Coach Houser:
I have a player that is little over 6 ft. When the ball is hit it goes between/through her arms. She tries to squeeze them close and her chin is down. but if they hit directly into her arms it still goes through sometimes. Suggestions????

My answer may seem simple, but it's the only answer I have. She must not allow the ball to get between her arms. Period. Sure, it will happen occasionally, but that's once a tournament, once a week at practice. But that's as much as she can allow.

She must squeeze her arms tight enough to where a ball cannot get through them. Period. If that's impossible b/c of her genetic bone structure, then oh well. I have coached girls before who cannot straighten their elbows; thus, it's nearly impossible for them to ever be a good passer. Oh, well.

However, the non-staight elbows girls are 1 in 1000. I imagine there's also that same 1 in 1000 chance that your player can't keep a ball from getting her arms.

I know you know the reason why the ball just can't be allowed to go b/t her arms, but let's talk about it anyway. In most defenses, there is no coverage behind the MB. Reason: balls lands there so seldom (and we can prevent balls from landing there so well), why put someone there? She's pretty much a wasted digger. I haven't put someone behind my MB since 1989, and I don't see me going back to it.

So, my girls must try their darndest to squeeze their arms and close our block. We try to force the opponents to either hit though us (which they should be rarely successful), tip over us (we'll pick that up, if we're a good team!), hit over us (which should mean the ball goes out), or hit around us (which we hope we will dig). In fact, that's the logic behind the perimeter defense: have your blockers create a "shadow" behind them where the opponents cannot hit and thus your blockers "funnel" the hit to where your diggers are. With this strategy, your diggers have less court to cover b/c they are concerned about a hit coming into only 70% of the court b/c the other 30% is "blocked off" by your blockers.

Will the other team still be successful some? Of course.

* Hole in your block or the ball goes between the blocker and the net.
* The hitter can hit over your blockers (oh, oh! That's trouble!)
* tooling the blockers' arms or hands
* A digging error on a diggable ball, or the hit has too much velocity to dig
* the hit lands in an area that your diggers just couldn't get to (on the line or in the deep 1 or 5 corner)

But at practice, you and your players keep on working and working on the things that I just listed, thus reducing the likelihood that the opponents' hitters can be successful!

If anyone else has questions for me, please ask! Your questions give me great ideas for articles for Dave Cross's Gold Member Coaches!

Tom Houser

Director, STAR Volleyball Camps

Head Coach, 2008 and 2007 Roanoke 15's Open

Head Coach, 2006 Roanoke 15's Nationals, JOVC Qualifiers

Author, "I Can't Wait" Drill Collection and Ebooks

www.coachhouser.com