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. At this point, you must not "bat" or "attack" the ball, nor should reach up, catch it, bring it down, and push it back up. Rather, wait for the ball to come to you, then set it with one motion.

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 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, extend your body in the direction of the set. 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, get stopped and face your target (usually left 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 one-directional setting motion as the ball contacts your hands (no earlier), and allow the stretch reflex to do its work.

5.Extend your body in the direction of the set. Follow the ball to hitter to help cover, in case s/he gets blocked.

Setting Philosophy, Positioning, and Strategy
The three rules for effective setting, in order of importance, are:

1. Put up a good set.

2. Put up a smart set.

3. Put up a deceptive set.

The first and most important rule for setters at any level is to put up a "hittable" set. For beginning and intermediate setters this is the only rule; if you haven't been setting for very long, just put up the easiest and best set you can (generally, this means you should set left front).

After you become proficient at putting up consistently hittable sets, concern yourself with rule #2: putting up smart sets. Know where your strongest hitter is, as well as where your opponent's weakest blocker is, and set the ball accordingly.

Lastly, and least importantly, after you've mastered rules #1 and #2, try to be deceptive. This does not mean you should back set more, or jump set more, or throw in all sorts of head fakes; rather, it means you should be able to set any position after squaring your body to left front.

This brings us to the setter's positioning. The setter's offensive position -- meaning, the position the setter should be in to set up his/her team's attack -- is slightly to the right of middle front. As soon as the ball crosses into your court, sprint to that position, and then react to the pass. Too many setters (again, at all levels) tend to freeze as the pass is made, regardless of where they are on the court. Consequently, they have difficulty handling good passes as well as bad passes. Show some faith in your passers and always sprint to your setting position. (*The setter's defensive position -- where s/he should be when the opponent is preparing to attack -- varies according to the strategy a team uses. But his/her offensive position is always the same: just to the right of middle front.)

If the pass is on the money, square your feet, hips, and shoulders to left front, with your right foot slightly forward. This foot placement is significant for several reasons. First, think of your right foot as your "target" foot; always point it at the person you're going to set. Second, this foot placement turns your body just a little toward your own court; if you make a mistake, at least the ball will stay on your side of the net. Third, if you have to jump set, you'll have your back to the net for the same reason.

If the pass is within 7' or 8' of your setting position, get the ball on your forehead by taking a big step with your left foot, then point your right foot toward your target. If the pass is further away, sprint to where it is falling, plant your left foot and (again) point your right foot at your target. As you set these deep passes, think about transferring your weight from your left hip to your right by stepping toward your target with your right foot as you set the ball.

As you become proficient at setting the ball cleanly and accurately, you need to learn the different types of sets:

• 1 A quick set, no more than 1' to 2' feet above the net, right on top of the setter
• B1A back one, same height, right behind the setter
• 31 Another quick set, but it is run to a point about 6' to 8' inside the left antenna
• 2 A two is 4' to 5' high, right in front of the setter.
• 32 Same height as a two, about 5' to 7' inside the left antenna
• F A "flare," same height as a two, but near the right antenna
• 4 A high ball to the left antenna
• 5 A high ball to the right antenna

While the names of some of these sets (1, back 1, 31, and 2) are fairly universal, others (32, flare, 4, and 5) are not. Some teams, for instance, call a high left-side set a "regular" or a 5; some have two types of high left-side sets, a semi-high 4 and a really high 5; some teams call a right-side set a back 4; etc.

Most lower-level teams use only two types of sets: a high, outside set to either antenna and a 2 in the middle. Both of these are low-risk sets; they allow a team to attack a lot of balls without making many errors. Upper-level teams, because their skills are better and because they face stronger competition, use quicker sets to open holes in the opponent's defense.

Back to main Setting page.

Updated January 2006.