Technical Skills

There are 5 core technical skills. Each of these skills also have variations. They are listed below in order of occurrence during a volley:

Serving
Serving starts the volley. The player in the 1 rotational position must serve from anywhere behind the end line. The ball must cross the net and land within the opponents court. Serving is considered an offensive skill. It is generally considered the 2nd most important skill overall. If the team cannot consistently make their serves, they will lose.

Passing
Passing Main Page

Passing is the attempt by any player to direct the ball to the setter. It can be a forearm pass or an open hand pass. It is 1 of the 2 defensive skills and generally considered the most important skill overall. Strong passing prevents the opponents from scoring and transitions the team from defense to offense. If the team cannot pass, they will never even get the chance to serve or score points. It is the 1st (of 3) contacts with the ball during a volley.

Setting
Setting is the attempt by the setter to place the ball at a determined location for the hitter to hit it. It can be a forearm set or an open hand set. Setting is considered an offensive skill. Setting cannot be performed without passing. In football terms it is the "throw" to the receiver. The setter runs the offense (similar to a quarterback) by deciding which hitter to set. It is the 2nd (of 3) contacts with the ball during a volley.

Hitting
Hitting is the attempt by the hitters to place the ball on the ground inside the opponents court. Hitting is considered the final offense skill. Hitting cannot be performed without setting (which, in turn, is dependent on passing). It is the 3rd (of 3) contacts with the ball during a volley. From a fan perspective, it is the most exciting part of the game. But, as a coach, I would give up 3 good hitters for 1 good passer (if we have no one to pass, we will never have the chance to hit and the 3 hitters will do nothing, like having great receivers and no quarterback). The flaw with many high school teams is that they focus too much on hitting and not enough on passing and serving.

Blocking
Blocking is the attempt by the blocker(s) to prevent the opponents hitter from scoring a point. Blocking is considered the 2nd of the 2 defensive skills. Blocking is NOT one of the 3 allowed contacts with the ball during a volley. This is commonly misunderstood by fans.