Have you ever noticed that when it comes to crunch time in a game, that there are certain teams that pull it out time and time again? There are certain characteristics that these teams have that help them through the tight games. With volleyball, the situation is no different. There are teams that always seem to win but there are key things that they do. Here are a few of those key things that I have noticed over the years:
1. If someone is having difficulty passing the ball, keep serving at them. As basic as this may seem, you would be surprised how many people forget this simple strategy. Throughout the course of the game, you should be paying attention to how the people on the other team are passing. The whole point here is to find a weakness and exploit it. Even the best passers have bad passing days...
2. Keep your serves and hits on the court. Sometimes success in volleyball is not always about making the best plays. Sometimes it is about making fewer mistakes than the other team. With the game being scored by the rally point system, every mistake costs you a point. Be consistent about keeping the ball in bounds and making the other team make the mistake.
3. The setter must run the offense and identify weaknesses on the other team. Prior to the play starting, the setter should be looking to see how their hitters match up against the other teams blockers. Got a weak blocker going up against your best hitter, you would be foolish to not use this to your advantage during those rotations. Yes, it is important to keep all the hitters involved and distribute the ball so that the defense is guessing. However, when it comes to that late game moment, you must use your best offensive option as that is your job running the offense.
4. Move to see the hitter hit the ball. When you are playing defense, if you cannot see the hitter hit the ball, then you are in the wrong spot for defensive purposes. You must position yourself so that you are taking the angle away from the block, the line down the block, or a seam between blockers. Basically, if you cannot see the hitter as they are hitting, you are not helping your team defensively. In those tough matches, good defense can be the winning factor.
5. Serve to the front row passer. When one of the passers on the other team is on the front row, serve to them. This will force them to pass and hit at the same time. Chances are that passing will either get them out of the mindset of hitting, or that it will move them out of position to be a hitting option. Obviously, this works better with some hitters than others, but try it a couple of times throughout the course of the match. If you notice any success with it, come back to this strategy when you have that need for a crucial point.
6. Winning is mostly an attitude. I have noticed that in those close games, the team that expects to win is usually the one that does win. There are people that when they step on the court, they expect to win and it usually happens. This isn't really achieved by trash talking or putting the other team down. It is a mindset and inner confidence that they are going to believe. Basically, it is never an upset if the underdog always considered themselves the better team. Know that you are going to win and expect it.
I hope these six tips will help you prevail in those close matches. Best of luck to you and your team.
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