Beach Volleyball Tips | 3 Tips to be a Better Blocker

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

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[@pamelascovill3258]

Not touching it.. my friends say that I’m early; jumping when the hitter is jumping vs waiting. Would love some tips on timing!

[@bryce8482]

Jump when they are hitting the ball

[@blackmagick77]

Yeah, someone told me you want to be the last to jump. That actually helped a lot. Watch the angle of their body and jump right after them

[@nicolasfalconeri6040]

@@bryce8482 if you jump when they hit the ball, it is too late.

[@michaelg8841]

@@bryce8482 I say jump when there arm is fully extended to hit the ball

[@animeride8935]

If U are a single blockers then jump little side way to their hitting hand

[@nataliaokla4627]

This channel helps me so much! I'm from Poland and I am very thankfull for this! Thanks

[@jonskramstad3742]

I enjoyed this video and felt it was helpful. My question has to do with the TIMING of when to go up. I've always heard i should "follow" the hitter as he jumps. Jumping a split second after he does, so as to be at my maximum height when his hit ball reaches the net. Anything to add or change to that philosophy?

[@bradevans8714]

I was going to ask the same thing. Please address timing

[@sdsuadaptedathletics389]

This would be great to learn about

[@bryce8482]

@@bradevans8714 I jump when the hitter is about to hit the ball. If you jump when they jump, you will likely be falling when they hit. If you jump when they are coming in for the hit you are more likely going to get a touch. It depends of the hitter though, you may have to adjust to their habits if you want to get more then just a touch (stuff them).

[@randomdudewholikesanime1985]

Depend on height and vertical. In general, jump around when the hitter hits, but it can vary. Since I’m smaller and it takes longer for me to get in the air, I jump a bit before the hitter hits. Tall blockers can jump when or slightly after a hitter hits and still be able to get a solid touch. This is why middles in indoor are usually tall

[@DaeGamesDaily]

Best time to jump is a half second to a second after the hitter jumps- can be rough to time at first but you want to be slightly delayed front the timing of the hitter jumping so that you don't fall before the ball would be hit across the net- this is so you can stay as high as possible as long as possible during the time the ball would go over the net. The difficulty really comes in when the ball is set further off the net (if you're trying to block that then jump a tad later, and if they are forced to hit the ball quickly jump a little earlier) but it's all about finding the rhythm of both the hitter and the setter

[@giorgiopallotta6213]

Thanx and congrats for Blocking lesson

[@gunarslodzins]

50/50 on if I touch or not. However, my biggest struggle is timing. I feel that I jump too early. Good tip on hand positioning, will think about that more.

[@GuilhermeSilva-vq7vm]

specially in the sand, you gotta time your jump a little later, even later than you would on the inside

[@GuilhermeSilva-vq7vm]

focus on jumping later and it will improve your block on sand a lot, and dont worry about struggling, im pro on indoor volleyball and it was a struggle to get it off too at the start

[@prestonwhyte6212]

Getting my hands over early has really helped a lot thanks

[@dannyrice3415]

Thanks again already blocking way better and won today’s game because of it. Words cant explain how much I appreciate you guys

[@superswimmer2011]

I love your videos. Been trying to study the game as i am relatively new to the game (more competitive play within the last year). You do a great job at being thorough in instructing. Thanks a bunch. Excited for my beach tournament this week.

[@MervinVanDamme]

I greet Coach! Very clear explained and what I'm failing on is/was positioning of myself when it comes to net. So as you said you have to keep that 90 degree angle of to avoid contact with the net, i will workout on that and I'm sure it's the reason why i don't penetrate always having touches on the sides of my hands/arms.

[@Tania-my8cr]

just started watching your videos hoping I can really step up my game. I have very hard time jumping high enough to block so been working on my jumping and now getting my hands in position. Have vb on Thursday then on Saturday we shall see if I learned anything.

[@readek2]

Thanks for the videos. My blocking problem is timing. Any thoughts?

