Spike on high net

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Organisation:

1 ball for 2 to 3 pupils
3 workshops per net

Aim of the task:

Reach the opposing target with a high one handed hit in a direct trajectory.

Instructions:

  • For the spiker: at a distance from the net send his ball high and hit it in suspension towards the target.
  • For the receiver: control the ball with a bump (technique can be adapted to ball height) then catch it and become spiker.

The player tries to 'roll" the ball as he hits it, to make it spin forward. In these conditions the resulting trajectory is at the same time faster and safer.

The technical points are the same as for the spike with feet on the ground but in addition we must coordinate:

  • The pull of the arm which prepares the impulse and the hit.
  • The timings of impulse and trajectory.
  • The hit without ground support.
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le smash

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Momentum and impulse are controlled by the player himself. At first he will hit more often in the ascending phase of the impulse. He is off-beat relative to the trajectory of the ball and to his own jump trajectory. This work on own-throw enables to control all the parameters and approach the problem of impulse / trajectory / hit coordination.

The second major point to control is the extension of the arm at the moment of hitting. Jumping 6 or 10 inches higher requires much more energy whereas stretching the arm makes you gain just as much height in the hit. Many players hit with their arm bent at ear level. On the contrary, a contact of the arm against the ear is proof of maximum upwards extension. Each player must build his own optimal hitting zone. This is done through a gauging of eye-hand coordination and refined through experience.

The pointers we can identify are:

  • Arm passing near the ear.
  • Elbow high at the moment of the hit.

We naturally represent the smash as a flat handed hit, or a "squashed" hit. Sometimes the ball hits the net; sometimes the player pushes it without any power. Making the ball spin enables to combine power and accuracy of the hit. This is why we start with this type of hit, frequent in a game, away from the net, where the player adjusts his trajectory according to the distance that separates him from the net and to the height of his hit.

Far away from the net the trajectory will be indirect (up then down). Closer to the net it will be virtually horizontal and more direct. Very close to the net and higher than him it will be direct and down but at the level considered here, this type of hit remains the exception.

It is the point of impact on the ball that determines the trajectory. We spot it in relation to the "equator" of the sphere. In addition to the point of impact, the up and forward movement of the hand causes a rotation while at the same time transmitting the speed.

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