Basic hitting mechanics (338k)
To learn the basics of hitting, watch this clip (.mov) a number of times. initially, focus only on the approach, paying particular attention to the following:

• The hitter takes a long, explosive three-step approach (left . . . right-left, for righthanders).
• The location of the first step (the left foot) is well behind the 10' line. (maintaining this depth from the net helps keep the ball in front of the hitter and requires him to explode forward into his plant.)
• To cover the remaining distance from left-to-plant, the hitter drives his right knee toward the set, helping him accelerate to the ball and insuring a contact point just in front of his right shoulder.
• An explosive double-armswing (with arms straight) begins as the right heel touches the ground, with the arms passing in front of the hips before the left foot contacts the floor.
• The plant is "tight," with the left foot plant occurring only an instant after the right. and while the left foot should be closer to the net, the left heel should be no more than 12" from the right toe. (This foot position contrasts with a "loose" plant, where there is a .5 second or more lag between the floor contacts of the right and left feet, or where the left heel gets planted more than 18" from the right toe).

After watching the approach several times, pay attention to the hitter's mechanics after he leaves the ground:

• Just after leaving the floor, both hands are high and in front of the hitter, his heels curl up slightly toward his butt, and his back arches slightly.
• His left arm stays high momentarily.
• In preparation for the swing, the hitter draws his right elbow back while keeping it high (note that his right palm is facing away from his head and not toward the floor. this helps keep the elbow high).
• The swing consists of three simultaneous actions: 1) the right elbow accelerates up toward the ball, leading the hand to the contact point; 2) the left elbow drops to the left hip, partly for balance and partly to pull the right shoulder up and forwards; 3) the legs snap straight for a full body extension at the moment of contact.
• The contact point is slightly in front of the hitting shoulder, with the arm fully extended and the wrist and fingers snapping through the top of the ball.
• The followthrough takes the hitter's hand to his right hip.
• Lastly, note that while the hitter's body has rotated from right to left while in the air, at the moment of contact he is facing the direction of the hit.

Rightside attack (542k)
In this clip (.mov) pay particular attention to the following:

• The length, speed, and depth of the hitter's approach. he starts his approach in a "sprinter's stance" about 18' from the net, then uses an explosive three-step approach to attack the set.
• The angle of the hitter's approach. while righthanders should approach from outside the court while hitting at the left antenna, they should approach from inside the court, straight up the sideline, when hitting at the right antenna. these angles, which are reversed for lefties, give the hitter the option of hitting hard to both the line and crosscourt.

Quick hitting (438k)
This clip (.mov) illustrates three key points for hitting a "1":

• Be in the air before the setter gets the ball.
• Plant and jump at least 5' from the net.
• Plant and jump close to the setter.(many young hitters do the exact opposite of points 2 and 3: they plant close to the net and far from the setter, which makes it hard for the setter to see them.)

Transition hitting (947k)
The secret to being a successful and consistent hitter is to become a good "transition" hitter - i.e., someone who is good at getting ready to hit after s/he blocks or digs. In this clip (.mov) , in which all three frontrow players have just participated in a block in the middle of the court, you will see three keys for good transition hitting:

• The instant the blockers land, they turn into the court and begin sprinting to the start of their approaches with long, strong strides.
• As they sprint, they look for the ball.
• All three get stopped and balanced at the start of their approaches well before the setter gets the ball, so all three are ready to hit their assigned sets.

Updated February 2005.