[@terrezehicks4982]

Great tips! I have problems exploding out of my jumps. Bad hip flexors. Lol

[@BenjaminSpin]

I would like to add that: 1. the perfect position is to be centered with the hitting hand/ hitting point of the ball - and not centered with the hitter 2. jump slightly after the hitter, so you reach your highest point when the ball reaches you

[@sharkh20]

I am short. Get blocks every once in a while playing split block, but I'm 5'10". I have to put absolutely everything into the jump to get high enough, which makes the timing tough.

[@amyoshiko]

Muito boa didática dos fundamentos do voleibol. Show.

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

Thanks! Appreciate you!

[@mikaelnielsen8148]

@@betteratbeachvolleyball Hi guys! Thank you for many nice videos! I have a question: The shades Brandon is wearing in this video, where did you buy them and do they come as photocromatics, and do you have experience with photocromatic glases? Thanks :-)

[@shamirashameem2048]

i simply dont think i can jump high enough like i also need to approach with the distance if i have to block the hitter and well my hands are always weak when i go for it. This video helped alot keep up the good work 👍🏼

[@emrahagca99]

I am 1.95 cm and can jump high as well but my hand positioning is usually wrong. I think that is because people that hit the ball usually not hit hard driven balls but more like cut shots. So I jump a little late than I need to and try to reach high instead of reaching across.. Thanks for the tips in the video.

[@anderswallenius1309]

Struggling with height... but otherwise I feel good! 😎

[@bradevans8714]

Seriously...I'm only 6'1" but always get tagged as the blocker

[@vaibhavshirodkar8444]

@@bradevans8714 am 5'8" But love playing middle blocker

[@markheise4686]

I seem to go on runs of lots of touches and blocks, then complete dry spells where I won't touch anything, and when I'm in those ruts I'm unsure how to get out of them. going to try really focusing on the tips here to try for some more consistency.

[@do1ph7n16]

I hope you also tackle blocking if your height is only 5'7" or 5'8".

[@blackmagick77]

Depth jumps, power cleans and I forget what it's called but the one where you sit and then jump.

[@DaeGamesDaily]

Jump

[@KGWL]

Great video. I have been enjoying the series - thanks! In terms of blocking, I frequently find that the ball goes through (in between) my hands. How should hands and fingers be placed and how far apart to increase number of blocks?

[@michalilias]

I'm a small guy ... can you make a video for dwarves like me to block like Big Phill please.

[@johnjoneill4]

Getting tooled a lot. I get plenty of touches by using the “take a charge” positioning mindset. But my blocks tend to play off my hands deflecting upwards. Thinking it means I’m not getting across the net fast enough. B level player - 6’3”

[@DaeGamesDaily]

Really focus on pressing forward, you already have the height, and ik assuming the vertical, but really focus on pressing your arms forwards at the height of your block. All about angles, if the ball goes up off your hands your wrists are probably not locked out/pressing forwards hard enough, if it's off your arms and up you're either late to your block or late to pressing over the net

[@stakhar11]

If you are certain the attacking player is going high line (over the block) does it still make sense to penetrate on should you extend you arms up as high as possible to make it more difficult for the attacker to go over?

[@ivespoken8902]

if you see the ball coming at high line you are like Neo from the Matrix :) you can reach for it but it's a low percentage blocking style unless if it's tight or over, usually you got tooled and or you barely touched the ball which ended up redirecting the ball out or a kill for the other team. The truth is, you won't block every ball, high line is always difficult but if you do your job your defender could read high line and chase it down. If your partner/defender read the high line, turn and chase it down, you try to reach for the high line and tip it in a different direction, now that's a problem, unless if you are 6'10" with 45" vertical maybe you can consistently grab those high line lmao

[@mortezamori9712]

Hey, just wanna say I'm 5.5" and how can I improve my jumping to block and attack? I know I'm not tall enough in men beach volleyball! Thanks Mojtaba

[@tannergreenwald9497]

Most of my blocks hit me in the triceps, elbow, or face. What's the best advice for this? Do I need to go more horizontal on my penetration or jump less high?

[@atanaschernev1967]

Tricep 😯 how high are you jumping mate

[@davidwhite9493]

You need to focus on penetrating - pushing hands over the net toward the ball like you're going to grab it. When you have a high jump and deep penetration, the trick is to get your arms pulled back quickly so you don't come down on top of the net. If you keep your hands close together and pull them back just over your head, this pulls your elbows back early so the triceps and elbows don't hit the net, and allows you to use your strong trapezius muscles to pull back quickly.

