Last Updated on March 25, 2021 by
Volleyball just like every other sport has different terms and slang that players and professionals use to communicate. A particular term “bounce in volleyball” isn’t commonly used these days. It is a type of hit made in a volleyball game. In this article, you will learn what a bounce is, the different types of hits in volleyball, the fundamental skills in volleyball, and the legal and illegal hits in volleyball.
What Is Bounce In Volleyball?
A bounce in volleyball is a situation whereby the ball after hitting the ground, bounces back and shoots up very high in the air. The bounce tells you so much about the strength of the spikes. In volleyball, achieving a bounce is fun, it makes the crowd go nuts.
The Different Types Of Hit In A Volleyball Game
There are four major types of hits in volleyball.
1. Serve
The serve is the first hit in a volleyball game. The type of serve depends on the league, or level of those playing. The serve could be underhand, overhand, or a jump serve. The underhand serves are done with closed fists or open palms over the net with an underhand motion. The underhand service provides more loft than other serves. The overhand serve is done by throwing the ball up into the air and hitting the ball with an overhand motion without your legs leaving the ground. The jump serve involves you hitting the ball with the same arm and hand motion as the overhand serve, but this time around, your leg has to leave the ground briefly as you jump. The jump serve gives you more height over the net, and power behind the hit.
2. Bump
The bump is one of the most basic and important hits in volleyball. The bump is mostly used as the first move after the ball comes over the net. It’s like a forearm passing. It gives the players more time to think of an attack plan. There are two types of bumps, the regular and the dig. The regular bump occurs when the ball is landing above your waist, such that you don’t have to change your position to make a hit. The dig occurs mostly when the other team spikes the ball and it’s landing below your waist. You are required here to bend to a lower position to save the ball from hitting your side of the court.
3. Set
A set is another form of passing, It’s the next hit after a bump. It involves hitting the ball up in the air, giving the spikes a perfect shot. The set is an overhead passing whereby you use your fingers in an overhead motion to push the ball closer to the net. While pushing the ball closer to the net, the setter has to be careful so the ball doesn’t get too close so a blocker doesn’t get the chance to block the spike. Also lengthened touch of the ball might result in a “carry” which could cause a penalty.
4. Spike
A spike is hitting the ball with force towards a particular area on the court. You can achieve a bounce in volleyball by spiking. After the ball has been placed in the air by the setter, then another player makes a hit with the force of her arms and muscle to make the ball move a lot faster towards the area in the opponent’s court that isn’t defended. A spike can be delivered with an open hand or a closed fist. The open hand spike makes it hard for the opponent to return.
The table below contains the fundamental skills and hits allowed in volleyball.
| Fundamental Skills | Hits Allowed In Volleyball |
| Serving | Spike |
| Hitting | Set |
| Setting | Bump |
| Passing | Serving |
The Fundamental Skills In Volleyball
There are five basic skill sets you need to be called a volleyball player. These skills are spread across all positions and every volleyball player must be good with these skills. Some of these skills have been spoken of previously. Here are the five basic skills in volleyball.
1. Serving
2. Passing
3. Setting
4. Hitting
5. Blocking
1. Serving
The serve is always the first hit made in a volleyball game and can be done by anyone. The server has to stand behind the service line. A good serve can make your opponents lose their formation and make a bad return.
2. Passing
Passing is also called bumping in an attacking progression and digging when defending a shot. The only allowed service return is a pass. Passing is also the first shot in a three-shot sequence.
3. Setting
Setting is an overhead pass, it’s as the second shot in a three-shot sequence. A good set is placed four feet from the net so another teammate can follow through with a spike.
4. Hitting
Normally, hitting the ball with full force as the third shot in the sequence is the main aim. There are two main shots here, the spike and the kill shot. A kill shot can be achieved with a two or three-step approach. It is done by striking the ball up with the leap of your palm, wrapping the ball with your fingers, and snapping your wrist.
5. Blocking
Blocking is a defensive move done close to the net. A block is done to defend shots from the opponents. Blocking isn’t allowed on a serve, mostly kill shots or spikes.
Legal And Illegal Hits In Volleyball
Bodies like the federation Internationale de volleyball, and the national federation of high school associations in America have set rules for volleyball players all over the world. Some of these rules are about acceptable and non-acceptable hits in volleyball.
Basic Illegal Hit
In regulatory volleyball, it is illegal to catch and hold the ball. Because of this, hitting the ball from under with open palm is illegal. This is done to avoid the ball being help for even a split second.
Conditional Legal Hit
Most times, some illegal hits are legal because of the circumstance. For example, a team isn’t allowed to hit the ball more than three times before taking it over the net. Blocking isn’t a hit and when a team player already made a block and the ball is still hit thrice on his side of the court, it’s seen to be legal.
Is The Ball Allowed To Bounce In Volleyball?
After three hits or less on your side of the court, your team must return the ball over the net. If the ball rebounds immediately, you’re allowed to hit the ball with any part of your body. However, it may not be forcefully kicked or lay against the body. There’s something called a play on the ball, which happens when the ball touched a player or a player touches the ball.
How High Should A Volleyball Bounce?
As a player, you can check the ball’s pressure during play by stopping every four-to-six pumps. Don’t forget to note the PSI you’re looking for at the moment. Also, you can drop the ball from your chin height. Doing this, the ball should bounce back up about 60-percent if it’s appropriately pumped and inflated.
How Do You Bounce A Ball?
The gravity pulls the ball towards the floor when you drop it. There’s a kinetic energy as the ball gains energy of motion. However, the energy is effortless when the ball hits the floor and stops. This energy goes into deforming the ball to a squashed shape from its original round shape.
How Many Times Can The Ball Bounce In Volleyball?
One thing we noticed about the bouncing rule in volleyball is that it encourage passing and teamwork. The ball is allowed to hit the floor once in-bounds any number of times during play. Hence, the ball is allowed to bounce two times in bounds, per volley, once per side.
What Is Not Allowed In Volleyball?
Generally, volleyball disallows any form of prolonged contact with the ball, so throwing, lifting, holding, pushing, and catching is illegal hits. Also, rolling isn’t allowed in the game of volleyball since there’s continuous contact between the player’s body and the ball.
Closing Thoughts
Volleyball is seen to be a very fun and interesting game around the world. Here are some of the terms in volleyball that are used by most volleyball players and fans. These are the complete fundamentals of volleyball. With these, you can learn the basic hits and rules in volleyball. And also make the crowd go nuts by achieving a bounce in volleyball.
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