Today I am going to focus on beach volleyball blocking tips and specifically the important skill of pulling off the net!
Hi, I am Eric Fonoimoana 2000 Beach Olympic Gold Medalist, King of the Beach and AVP MVP.
When blocking in beach volleyball perhaps one of the skill least focused on is the blocking skill of pulling off the net. When blocking on the beach it is very different than indoor in that often it does not make sense to stay up and try and block the ball. The reasons include there only being two players on the court resulting in it being far more difficult to get a good pass, set, hit play, also elements can like wind can have an impact on the quality of the play, and finally it is just plain harder jumping out of the sand verses jumping and spiking indoor! Because of all these reasons often it makes more sense to pull off the net allowing two defenders to be back on defense to dig and thus increasing your chances of a successful sideout or score.
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In the game of volleyball dropping off the net means identifying how to defend the court after the opponent sets the ball. When you see the hitter can not get a good swing that’s when you make your move pulling off from your block. Dropping off the net like all other volleyball skills is where with just a little bit of work and a few drills almost anyone can be digging up the hitter’s shot!
In order to train the beach volleyball blocking skill of dropping off the net requires that you are balanced on your positioning and use correct footwork pulling technique. My video training and drill series below will show you training methods I have developed and learned playing at the highest level to help you become a better defensive player when blocking.
Volleyball Blocking Tips – Footwork -
The first thing you want to do correctly when blocking and pulling off the net is to focus on good fundamental footwork and technique. Start by having your inside foot, so if you are blocking on the right side of the court then your left foot and if your are blocking on the left side then your right foot facing parallel to the net.
This is important as it allows you to move off the net quicker and without hurting your knee as you move back to play defense and dig.
Next if you decide to pull from your block is to take a big step with your foot that is on the net and bounce or hop to turn on defense. What this does is allows you to rapidly pull off the net on your block and get back and play defense or dig effectively.
The bounce or hop step is an extremely important component of good beach volleyball blocking pulling technique and is fundamental to getting ready for defense. You will notice after the bounce or hop I am open to the court with my outside foot being on the baseline and my body being in optimal position facing the hitter and my partner!
Volleyball Blocking Tips – Balance when Pulling off a Block -
Being in a balanced position is a fundamental to good beach volleyball blocking pulling technique. When transition from a blocking position on the net to a defensive position off the net the entire time you should be balanced and in control of your body movements. Also more importantly when the ball is spiked by your opponent you need to be balanced and in a ready defensive position where you end up with your right foot forward when pulling on the right side of the court and your left foot forward when pulling on the left side of the court!
Volleyball Blocking Tips – Watch the Hitter-
When pulling off the net blocking in beach volleyball it is important while doing the footwork to have your head facing the hitter and be watching them to see what they are planning on doing during the hit or spike. Often people will turn away from the hitter and not watch resulting in missed easy scoring opportunities. Why because if you watch the spiker and they approach slow more likely they are shooting with the result that your can read this and be ready by being lighter on your feet and ready for a dig. If they are coming in hard with maximum speed and jump likely they are getting ready to spike a bad set and you may want to dig in a little for a hard spike!
Volleyball Blocking Tips – Over / Under -
When pulling you often need to decide if you are going to dig overhand or underhand and adjust your starting position accordingly.
The overhand dig when pulling off a block most often occurs with less time and when you cannot get off the net quickly enough. Keys to remember is strong hands, outside foot forward and body facing into the court.
Whereas in order to do a underhand dig when pulling off from blocking you really need to get a early jump in order to give yourself enough time to get back far enough to dig with your arms. The big advantage with the underhand dig is that it really allows you to cover far more court on tour defense where as the overhand dig does not cover as much areas on defense
Volleyball Blocking Tips – Face -
When pulling off on your block and you pull short resulting in your defense mainly being digging a high contact ball to your face it is important where possible to get your face behind your defense or digging platform. Why? Because you do not want to be hit in the face with the result that you dig more balls!
Volleyball Blocking Tips – Pulling Drill -
I included a simple great drill to break down blocking pulling technique and maximize touches in a short amount of time. I encourage you to do this drill in warm-ups and everyday when you train!
You can get all my videos on volleyball blocking tips plus more by being a member of volleyball1on1.com.
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