How to Effectively Attack the Line in Volleyball

By knowing how to use your reach and contact, you can force your opponents to cover more space on the court.

Effective line hitters are in high demand. Pin hitters – front-row players positioned closest to the antennas – who can attack the line well, can force opposing blockers to cover more distance. During long rallies, the line is typically what is open for the attacker.

When working on hitting line, drills should focus on taking the approach and jump out of the equation for the hitter. During this training, you’ll focus on your reach and hand contact to increase your hitting success. To start the drill:

• Reach high with both arms. Your lead hand should be up to help find the ball.
• The hand you’ll use to hit the ball should come through the ball with your index finger leading and pointing all the way down the line as you follow through naturally past your hip.
• Be careful not to swing across your body, as this might send the ball out of bounds.
• You also don’t want to “cut the ball” back with your hand. Stay through the ball with your palm and follow through.

Make sure to rotate your hips so that you go from being perpendicular to the net with your shoulder and legs to parallel when you finish.

Pin hitters statistically get set more balls than any other player on the court.  So, being able to hit multiple shots is important. With this in mind, line hitting is a valuable tool for you to have.

Another crucial skill to practice is passing footwork. Working on this can help make sure your passes are on target to your teammates.