The block: reading, hands and coordination with the defence

What the block is really for

Counting direct points scored from blocking is the worst way to evaluate it. A useful block does three things, and only the first produces points:

1. Stops the ball (block point);
2. slows it down, making it defendable (block touch);
3. takes away an area of the court, forcing the attacker to hit where the defence is waiting.

The third is the most important and the least visible: a block that always covers the same line allows the defence to position themselves with confidence. A block that jumps at random damages its own team more than no block at all, because it leaves unpredictable gaps.

A regulatory note: in indoor volleyball the touch off the block does not count as a team contact — after the block, three contacts remain and the player who blocked can play the ball again. In beach volleyball, it is the opposite.

The starting position

Feet parallel at shoulder-width, knees slightly bent, hands high in front of the chest or at shoulder height, eyes looking over the net. High hands are not a whim: they react faster from there and there is no time to raise them from below.

The distance from the net is what allows you to jump vertically without touching it: about a forearm's length. Too close and you touch the net, too far and you lose penetration.

Hands over the net

The technical movement is all here, and consists of four details:

• The arms go up in front of the body, not from the side: bringing the arms up wide takes time and opens a gap between the two hands.
• The hands penetrate over the net, shoulders forward and wrists flexed forward and downward. A passive block, with vertical hands, sends the ball high up and makes it fall back into your own court.
• The fingers are spread and rigid, thumbs pointing upwards and close together: the ball must not pass between the two hands.
• The outside hand closes towards the inside of the court, to prevent a deflected ball from going out. This is the detail that distinguishes an effective block from one that gives away points on a fault.

Typical mistakes: jumping forward and touching the net; jumping too early; keeping the arms straight up without penetrating; pulling the hands back out of fear of the ball.

Timing the jump

This is the hard part, because the block jumps after the attacker and not with them. The practical reference: you take off when the attacker has already started their arm swing, meaning when they are in the air. On a high outside set, the block starts later than feels instinctive.

On a quick set in the middle (first tempo), the opposite applies: the middle blocker must jump practically at the same time as the attacker, so the reading is done on the set.

Golden rule for amateur play: better to jump late than early. A late block can still touch the ball; a block already on its way down is useless and leaves the area open.

What to watch

The order of reading, in a fraction of a second:

1. The setter: where and how they set, how far they are from the net, where they are looking.
2. The trajectory of the set: high, fast, back. This determines who will attack and when.
3. The attacker's approach: where they start from, at what angle. An attacker with a very wide approach has the diagonal as their natural shot.
4. The shoulder and elbow at the moment of the hit: this is the final clue, and is only used for the final adjustment of the hands.

Anyone who watches the ball and not the attacker will always be late.

Single block, double block, or no block

Single block. In an amateur team, this is often the best choice: whoever is in front of the attacker jumps, the others defend. Simple, and nobody leaves gaps by running around.

Double block. The player who moves (usually the middle blocker) arrives alongside their teammate, not overlapping: there must be no space between the four hands. This needs to be practiced, because two misaligned blockers are worse than just one.

No block. Against attackers who tip a lot or who do not clear the net with power, giving up on the block and positioning six defenders is a rational choice. This must be communicated to teammates, not improvised.

Block and defence are one single thing

This is the concept that changes the performance of an amateur team. The block takes away an area: the defence positions itself based on which area has been taken away. Two simple setups, both valid, as long as they are chosen beforehand:

• Block on the cross-court, defence on the line. The block covers the attacker's most natural shot, the wing defender takes the line.
• Block on the line, defence on the cross-court. Useful against attackers who hit almost exclusively down the line.

In both, someone must cover the tip behind the block: this is the most frequent ball in amateur play and the most ignored. Assign that task to a specific person, not to "whoever gets there".

Training the block

• Jumps in pairs over the net, without a ball, looking for synchronisation and hands side-by-side.
• Block against attack from a platform: a teammate hits from a chair or an elevated position, so the block works on timing and hands without having to wait for a real attack.
• Reading without jumping: you watch the opponent's play and call out loud who will attack, before the set. This trains the hardest part of blocking without tiring the legs.
• Movement along the net with side-steps or cross-steps, finishing with a block jump. This is the drill the middle blocker needs.

On safety: land on both feet, without invading the opponent's space under the net. Most ankle sprains in the gym happen exactly there, on someone else's foot, right on the centre line.