Volleyball
Volleyball is played with two teams, typically six players on each side of a net. The goal is to make the ball hit the floor on your opponent’s side of the court. A block and three hits are allowed on each side; one person can’t hit it twice in a row. There are three main ways to hit the ball. The first is a bump where you place two arms next to each other, overlap your hands, and hit the ball with your forearms. The next is a set where you hold both your arms above your head and catch and throw the ball with your hands quickly. The third is a spike where you pull one arm back almost touching the back of your neck and then snapping that arm forward in a downward motion into the ball hitting it with as much precision and strength as possible. A men’s volleyball net is 7′ 11.625″ tall and a women’s is 7′ 4.125″ tall.
The playable positions in volleyball consist of a setter, middle blocker, outside hitter, opposite hitter, libero, defensive specialist, and serving specialist.
A setter is what runs a team’s offense. Their goal is to get the ball in the best place possible for a kill(an attack that results in a point). Setters need to have leadership skills, be able to think fast and be quick enough to get the second ball.
A middle blocker’s goal is to guard the opposing team’s spikes. They’re also used for faster plays. A middle blocker is usually the tallest player.
Outside hitters are the main attack players. They need to jump high and hit hard, they also need to have well-rounded skills. It is optimal to be right-handed.
The opposite hitter is like an outside but they play on the right side of the court rather than the left. It is optimal to be left-handed.
A libero is similar to a setter except they run the defense instead of offense. They are meant to receive serves and spikes and if the setter can’t set the libero should. Liberos wear a different jersey than the rest of the team. They’re not allowed to rotate to the front row and if they attack they have to make contact lower than the top of the net.
A defensive specialist is like a libero but there are no restrictions for the player.
A serving specialist is someone who excels in serving. A coach would use them to win serving points or to be consistent.
