Why is passing the most important part of beach volleyball?
Do you keep getting frustrated that you aren’t getting a good set? Are you having trouble passing the ball in the court? Oh no the ball bounced off of one arm instead of hitting your platform cleanly.
These are all common frustrations I see on the court and when you are having trouble passing the ball it can quickly mess with your mental game. While often overlooked being able to pass and place the ball consistently is the most important part of your volleyball game.
Whether you are receiving a serve or passing an in transition ball (middle of the play) developing the fundamentals of passing will be the most beneficial skill to having more fun on the court. By being able to pass where you want to gives you the ability to set up beautiful plays.
Why is passing so important?
Passing is the key to unlocking your volleyball game because a good pass sets up the rest of your offense. If you don’t give your setter a good pass you are less likely to get a good set. If you can’t return the serve, the other team is more likely to score.
I don’t care how good you can swing or if you are a tall hitter that can spike the ball hard, the second you come up against a good server, or it is a windy day, if you struggle with passing well then your game will suffer.
For some reason as people get better at beach volleyball they forget to keep practicing the fundamentals. They want to work on hitting since it is more glamorous, or they just want to play games without thinking of what a good pass actually is. I am guilty of this as well.
I tell you what, even after 8 years of playing this game there is a major difference in how I play the game depending if I am working on the fundamentals of passing compared to when i'm not even thinking about it.
What is the proper form for passing?
A good pass starts with proper hand positioning. Often times I see people swinging their arms to get the ball where they want it to go however that is much harder to do accurately and consistently.
By using the legs to push the ball instead of swinging the arms you will have more ball control. Try to pass the ball 8 to 10 feet high and 5 feet off the net to set your setter up for success.
Here is a quick video to help you learn the fundamentals of good hand positioning. Remember that if you are struggling with your passing, always go back to the basics!
3 tips to improve your passing
1. Play quarter court
But wait, you said playing games won’t improve your passing as fast. Well, this game is different. Start by drawing a court in the sand at the corners closest to the net. The size should be a quarter of the entire court.
First start out by passing the ball over the net to each other with one touch. Then once you get this down you each get three touches. You can pass the ball to yourself, set yourself, and hit the ball over. By playing a game to 21 or doing a king/queen of the court version of this will provide more touches in one day than most players get in weeks.
2. Pass in front of you to the in system box
At the most basic level, I want to pass in a way to make it easier for my setter to give me a good set. If my passes are all over the place, things can get ugly quick. When my setter knows exactly where I am trying to pass to, this becomes easier.
Passing in front of you allows your setter to come to your side of the court, and set up a runway for your hit. Your setter now does not have to set the ball across the court, and they can give you a more accurate set. Try leading your setter right in front of you and you will be amazed at how much better the sets you receive will be.
3. Pass on a wall
Passing is not that glamorous and it can be boring to work on at times. Finding a wall that has square or rectangles you can aim for is super helpful. Start close to the wall attempting to hit the same square. After you get up to where you can hit this target 10 times in a row, step further away from the wall. This drill is humbling, and will possibly show a major defeciency in your game.
After you can pass strait on, try putting one shoulder to the wall and pass side ways, then switch sides.
After reading this I hope you understand why we put such importance on passing at VeniceBVA. Please go follow our youtube channel and instagram for the video versions of these tips.
See you on the beach,
Matthew
