Basic Volleyball Skills

Serve:

A player stands behind the inline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it into the opponent's court. His or her main objective is to make it land inside the court; it is also desirable to set the ball's direction, speed and acceleration so that it becomes difficult for the receiver to handle it properly. A serve is called an "ace" when the ball lands directly onto the court or travels outside the court after being touched by an opponent.

Attack (Spike):

A player jumps above the net and hits the ball hard towards the ground in the other court.

Block:

Blocking refers to the actions taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter an opponent's attack.

Tip or Dink:

A light touch by an attack zone player, sends the ball softly over the net into an unguarded area of the opponents court.

Dig:

Players dive or get down low to stop the ball touching the ground, trying to get enough height on it to allow team mates to play it.

Pass:

The pass is the attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve, or any form of attack. Proper handling includes not only preventing the ball from touching the court, but also making it reach the position where the setter is standing quickly and precisely.

Set:

The set is usually the second contact that a team makes with the ball. The main goal of setting is to put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by an attack into the opponent's court. The setter coordinates the offensive movements of a team, and is the player who ultimately decides which player will actually attack the ball.