In volleyball, what are the requirements to be a spiker?
Volleyball is an exciting game that requires quickness, power, finesse, and great teamwork to succeed. There are various positions on a volleyball court, each of which requires specific skills and serves a particular role in a team’s success. As a spiker, besides needing to be athletic, good timing, and proficient leaping power, a player needs to do the following:
Approach the ball correctly before hitting
Have a high vertical leap
Strike the ball with a unique combination of precision and force
Create momentum with arms and create a load with legs before engaging in the jump
Swing arm fast to help create more force to the ball
What is the Role of the Spiker?
To understand the role of the spiker, one must understand what a spiker is. The spiker is also referred to as an attacker and is the player who hits the ball with great force over the volleyball net. The smashing of the ball over the net is known as a ‘spike’ and is the main way a team scores points in a volleyball match. Becoming a prominent spiker requires more than just brute force. A variety of skills, understanding of the game, and mental acuity are all factors in becoming a successful spiker.
Physical Requirements for Being a Good Spiker
To the novice, it might appear that the spiker just has to jump and hit the ball hard over the volleyball net. While some of that is accurate, being able to physically perform a successful spike requires a great deal of strength, athleticism, quickness, and stamina. Leg strength is a must for powerful jumps needed. Great hand-eye coordination and quick reflexes are needs to time the strike and to accurately hit the ball. With repetitive jumping and spiking attempts used throughout a match, physical endurance and flexbility is a must.
Techniques to Execute the Perfect Spike
The approach is one of the most important parts of the spike. Running up to the jump gets the spiker into the proper position before the jump and actual contact with the ball. The approach consists of three steps towards the volleyball net. The first step is slow, then fast, and finally explosive. Once in position, the spiker needs to elevate high with power and quickness. Swinging the arms upwards helps increase the vertical leap, with the follow through downard with the arms used to strike the ball with power and accuracy. Spikers should be aware of spiking with the palm of the hand and not a closed fist.
Understand Basic Volleyball Strategies
Without excellent knowledge of volleyball tactics, a spiker won’t be able to effectively get his or her job done. They need to know when and to what part of the court to spike the ball. Great teamwork is essential to make the shot work. A spiker must be able to quickly assess the situation on the court in terms of the opponent’s formation and score. An ability to think ahead and know what the opponent wants to do will help the spike know where to aim the spike. Much like a chess match, an effective spiker is always a few moves ahead.
Develope Mental Fortitude
Being mentally strong is important for any athlete. Being part of a fast-pace game, the spiker is under high-intensithy situations throughout that can be taxing mentally. In order to withstand the mental intensity, the spiker needs to keep focused and confident. Mistakes will happen, but a good spiker must be able to discard those from the memory bank. The next opportunity will just be moments away and the spiker must be prepared for it. Strong mental toughness is often the difference between a run of the mill spiker and an elite spiker.
Communication with Teammates is a Must
Just a like a well-oiled machine, if one part doesn’t work, the entire effectiveness is compromised or simply will fail to work. The same can be said with volleyball and teammate communication. Spikers must be able to communicate with teammates in forms of calling for balls, verbal encouragement, and give and receive non-verbal strategy cues. Solid communication not only build camaraderie, but helps in the execution of plays needed to win matches.
Stay Phyiscally Fit
Not all positions are created equally with regards to physical demands. On the volleyball court, the spiker is likely the most physically demanding position. With nearly constant jumping, regular training is critical for building leg strength, stamina, and agility. Not only are leg workouts critical, aerobic exercise, and flexibility workouts such as yoga and other stretching is essential. Drills pertaining specifically to volleyball should also be performed religiously to perfect techniques.
How to Jump Higher to Improve Spiking
Exercise that improve leg strength, power, and flexibility can help improve vertical leap, which is a key component to being a good spiker. Improvements generally take time, but persistence, and hard work will pay off. Here’s some good exercises to add inches to vertical leap to help spiking power over the volleyball net.
Strength training: deadlifts, leg presses, Bulgarian split squats, leg curls, calf raises, squats
Power training: ski jumps and box jumps
Agility: stretching, yoga, calisthenics
Cardiovascular: exercise bike, sprints, jump rope, mountain climbers, elliptical training, jogging
Know and Follow the Rules of the Game
As is the case with any game or sport, volleyball has its own set of rules that must be followed. A spiker must be cognizant of rules regarding attacking the volleyball net and what is deemed a legal spike. In addition, the spiker must know how a spike is performed in addition to any penalties incurred for rule infractions. In addition to displaying good sportsmanship, following the rules helps the team so there are no penalties incurred during play.
Team up with a Good Coach
While the head coach of the team controls all the action, specific position coaches can also help a player develop as a spiker. A coach can give instant feedback, support, give positive reinforcement, and assist players in ways to improve their techniques. Coaches help athletes grow in their understanding of the game. A spiker should engage with coaches that have experience as a spiker or coaching spikers. They should be able to guide them into correct training regimens specifically geared towards spikers.
Practice, Practice, Practice
The most proficient spikers are those that aren’t afraid to put in the work. They head to the gym and continue to work on their craft, learning and improving. Always look to improve skills, focusing on the nuances of the game, learning from past miscues, and desiring to be the best they can be. Skill alone is not enough to be great. It takes love of the game and hard work to become an elite spiker.
