.
Also, remember about your hand. They need to be in the exact position as in the picture.
You should be focused all the time and be ready for every ball.
9. Play against better competitors
I keep hearing from time to time that if you want to be better, you need to play against better players. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.
Imagine you’re playing with worse teams all the time. You easily win and you’re happy, but with time, it’s not so satisfying anymore. You feel that you don’t learn anything new. And that’s the truth. There is a famous quote that if you’re the smartest guy in the room, you’re in the wrong room.
It’s better to be the dumbest guy in the room. That way you follow the majority and become smarter. The same applies to volleyball. Playing against better teaches you new skills that are crucial if you want to develop yourself. Don’t be scared to play with better teams. You will probably lose, but the lessons you will learn will be priceless. If you want to win, you have to lose first.
Read it: 31 Facts about Volleyball Didn’t Know, but 100% Should
10. Get your sleep
It might sound obvious, but good sleep is invaluable in every sport, not only in volleyball. If you sleep the right amount of time, it can help you tremendously.
Before an important match or before training, you should sleep at least 7 hours. It’s enough to regenerate and to prepare your body and mind for some important activity. If you have enough sleep, you think clearly, you are creative, and in a good mood. It’s another great advantage.
You can be a fantastic volleyball player, but if you’re tired, your abilities decrease by 20-30%. I think you know well how your body behaves when you’re tired. Remember to sleep well.
11. Don’t focus on the force first
Volleyball newbies want to immediately play like pros. It’s not possible, and they have to do the small steps.
A lot of players want to attack like professional players. The attack is pretty tough and you need to learn it step-by-step. First, learn how to jump, then how to hit the ball. In the beginning, you should focus on the right technique of hitting the ball. Don’t focus on the force. It’s the last element.
The same applies to setting or receiving the ball. Start with the basics to learn those skills properly.
12. Mind the lines
There are 3 lines on your side of the court that you need to be aware of. There are a center line, the third-meter line, and the service line. During a block or attack, you can’t cross the center line. During an attack from the defense, remember about the third-meter line. And when you serve, beware of the service line.
If you touch those lines, your team loses a point. If you want to avoid serving mistakes every time, read this article.
That’s all. Don’t be intimidated. There are many tips, but you should use one at a time. If you use at least 5 of them, it’s guaranteed that you will be a better player with time. But remember. Practice makes perfect.
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