A Tip for Middle Hitters
Posted on Dec 09, 2007 under Individual Skills |Middle hitters (MH) love to get the set in the middle of the court with one blocker up. They have the option to hit to the right or left and should be able to put the ball down the majority of the time. However, most teams try to block the middle attack with two blockers. Obviously, one of those two blockers will be the middle blocker (MB), while the other one will come from the right or left (RF or LF). The double-block sometimes presents a problem for the attacker.
A simple hint for the middle hitter is to replace the second blocker with a tip. This means that the attacker should see where the second blocker is coming from and tip to the area that she vacated. For example, if the second blocker comes from the left front, simply tip over that blocker to the area that she came from. Most back line defenders are back on their heels, when the middle hitter is hitting, and cannot make a quick enough move to pick up the shot.
Middle hitters will probably only see the right front player block when she is hitting a 31. In that case, the attacker can simply tip over the right front blocker to “zone 2″ and watch it fall to the floor for a sideout or point.
Good luck with this tip for the tip!