[@shawnweaver4170]

In blocking, which is more important? watching the hitter as he swings to read him or keeping your eyes on the ball?

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

Hi, great question! It is extremely important to get your eyes off the ball and onto the HITTER as soon as you know the ball is not coming over on 2! Ball-watching often leads to the block being late. The hitter has to come to the ball, so there is really no reason to be watching the set all the way. Get your eyes on the hitter early, that way you can line up correctly in front of them and jump at the correct time (when they are jumping, not when they are swinging).

[@shawnweaver4170]

@@betteratbeachvolleyball cool! i have been trying to that more and have been getting noticeably more blocks! seems like the ones i struggle with the most are low angle shots that graze the tape. feels like they go under me.

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

COMING SOON! Our Better at Beach Blocker's Couse and Ultimate Defender Course! Sign up at BetteratBeach.com to get notified when we come out with new courses, FREE webinars, and early bird discounts! Plus you get a FREE drill book!

[@jrash26]

Hi: Thanks for your training Videos. I mostly miss my blocks and need to improve a lot. considering I am about 5.8 and most of the times it is hard to me to get over the net to block so I miss most of the time and also I need help in my timing , any tips?

[@fabricehenry6065]

Should we do a samll step in the direction i want to block before jumping or only use my hands?

[@UnicornrU]

In most cases step-adjusting before jumping is superior to the hands-only method, because that way your block can reach higher.

[@KorkoshProductions]

Can you talk about defense of a blocker. How to better communicate shots and switches

[@teresaperez1029]

I had a run-in with a guy at the net I was blocking and he was approaching. The ball was super tight, and he was injured because we hit knees and blamed me as if I went under the net. What is the most common fault the approacher or the blocker? If a ball is set tight I would think that he should block and not swing. Also, I am a ‘6 female and he did call me a very foul word. What is your take on continuously playing in the same place when he is there, I feel super uncomfortable.

[@WaterfallWhispering]

So it is legal for blockers to extent over the net to the opponents side if it’s the 3rd hit?

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

Yes.

[@juliantorres8200]

Hey there Coach Brandon. I just saw something in a recent avp match which confused me. I’ll see if I can paint a clear picture. The blocker jumped to block, the attacker jumped but did not swing/attack (the ball was too tight on the net), the blocker touched the ball which bounced off the top of the net and fell onto his side, he set it to his partner who then attacked. So, your’re allowed to touch the ball twice in a row in this situation? Thanks.

[@maikomathiesen]

yes, in beach volley the blocker has one more touch after the block, but those two touches count as 1 and 2 out of the total 3 touches your team is allowed.

[@UnicornrU]

Exactly what Maiko said.

[@B-S-K]

Whether at the beach or indoors, I'm very afraid of the ball when blocking. I'm worried about my fingers. Can't look up either, think I'll get the ball in my face. That's why I jump up blindly, eyes closed, head down (and mostly too early or too late)... of course that won't work. How can I solve this problem? How to get rid of this fear? What can I do?

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

You can limit your chances of injuring your fingers while blocking by having the right technique, timing, and VISION - so if you are closing your eyes with your head down, you will actually be MORE likely to get injured because you'll just be throwing your hands up there blindly. It is not likely that you will get hit in the face unless you are jumping high enough to get your head above the net. Technique- you want to press your PALMS forward over the net, not fingers first. Timing- You want to time your block so that you are trying to jump at the same time as the hitter is jumping, not at the same time that the hitter is hitting (palms pressed over the net before the hitter even contacts the ball). Vision- The eye-work for blocking is BALL (the pass), SETTER (are they going on 2), BALL (the set, is it going tight, off, inside, etc.), HITTER. And the most important part of that eye sequence is getting your eyes OFF the set and ONTO THE HITTER; therefore, you will not be looking up at the set, but straight ahead at the hitter, so you are no longer in danger of getting hit in the face! :)

[@marcosortiz3766]

I'm not able to make contact. I feel the wind of the ball as it passes by my hands.

