Hitting

Hitting Laws to Live By:

1. Never Talk Negatively to your Setter
If they are having an Off Night, HIT BETTER
Remember: They Choose How Many Sets You Get
Remember: Their Setting Percentage is Probably Better than Your Hitting Percentage

2. There are No Bad Sets
A Good Hitter can do SOMETHING EFFECTIVE with EVERY Set

3. See Your Blockers, Hit the Ball
ALWAYS Keep the Ball IN FRONT OF YOU, this allows you to See the Block, and the Ball
If you don’t know where the Block is, How can you Hit Around it?
A Hard Shot INTO the Block is Worth Much Less than a Soft Shot Hit AROUND the Block
This also Gives you the Chance to TOOL the Block

4. A Tip that Drops is Worth as Much as a Hard Hit –Sometimes More
Smart Tips are as Much a Weapon as Hard Hits
They’re Worth the Same Amount of Points
They Are Much More Aggravating than Big Hits to Your Opponents

5. Hits Open Tips, and Vice Versa
After a Couple of Great Hits the Passers will Dig in, and the Blockers will Press more, That’s a Great time to Tip
After a Tip, the Blockers won’t Press as Much, and You Can Hit Right Down the Front of them

6. Pick on the Weak Blockers
If Their Hands are Flat, Tool Them
If they aren’t Pressing, Hit Down the Front of them
If the Middle’s Late, Hit Their Lead Arm (the one closest to the other Blocker) as they come Over
If they reach Behind, Tip Just Over their Head, and Out of Reach of their Arm
If They’re Short, Speed Up your Arm Swing and Hit Down onto their Block and Out
If they Don’t Jump very High, Hit Down onto their Block and Out

7. Pick Your Spot, Don’t Just Hit Hard
If You See a Spot open, Hit towards that Spot, not just Cross or Line, but at that Spot
Hit Towards the Weak Passer –OR- the Setter

8. Tip in Smart Spots
Tip Where it will Throw-Off the Offense the Most:
a. Towards the Setter
b. Over the Block and Short
c. Just Off the Block, to the Right or the Left (Make the Block Reach)
d. Where it will take the Most Powerful Hitter out of their Approach

9. Hit the High Percentage Shots:
Line
Hard Cross
Deep Cross

10. Pick on the All-Star
If you can pull Him out of his Game, He will usually pull the rest of the Team Down With Him
Most of the time, even if he just dove on the ground, the Setter will Set Him
Put Him on the Ground, and that will Throw off the Other Team’s Offense

1. It also Makes Him Easier to Dig/Block