Setting

Table Of Contents

SETTING

Overview

Setting is usually the second contact on your side of the net. It is the two-handed above-the-head motion used to place the ball close to the net so a hitter can attack it into the opponent's court.

Many volleyball players find setting to be the single most frustrating skill in the game. Even after they've learned how to pass consistently, hit effectively, serve well, etc., they find it almost impossible to hand-set a ball cleanly. With a little practice, they can.

Setting is, in fact, the single most biologically natural act in volleyball. You don't have to squat, or jump, or use an overhead swing (all of which are biologically unnatural). Instead, you simply let the ball fall into your hands, directly above your forehead, and push it back into the air. Most satisfyingly, the "soft touch" some players have -- which allows them to flip the ball into the air so effortlessly -- is due to a "stretch reflex," a natural, biological reaction they don't even think about. Setting the ball cleanly, once you learn the mechanics and relax, is really quite easy.

Footwork and preparation

Setting, more than passing, hitting, serving or blocking, requires early preparation and correct body position. When performing these other skills, you can get away with sloppiness -- that is, you might not control the ball the very well, but you probably won't get whistled for it. In setting, however, poor preparation usually leads to an infraction.

To set the ball cleanly, you must sprint to where the ball is falling so that it will land directly on your forehead. Turn your feet, hips, and shoulders in the direction you intend to set the ball; that is, don't face the direction the ball is coming from. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, with your right foot 3" or 4" in front of your left (for reasons we'll discuss later), and your weight on your left foot. Keep your knees slightly bent and your back straight. Raise your hands to your forehead.

As you wait for the ball to fall to you, your arm and hand position, is extremely important. Your elbows should be slightly above your shoulders, and positioned at about a 45° angle from your chest. Your elbows will be bent about 90°, which should place your hands 4" or 5" above your eyes, with your thumbs and forefingers about 6" apart.

Your palms should be angled toward each other, with your thumbs pointing at each other or back at your nose (not toward the ball). Your hands must be open, with all your fingers relaxed and slightly curled. "Cock" your wrists by pulling the base of both thumbs back toward your forearms. Your hands should form a large, soft, ball-shaped "cradle" for the ball to land in.

You should now be looking at the ball through a "window" created by your thumbs and forefingers. Do not reach up and attack the ball; wait for the ball to come to you. As the ball touches your forefingers and thumbs, quickly (but softly) extend your arms and hands in the direction you want to set the ball. The ball should make contact with all of your forefingers, most of your middle fingers, and the pads (not the tips) of your thumbs. Your ring and pinky fingers will contact the ball as well, but only incidentally. Your palms should never touch the ball.

If you've done a good job of preparing your hands and arms to set -- that is, if your wrists are cocked back and your fingers are relatively relaxed -- the muscles in your forearms will automatically contract in a "stretch reflex" when the ball contacts your fingers. This stretch reflex will flip the ball back into the air, without you thinking about it at all. Of course, to set the ball a long ways, or to set it really high, you'll need to consciously push the ball by extending your body in the direction s of the set and flipping your wrists from "inside" to "outside" (from palms facing in to palms facing out). Do not impart force to the ball by flipping your wrists forward, as in shooting a basketball.

As you set the ball, take a very deliberate step forward with your right foot and straighten your legs. This will help give the ball forward momentum, as well as providing the momentum necessary to get you to cover the hitter.

Keys to good setting mechanics

1. Sprint to where the ball is falling and get it on your forehead.

2. Turn your feet, hips, and shoulders in the direction you want to set the ball. Keep your right foot in front.

3. Create a "cradle" for the ball by keeping your hands 6" apart, your fingers slightly curled and relaxed, your wrists cocked, and your thumbs pointing toward each other or your nose.

4. Begin your setting motion as the ball contacts your hands (no earlier), and allow the stretch reflex to do its work.

5. Step forward with your right foot as you extend your body. Follow the ball to hitter to help cover, in case s/he gets blocked.

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