[@stevecondrill3756]

All good points, but what about timing? When do you jump?

[@mechanussunrise]

new players...advice for a team that don't communicate well about who will get the block? like when two people say mine at the same time or don't get the ball in order to avoid colliding

[@VISUALefference]

Weird question.. I have a slight fear with reinjuring my fingers (especially as a climber) and I was wondering if volleyball players ever get finger/thumb injuries with blocks from an oncoming attack? How do you prevent this and what are peoples experience with this? I do know you should have spread and stiff fingers in theory.

[@balance2599]

A lot of players injure their fingers (mostly in pro play where the ball is coming at 100mph) but for casual matches, maybe be careful around a big hitter but otherwise you should be fine, a preventative measure would maybe be taping 2 of the injury prone fingers together from what I’ve seen, but like I said, overall unless you’re playing with some guys with cannons across the net you should be alright👍

[@andrewzwahlen3693]

I find that the hitter is off the net enough to where I miss allot of blocks. Maybe 🤔 I shouldn’t be blocking those. What do u think?

[@MervinVanDamme]

I'm from Namibia🇳🇦

[@talanky]

I only get blocks/touches on balls that are set really tight

[@danielweyulu2606]

prominently I wanna know the timing of blocking to avoid jumping twice in the air like being confusing?

[@fowlerea]

I tend to jump straight up first so it seems I need to reach over first instead of jumping high

[@SuperVikitube]

I am not even touching the ball on a block. I feel I am mistiming the jump. Can you share some tips on when to jump?

[@jahsreef8386]

It’s tough for me as a middle blocker to hear not to cross over when moving across the net bc I have to cover a lot of distance in order to get to the block but I’m new to twos so I should know where the hits coming from

[@jay7tennis]

(I play indoor volleyball/grass outdoor mostly) I’m getting tooled a lot. I feel like I don’t reach/jump high enough to get a good block in or I just miss them entirely.

[@ivespoken8902]

indoor attackers hit different than outdoors, indoor attack high hands almost all the time

[@scottruiz5336]

what about the sweep block??

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

What's that?! Would love.to hear about it!

[@jciklprogram6149]

@@betteratbeachvolleyball Maybe they mean swing blocking, like they teach a lot for indoors?

[@joaocosta11]

Been getting no touches

[@randypop7133]

I'm finding it hard to figure out (visually) how to "line up" with the hitter's swinging arm when I'm blocking. I find myself constantly setting up parallel with the hitter, instead of slightly left or slightly right to line up with a hitting shoulder (left or right handed hitters), because I don't understand the angles.

[@volleyballvideos6426]

Balls are hit past my block a lot. I think I'm either too obvious on whether I'm blocking line or angle, or my partner is the showing the side he's defending too early. I find i get more blocks when i stay nuetral and the either jump into the line or angle at the last second.

[@UnicornrU]

In beach volleyball the block's purpose is rarely actually catching the ball, instead it's mostly a tool for reducing the attacker's options and/or denying them their strongest/favorite attack choice (for most players it's the diagonal spike), so don't get discouraged due to not getting a lot of points from blocks. Squatting as low as you can before jumping helps with making your block position harder to read.

[@torbjrnjohnsen9437]

I struggle to keep my eyes open while blocking. Any tips?

[@TheCipicchia]

grande! :-)

[@harrymejia8508]

I had no idea you could go over the net while blocking. How much of your arm can you get over the net?

[@davidwhite9493]

As far as you can, provided you get your arm back before you hit the top of the net.

[@savannahleighburns]

I’ll never touch a block I feel like I am too short and my vertical is not great enough to get enough above the net. When I played reverse coed that is a big problem.

