Hey {{first_name}} ,
The set comes in low. The hitter swings anyway and pounds it into the middle of the net. Then she turns around and says, "It needs to be higher."
I hear that a lot. And I usually say, "Or you could get up earlier."
Your setter can't be perfect every day. Neither can you. Her job is to put up a hittable ball. Your job is to take whatever set you get and make it successful.
Volleyball is almost never in your control. The only time you fully control the ball is when you serve. Every other time, it's coming from someone else. So focus on you, and on how you make the ball better when it's your turn to touch it.
Here's how you better the ball.
1. Expect imperfect. In our out-of-system warmup drill, our setters and non-setters both set at "5 and 5": 5 feet off the net and 5 feet inside. The goal is a hittable ball, and it's nowhere near perfect. That's what a lot of your game sets will look like.
2. Miss small, never big. I don't care if you miss by a little. When you miss by a lot, that's on you, unless the set was truly horrendous (that does happen). A low set doesn't mean you pound it into the middle of the net. A set behind you doesn't mean you hit it 40 feet out.
3. Decide fast. Where's your body compared to the ball? Can you still bounce it off the 10-foot line? Should you tip? Roll shot? Aim for deep 1 or 5? That decision has to happen really fast, which is why number 4 matters.
4. Practice bad balls on purpose. Hitting off a perfect toss in warmups feels great. Then you get into a game, and nothing looks like that. Ask for out-of-system sets. Hit the ugly ones until your body knows what to do with them.
5. Ask, don't blame. If you want a set a little higher or a little faster, say so: "Hey, can you push it up a little more?" What you can't do is miss and point at someone else. That goes for everyone. Setters don't yell at passers. Hitters don't yell at setters. We all take care of the ball the way it comes to us.
Good setters make their hitters look good. Good hitters make their setters look good. Good passers make their setters look good. It's all connected, and it starts with you bettering the ball every time you touch it.
If you've got club tryouts coming up, this is the week to practice it.
Remember the stonecutters story that was taped inside my college locker? This week's sticky note was taped right next to it.
What's the worst set you ever turned into a point? Hit reply and tell me.
Laura
Chasing varsity? Coaches trust the hitter who keeps the ball in play on a bad set.
Chasing college? Plenty of girls can crush a perfect set. Be the one who scores off a bad one.
P.S. For parents: If she comes home frustrated about the sets she got, try asking, "What could you do with a set like that next time?"