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Setting is one of the most crucial aspects of volleyball; after all, it is the pass that allows the hitter to spike the ball. If you want to advance in this position, you may be wondering how to set a volleyball without noise and how crucial this is.
How to Set a Volleyball Without Noise
Setting the ball without making a single sound may appear simple, however, it may be tough to master. After all, this is a skill that distinguishes a great setter from a poor one; it requires a lot of work, familiarity with the ball, and a deep concentration to master.
In addition to that, you need to be able to aim and send a perfect ball for the hitter while attempting to perform this soundless set. This is why it can be a little bit hard; it doesn’t matter if you can set it silently if you send an awful ball that cannot be spiked by the striker.
Before you attempt this technique, you must first grasp what causes the soundless set. In basic words, this is a set that makes light touch with your hands and spends as little time as possible on them. There should be no hard hit, therefore, it shouldn’t make a sound.
Step 1: Concentrate
Before you even try to perform this technique, you need to deeply concentrate and get yourself into the game. Your mind plays a huge role while playing volleyball; it allows you to focus and pay attention to your main objective without getting distracted by outside events.
Therefore, you need to clear your mind before you start practicing. To do this, you can incorporate relaxation practices such as yoga, and a couple of breathing exercises. These will put your mind and body at ease, which will improve your performance.
Step 2: Master the Basics
Most of the time, re-learning the basic motions of movements allows you to fix some minor mistakes in your technique. Therefore, going back and fully mastering them will help you get a noiseless set. Additionally, it could even help you fix other errors you weren’t aware of.
Here you can see a list of how to train the most basic setter skills:
- Improve your agility, endurance, and footwork by doing conditioning training.
- Learn more about your hitters, what they do, how they hit, when they hit, and how they like to be set.
- Practice your decision-making. Professional setters understand the game in ways that other players do not, therefore, you need to practice this ability as much as possible.
- Continuously practice your setter mechanics against a wall.
- Enhance your aim by doing target practice.
- When going beneath the ball, do not bend at the waist.
- Practice deceiving your opponents with motions and threats like the setter dump.
- Practice keeping your feet shoulder-width apart at all times.
Step 3: Get a Proper Stance
If you are imbalanced throughout a set, you are likely to perform a poor technique or, worse, send the ball out of the court. This is why you should practice remaining balanced prior to, during, and after the set. This will also help you get to the ball faster.
Step 4: Loosen Your Wrists
When you make contact with the ball, your wrists should bend slightly before engaging and pushing through. As an analogy, consider your hands as an elastic band; as the ball makes contact, it pushes downward and then propels forward. This action will be soundless.
This is also why many setters often get hit in the face by the ball. They loosen up their wrists so much that sometimes the ball breaks their position and reaches their face. This is a common mistake, however, it is easy to solve: just remember to keep your fingers strong.
Step 5: Match the Ball’s Speed
As soon as you contact the ball, you need to bend your wrists and perform the set at almost the same speed as the ball. This way, it will keep its momentum and the result will be a silent set. Additionally, it will increase the accuracy and power of the set, which is beneficial too.
Step 6: Practice With a Heavier Ball
A setter’s exercise with a heavier ball (a basketball for instance) is one of the greatest ways to practice this technique. This will help you to build strength and flexibility in your fingerprints, preparing them to set any volleyball without effort.
This can be done before or after practice. If you make it a habit, you will notice that the volleyball is softer and lighter than before, allowing you to set it quietly.
However, be cautious while practicing with a heavier ball; after all, if you are careless, you might harm one of your fingers. Always ask a friend to aid you with the drills and to assist you when necessary.
Related Questions
Here are some related questions about setting in volleyball.
How Many Fingers Do You Use to Set a Volleyball?
When setting you need to use your five fingers. The ball should first make contact with your thumbs and your next two fingers (index and middle finger). Then, your last two fingers (ring and pinky finger) should also contact the volleyball and have significantly less force contact with it.
How Can I Tell Whether I’m Placing the Ball Incorrectly?
If when the ball falls into your fingers it hurts or causes a small discomfort, you are having trouble with your setting technique and you could get injured. To avoid this you need to keep your fingers flexible and strong and only use your fingerprints.
Conclusion
Setting requires a lot of practice and effort to master, though it is extremely beneficial to your team and your volleyball career. If you know how to set silently, you will be able to perform great sets that will help your team win many matches.