[@glago93]

If I try to get my hands over the net I will touch it LOL I'm 5'7" and I have short arms... But I can get high enough to get just my hands above the net. Sounds like I just need to do more squats and box jumps before I can think about actually trying to block

[@blackmagick77]

My problem is getting over the net. The penetration tip will probably help a lot

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

Penetrating over the net is more important than just getting your hands up as high as possible! However, if you cannot get your hands above the net AT ALL, you cannot really be an effective blocker. Luckily, we offer 3 free workouts to increase your vertical jump: www.betteratbeach.com/3workoutstoincreaseverticaljump-2021! EVEN BETTER is our 60 Day Max Vertical Program. 9 weeks with us and I'll equip you with all of the fitness knowledge and programming you need for everything volleyball! Check out the program in detail here: www.betteratbeach.com/60DayMaxVerticalJump

[@blackmagick77]

@@betteratbeachvolleyball I don't have a problem getting the hands higher than the net, I just need to work on getting them OVER the net. Also I realize now that I would always just block straight in front of them and hardly anyone I play with hits line. Since I've started moving over a bit and blocking cross its been helping.

[@Osogladiator]

I'm getting touches and not tooled, but not a lot of block kills

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

Nice! Getting good touches that aren't stuff blocks can still help your defender out a lot! If you want WAY MORE information on blocking, videos, drills, and even video review with personalized coaching, check out our Ultimate Defender Course: www.betteratbeach.com/ultimatedefender! We have a great section on blocking in there that will teach you everything you need to know. Check it out!

[@TonyaS]

Aside from being short, timing/footwork is probably where I'm the weakest. Am I even tall enough to be tooled? hmmm :)

[@vmatus96]

I been getting a lot more touches but the ball keeps going on my side of the court

[@petergrootenboer9508]

Just can’t get high enough to reach over!

[@UnicornrU]

Just forget about blocking then, focus on becoming a good defender instead.

[@spring983]

Nah. Just work on your jump

[@emilbjerg4651]

i can only just get my hands over :( if i take a lil run up i can get more touches but im not getting points :(

[@antuanaaron9187]

Ball goes by my hand. I’m getting height but I think my problem is I’m not penetrating fast enough

[@connorscott4439]

When I go to block I’m not touching the ball at all.

[@jay7tennis]

Ayyyy 0 dislikes! That’s how it should be!

[@russzacek3870]

I am not getting many block touches

[@allenivr]

I'm struggling with setting :'(

[@larryneedham2089]

Getting tooled. Feels like I am on the way down when the hit comes.

[@brandonjoyner6046]

Hey Larry. Try jumping after the attacker. At first you will feel like you're going to be late, but with how much higher attackers can jump by using their approach we have to jump after them so we reach our maximum height at the same point as their attack. Hope this helps!

[@joanabirka3107]

I can't get jump to get my hand over the net

[@MAMP]

I whiff on my blocks. Very frustrating

[@joseperez-vs2jx]

Training a 6'7" player and he get tooled or not reaching in a lot

[@theejonnyboy]

Struggling to even touch the ball. Also getting shots tipped right over me.

[@brandonjoyner6046]

If the people you're playing with tip over the block a lot, try waiting to jump until they contact the ball or not jumping at all and chasing down their tip/poke.

[@Jay-Ce]

My problem is that I don't even get high enough

[@betteratbeachvolleyball]

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[@SteveMcMief]

Struggling with fronting the hitter

[@brandonjoyner6046]

Try to read their energy and put yourself directly into their path. If they were coming under the net they should run right into you! Also keep in mind what arm they hit with.

[@SteveMcMief]

@@brandonjoyner6046 I talked to Mark about this the other day in a webinar. My problem is shift my eyes from the setter to the ball and then to the hitter.

[@babalolaoduodunuga3508]

It is a bit of both actually

[@bradevans8714]

Getting shot over and hit around

[@sukhwindersingh-gz9gs]

No touch while blocking

[@jacobb7310]

mostly not getting enough touches.

[@OneTimeForTheOneTime38]

I’m getting tooled more then anything

[@brandonjoyner6046]

Sounds like a timing or reaching issue. If its timing you are probably jumping to early. If its reaching you are probably reaching with your hands more than putting yourself into the right spot with your feet. Make sure you are in their line of approach!

[@jorgpeter4384]

U left out the most important part of great blocking. Grow f*cking tall!

[@koerndog]

Rarely touching it at all. Bad timing (?)

[@jendabekCZ]

I don't understand there isn't single word about the timing in the video.