The Sport of Volleyball

                Casey Holmes

September 21, 2013

Block F

                Volleyball is such an amazing sport to play but some people think you just stand there and swing your arms. It is definitely more than that. A lot of people have a negative outlook on volleyball but once you start playing it, it is definitely the best sport there is.

                Spandex is probably one of the biggest things volleyball is known for.  The reason we wear spandex is because it makes it much easier to move quickly in any direction that you want.  Spandex makes it easier to dive for any ball and not feel restricted. People may think that you just stand there but you are always moving, covering the hitter, covering the passer, and moving to help block the opposing team’s attackers. You always have to be down low and ready for anything to come at you.  Some people may think that you don’t have to run a lot since the court is so short but you sure have to be able to move very quickly in a very short amount of time.

                In volleyball there are four basic ways to use the ball, you can serve, hit, set, or pass. Passing is where you have to put both of your arms together to make a platform with your forearms. You have to have the volleyball hit exactly in the middle of your forearms or else it is going to go in the wrong direction. Setting is a little harder because you have to have both firm and soft hands. This is hard because you don’t want to have the ball fall through your fingers and you don’t want  your hands hard as a rock. Hitting you have to have footwork and then you have to time when you want to contact the ball and snap your wrist so that the ball does not go wailing out of bounds. For serving you need a strong hand and a lot of strength to get the volleyball over with consistency. You also need good form. Wasn’t as easy as you thought, right?

Since volleyball is a sport they need to train athletes just like any other sport. It isn’t just learning the skill but working out to help improve your overall health and your game. Volleyball works out your thighs, biceps, and surprisingly your abdomen. As you can tell volleyball has a lot more components than you think there would be.  You always need to have a positive attitude to help bring up your team even when you’re losing.  Volleyball is both a mental and a physical game, so get out and try it. You might be surprised at how much fun it is and how much physical strength goes into it. Hopefully you will try it out and maybe come to love the sport just like I do.