Top 5 Volleyball Secrets That Make a BIG Difference With Your Serve Receive

The serve receive is the key to running your team's offense. Here are 5 volleyball tips that will make a BIG difference in your volleyball passing performance.

1) Keep a straight platform, by keeping elbows straight. (just like this picture)
One of the biggest mistakes players make when passing is bending their elbows to pass the ball. If you review this photo too you will notice that the player's "platform" aka the inside of their forearms that she presents... are so straight as a board you could use her arms as a flat table to eat on.
Bent elbows means less ball accuracy while straight arms gives more ball control and accuracy to guide the ball to the "setter" target.

2) Track the ball visually all the way into your arms.
There are alot of things to look at when the server has the ball just before the ref blows the whistle. There can be alot of things to be distracted by if you don't learn to concentrate and narrow your focus. What do you focus on? Once the server takes the volleyball in their hands and positions themselves to indicate where and how they are going to serve and then they start bouncing it in anticipation of serving it...at this point most elite athletes I know focus 125% ONLY on the ball in the server's hands. From this point on your eyes and mind should see and focus on nothing but the ball ALL THE way INTO your arms.
Track the ball all the way into your arms visually ...so that you can see your straight platform.

3) Don't break your arms apart.
No matter how hard or easy the serve...keep your arms together when you pass. Fight to maintain good passing technique. You have to fight the temptation of breaking your arms together especially when you are passing on the move. That's why it's important to pass with your feet first, get stopped then use the correct technique. Don't be lazy just because it seems like an easy pass to make.

4) Pass with both feet on the volleyball court floor.
Don't jump bump. Very easy reasoning...when you are in the air you have much less to no control of your body and/or the ball but if your feet remain on the ground you can make small adjustments (maybe an extra step forward or backward if needed) to control the outcome of the serve receive 99% better.

5) Pass with your feet (first) not with your arms.
This sounds a little tricky to understand but what this means is that you need to get into the habit of getting to the ball first by getting your feet behind the ball, first, no matter where it is.