Reception in volleyball: what it is, technique and drills

In volleyball statistics, each pass is graded by what it allows the setter to do. A passer’s goal is to rack up perfect passes:

• Perfect (#): the ball reaches the setter’s zone and they can use every attacker, including the middle.
• Good (+): the setter has to move and can no longer use every option.
• Poor (−): the ball stays in play, but the attack is forced or the ball just has to be sent back.
• Error (=): a direct point for the server.

It’s the pass used for the vast majority of serves. It’s built in this order:

1. Ready position: feet slightly wider than your shoulders, knees bent, weight on the balls of your feet and the trunk leaning slightly forward. Arms loose in front of you, not yet joined.
2. Read the server: watch the server, not just the ball: their body and arm position tell you where and how hard they’ll serve.
3. First move: right as the server hits, come off the floor with a small activation hop. That first move gets you going before the ball does.
4. Get in front of the ball: move with short, quick steps so you pass with the ball in the middle of your body, not off to one side. Arrive early and still: if you pass on the run, the ball leaves with your momentum.
5. Platform: join your hands with thumbs parallel and elbows straight, forming a flat surface with your forearms. The ball is played off the lower third of the forearm, never the wrists or hands.
6. Angle: the ball goes where the platform points. Angle it, together with your hips and shoulders, toward the setter’s zone (between positions 2 and 3), and let your legs provide the push instead of swinging your arms.

High float serves can be passed overhand with the fingers, more accurately than with the forearms. The FIVB rules allow the ball, on the team’s first contact, to touch several parts of the body in succession as long as it is a single action, but it must never be caught or thrown. If the serve comes hard or low, go back to the forearms.

When you can’t get into position, the priority changes: keep the ball alive and high, even with one arm or by diving. A poor but high pass still allows play; a ball on the floor doesn’t.

Each passer has an assigned zone depending on the team’s serve-receive system. Balls landing between two players are the most dangerous: before every serve, make clear who takes the balls between you, and call the ball loudly (“mine!”) as soon as you know it’s yours.

The most common systems are explained in Volleyball Reception Systems.

• Swinging the arms. The ball flies long and out of control. Keep the platform still and let the legs provide the push.
• Waiting for the ball flat-footed. You arrive late and pass while reaching. Make your first move on the server’s contact and go to the ball.
• A badly formed platform. With thumbs apart or one elbow bent, the ball comes off crooked. Practise the platform off the court until it’s automatic.
• Passing sideways without turning. The ball drifts toward the sideline. Turn your hips, shoulders and platform toward the setter before contact.
• Standing up before contact. If you straighten up before contact, the platform rises and the ball goes high and long. Keep your knees bent until after contact.
• Watching only the ball. You miss what the server is telling you. Watch their body and arm first, then track the ball.

1. Wall passing. Pass the ball against a wall at mid height without letting it drop. Ideal for training alone. 3 sets of 30 contacts.
2. Self-passing. Continuous forearm passes straight up to the same height, first standing, then walking.
3. Partner toss. A partner tosses and you pass back to their hands. It trains platform angle. 3 sets of 15.
4. Partner passing on the move. Your partner tosses to one side and the other; you have to get there and in front of the ball before passing.
5. Short controlled serves. Your partner serves from the opposite 3-metre line, more slowly; you pass to a marked zone near the net.
6. Live serve receive. Serves from the service zone into your area. Count how many passes reach the setter’s zone in sets of 10.
7. Passing to a setter. The setter stands in position and only takes balls they can reach within one step: that way you know which passes are perfect.
8. Points game. Three passers against a server: perfect pass 2 points, good 1, poor 0, error −1. Switch at 15. It adds real pressure.

When passing I focus on one thing only: making it a perfect pass. To get there, by the time the server makes contact I’m already coming off the floor, so I get in front of the ball in time, facing the setter’s zone. In beach volleyball it works exactly the same.