As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Volleyball is a highly-competitive team sport that’s played all over the world. You need to prepare your body as well as mind and have proper team coordination to win a game.
While losing a game is a part of every sport, there are some techniques you can use to boost the chances of success. In this article, we’ll discuss the most effective tips to help you learn how to win a volleyball game.
How to Win a Volleyball Game
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced volleyball player, you can use the following tips to boost your chances of winning a volleyball game.
Understand Volleyball Rules Thoroughly
Understanding the rules of volleyball is critically important. Not only does it provide you with all the information you need about the game, but it also helps you avoid illegal plays.
Keep in mind that the rules can vary depending on the type of volleyball you’re playing. For example, the rules of indoor volleyball are slightly different from beach volleyball. So, you need to make sure that you understand the rules of the type of game you’re interested in.
Create a Strategy to Win the Game
Volleyball isn’t only about strength and power. It’s a technical game that requires you to develop and follow a strategy for each game. It’s a crucial aspect of your team’s success.
Playing with a plan is always better than not having a plan at all. It’s also true even if you don’t know the weaknesses and strengths of the other team. The following are the two different types of strategies you should focus on.
- Offensive Strategy
An offensive strategy is about organizing and executing the pass/set/hit sequence effectively to score a point. This strategy aims to lead the ball to land on the other side of the court. One of the most common and effective offensive strategies in volleyball is playing with five hitters and one setter.
In this strategy, all the setters only need to look at only one person for directions. It makes it easier for the hitters to score a point. However, you need to make sure that you use a tall and strong setter for this strategy. Otherwise, the other team will start targeting the setter which can lead your team to lose a point.
You can also come up with your own offensive strategy if you want. But the primary goal to execute the pass/set/hit sequence must remain the same.
- Defensive Strategy
A defensive strategy allows you to counter the offensive strategy of the other team. It includes blocking the attacks to make sure that the ball doesn’t touch the floor on your side of the court. Keep in mind that a defensive strategy won’t help you earn a point. However, it’ll allow you to keep the other team from scoring a point, which is essential to winning a game.
All the players, especially the ones standing in the backcourt position must be in a correct defensive posture. It means they should bend their knees with their upper body in the forward direction. You should also understand the strengths and weaknesses of your players to establish their defensive roles.
Another important aspect of developing a defensive strategy is to study your opponent. It’ll allow you to learn their weaknesses and strengths to organize effective defensive plays. The best way to learn how the players on the other team maneuver, is to watch their games.
Always Have a Plan B
If your main strategy isn’t working, you won’t be able to score points. That’s why you should always have a plan B so that you can make necessary changes on the go. For example, if your opponent is blocking all your best shots, you can try to swing hard to change things up.
Making adjustments according to your plan B during the game will allow you to catch the opponent off-guard. The players on the other team won’t be expecting those changes that will increase your chances of winning the game.
It’s important to make sure that you inform every player about both of your plans before hitting the court. This way, all of the players will be on the same page and it’ll allow you to avoid misunderstandings and confusion.
Stay Focused
All the players on your team, including you, must stay focused on the strategy you’re following. In addition, everyone needs to keep their eyes on the ball all the time. You also don’t want to pay attention to fans while playing and don’t let the opponent get in your head. Read and try to predict the movements of the other team but focus on your plan and playing style.
Be Deceptive
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Perform different movements | Be repetitive |
| Perform different strategies with your team | Perform the exact same movements |
| Attack different spots on the court | Attack and block the same way multiple times |
| Change positions | Serve the same way multiple times |
You don’t want to be a volleyball player that’s easy to read. Instead, you want to be deceptive so that your opponent can’t predict your next move.
For example, if you’re continuously performing short serves, you can suddenly serve deep. Your opponent will likely get panicked and it can earn you a point.
Being deceptive is especially important for the hitters because they’re the ones who need to play the scoring move.
Listen to the Couch
Always listen to your coach and accept his/her idea of running the entire team. You should also encourage other players to respect whatever the coach says. It’ll allow you and your teammates to create a solid team foundation.
Coaches are experienced and qualified professionals and they can foresee things that young players can’t. Listening to their advice will allow your team to handle unexpected situations to avoid losing points.
Study Professional
Whether you’re an experienced or novice volleyball player, you should watch the games of professional volleyball stars. It’ll allow you to learn how they maneuver during the game to dominate the opponent.
Then you can practice those moves while training to add them to your playing style. It’ll also improve your confidence which will help you outplay your opponent during the game.
Perform Training Regularly
If you don’t have a good training schedule to hone your skills, you won’t be able to win a game. For example, if your team trains only one day a week, you can expect to win against a team that trains at least five days a week.
Keep in mind that all your teammates will need to train equally. That’s because all of them will have unique roles. If one of them fails to perform his/her job, you won’t be able to execute your winning strategy.
Your training should include drills that force you to repeat movements that you need to use while playing. It’ll allow you to build muscle memory so that you can react instantly like performing a spike or blocking an attack.
While training is essential, you and your teammates must never overtrain. Your body also needs rest and overtraining will decrease your performance instead of improving it. You’ll also feel that your body has less endurance, agility, and strength. Therefore, you must make sure that you give your body enough time to recover and follow the advice of your trainer.
Related Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about winning a volleyball game.
How Do You Beat a Good Volleyball Team?
If you want to beat a good volleyball team, the key is to have a good defense. It doesn’t matter how good the opponent is if their attacks are constantly being blocked. However, this is just one of the many strategies that exist to beat great volleyball teams.
Can You Win by One Point in Volleyball?
No, you need to have two points of advantage over your opponent in order to win a set. However, there is a situation where you can win by one point of advantage: the final set, or the 5th set.
Here, if both teams reach 15 points, the first one to reach 17 wins the set. Therefore, a team can win this set with a score of 17 points against 16.
How Many Sets Do You Have to Win to Win a Volleyball Game?
It depends. There are two types of games: best-of-three, and five-set matches. To win a best-of-three match, you only need to win two sets. To win a five-set match, you must first win three sets.
Final Words
Just like any other sport, winning or losing is part of a volleyball game. The team that performs better wins on the day of the game. But you need to make sure that you and your team are fully prepared both mentally and physically for each game.
To prepare mentally, you must have an effective strategy. And the level of the physical training will allow each player to execute that strategy to outplay the opponent. I hope the tips mentioned in this guide will help you boost your chances of winning each volleyball game.
