By and large, I think footwork is something that is commonly overlooked, yet I believe it to be a foundation for success in volleyball. The reason I think footwork is so important is that it sets you up for attacking consistently, and if you consistently get yourself to take an approach from the same spot, you’re ensuring that you are prepared to take your best swing every time.
Let me explain it this way, volleyball is a game of mistakes, so we want to generate repeatable skills. There’s little value in a player who does great things but at random. With measured skills, qualitative movements become easier to judge and, therefore, set you up for success. The goal is to eliminate as many variables as possible. With good and proper footwork, boom you’ve created an opportunity for success without even having to think about it!
Where should you start your approach footwork?
This is entirely up to the player and depends on which hand you attack with. However, the more space you give yourself, the more likely you are to take a quality approach with all the steps. I suggest about one meter outside of the court, and somewhere between 4-5 meters off the net. This is the ideal place to start because it gives you the ability to adjust to a number of different sets.
Keep in mind that non-setter sets, faster sets and out-of-system plays will likely be less precise than an in-system set. From your start position, you should have your shoulders open to the court and, more importantly, to your setter.
This creates a good visual for your setter so they can see you from their peripherals. It’s also a good indicator that you are in position and ready to attack. Being in this spot as often as possible and as early as possible helps you and your setter for a number of reasons. I will touch on those later.
Transition Footwork when Your receive:
I will describe two patterns for footwork out of serve receive in this section. In the first scenario, you are taking the ball. As an Outside Hitter, you cannot think of your attack while receiving. Take your time to do that skill, then quickly get yourself in a position to attack. Because you have less time, this pattern requires only three steps.
Three shuffle steps should be sufficient to get you into a good attacking position. In position 4, you will FIRST make your reception and then: left, right, left, and your right foot follows, keeping it in front of you ready to take your four-step approach.
Take the steps as quickly as possible to get yourself outside of the court. Because you made the first contact, and we NEVER rush the previous skill, you will have less time to get outside the court. Do your best to get into position, but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get there. There are still options for you.
The three steps you take should get you as close as possible to where you will start your approach. If you’re short on time, your footwork to get off the net might be indistinguishable from your approach. Work hard to get ready. If you are unable to get to your start position because the reception was low, fast, inside, you had to dive etc. you can also start your approach from directly where you are. It’s not ideal and I don’t recommend doing this unless you have to.
Don’t be lazy – take the time when you have it to do things right. As previously mentioned, getting to your start position makes you an easier and more visible target for your setter. It’s more difficult for them to aim if you’re inside the court. Additionally, this changes the direction/angle of your approach drastically. You’re less likely to see the block and put yourself in a position that makes generating torque more difficult.
Transition when you dont receive:
You will have more time to depart the court and prepare to attack. A total of 5 steps should be able to get you to your ideal attacking spot. These steps should still be taken as quickly as possible and shouldn’t “blend” into your approach unless the reception is fast or absolutely warrants that kind of approach. Mostly your steps getting you to your start position should be seen as an entirely separate and deliberate action. This way you can keep your eyes on the ball and have better timing for your approach.
Once you know you’re not the receiver – leave. Get outside the court and to the starting spot of your comfort. There are certain caveats but for the sake of this description, we will assume that the pass is perfect. This means you should be using a couple of shuffle steps to get yourself outside the court.
Preparing in this way keeps you consistent and reliable. Your setter should be able to see you, relaxed and ready to move, which increases their confidence in you. The earlier you’re ready – the more information you may gather for the set or even call for a faster set. The reason I suggest shuffle steps is so you don’t turn your body away from the court. Keeping your shoulders open and facing the court will not only allow you to see the ball and court better but in the event something does happen, you’re prepared. Imagine you’re taking your five steps and your setter and Libero have a miscommunication about who will take the set. Suddenly a set that was going to be easy to make is inside and difficult to get to. Because you’re already facing the direction you should be, you can start your approach from there.
Footwork From Defense Transition
- Blocking
- Off-blocker defense
- Defense
Blocking Player footwork: The first thing you should recognize is where the ball ends up. If it’s been dug on your side of the court and is still in play, here’s what you need to do in order to have a successful transition volleyball spike:
- Land
- Open towards the court
- Turn and run
Transition attacking is the most difficult part of the game. When you come down from the block, open your shoulders to face the back of the court. If you’re playing in position 4, it’s best to get four steps off the net. Physically turn your body away from the net and run towards your attacking base. Use the last two steps to turn yourself around.
Backpedaling into position is slow and won’t get you to the desired attacking spot. A shorter approach will affect your timing and your power on a jump. Your first steps after landing should also be your biggest. Work really hard to get off the net. The earlier you’re ready, the better your chances are to be set up for a great attack.
Transition Footwork Off Blocking
If you’re attacking from position 2 and are right-handed you will need 5 steps to get yourself off the net and turned back around IF you were the blocker.
If you’re playing left-handed, simply reverse the number of steps for each position. In 4, you will need 5 steps and in position 2 you will need 4.
OFF-Blocker: If you are the non-blocker in position 4, you will need about three steps to get yourself outside the court. Again, turn and run, but don’t spin circles. We are MUCH faster moving forward than we are backward. It pays to get yourself into a base position. However, IF you take the ball, you might need to attack directly from where you played defense. This kind of approach is called the Giba, like the Brazilian volleyball player! He’s famous for making this inside-out attack.
This is an effective method to use if you’re short on time so it’s worthwhile to practice. The steps may be easy, but being good at attacking the ball out of this position is much more difficult. Akin to a middle approach attacking a shoot, this set is meant to be fast! Depending on where you play defense, you might also need five steps to get back outside the court to your base. Opposites typically play defense a shorter distance from the block than position four does. Check out this defensive schematic:
Notice the distance the opposite is from their ideal base. This will require you to turn and run to get outside the court. I cannot stress enough how important transition footwork is! For women especially because we typically have longer rallies, getting to base every single time will set you up for success.
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