Jump Training

There’s no right formula for jump training as training methods differ for every team. For example, the USA national team trains very differently than the Brazilians who in turn, train differently than Serbians.

In the case of the USA Men’s National Team, we do a mix of weights and plyometrics. Contrary to what people might think, we don’t rely too heavily on Olympic squats. While we do perform squats, we don’t put too much emphasis on plain squats. It’s easy to overdo squats – and that’s how injuries occur and set you back to many months of progress.

Squats are good but can put a lot of stress on your knees. Check your routine with a coach or a trainer and be careful not to overdo them.

The USA team focuses more on plyometrics. We do various exercises with medicine balls and others such as box jumps. We also do a fair amount of band work. Our focus here is not so much on pumping iron with the heaviest weights but on exercises that utilize our body weight. In doing so, you’re not overdoing any one part of your body and keeping your body proportional as a whole.

Plyo exercises like box jumps help you become more explosive and increase your vertical.

Cardio

Obviously volleyball doesn’t require as much cardio as like basketball or football but cardio should not be overlooked when training for volleyball. You need to make sure you are in good shape and can performa well for tight matches going to game 5. I do a bit of running every other day. Nothing too crazy, but half hour to a 45 minute jog to keep myself in shape.

Stretching

Stretching has recently become a huge part of my routine. Coming into college, I thought myself invincible — I was superman! — and overlooked stretching for the first couple practices at UCSB. But after a couple days, I had to learn the hard way that stretching both before and after is essential — I couldn’t move the next day because I neglected stretching.

Our team stretches for 20 minutes before and after practices and games so that your body is warm and the muscles aren’t tight before playing volleyball. Work your body up to a sweat while stretching and and get your muscles to relax — and they will do their job. I like to do more dynamic stretches before the game and do more cool-down stretches post-game. If you have the time or resources, taking an ice bath is like heaven for your body and works wonders!

Stretching before and after playing is crucial for reducing soreness and increasing flexibility.

Keeping your body in top shape is a long process that takes patience. But keep in mind that games are won by one or two points and being physically prepared can make a difference between a win and a loss in tight games. Put in the work in the weight room and always remember to stretch to minimize injuries and reap big benefits for your team in the long-run.

Thanks to Jeff for expertise in writing the article and taking the time to interview with us!

Photo by FIVB, Muscle&Fitness.com, YouTube

Penetration – Overrated?

Penetration (reaching your hands across the net) is crucial to blocking. Traditionally, coaches have players “pike” their bodies for maximum penetration over the net. When piking, players bend their bodies in a C-shape (from the side) so that blocker’s arms extend nearly horizontal (parallel to the floor) across the net towards the hitter. This high degree of penetration takes away a lot of height from the block but in tight sets, piking will often stuff hitters. Some coaches heavily emphasize “piking” because they believe it leads to stuff blocks and puts points on the board.

The outside blocker “pikes” his body in a C-shape as he penetrates.

However, I’ve recently changed my philosophy on blocking. Blocking is no longer about piking your body as much as you can but about getting your hands over the net and having your palms face the middle-back of the opponents’ court.

Notice that blockers’ palms are facing the middle-back of the opponents’ court.

Of course, penetration is still important to keep in mind. You want to make sure that you minimize the gap between yourself and the net so that balls don’t fall into the block on your side of the court. But I don’t emphasize piking and penetrating to a point where the arms are getting close to being horizontal since blocking is about slowing the ball down.

Slow Down the Ball

You won’t roof many balls in a game – but you can take some heat off the swing and get touches on the ball which can be just a valuable. As competition gets better, hitters hit shots to avoid being stuffed on less-than-ideal sets. Implementing a blocking strategy that focuses not as heavily on piking but on putting up a tall block that limits hitters’ options can slow down many balls and give defense a chance to dig. And more digs lead to more possessions and scoring opportunities.

A good blocking system will outlast individual greatness in matches. If you’re a team that might be the underdog on paper, focus on establishing a solid blocking system that fits your talent and trust your system to come through.

Special thanks to Coach Isaac Owens for the expertise in writing the article!

Photo by FIVB

Faster Offense

It’s often true that smaller players move faster. If you have a smaller team, use this to your advantage by speeding up your offense against taller teams. Have your setter set lower and quicker balls to the pins so that hitters can swing at the ball before the middle blocker can form a solid block.

At 6’4″, Giba doesn’t tower over anyone. But he’s been the best in the world at his position for his quickness.

When it comes to blocking, a split second can mean everything. Having your hitters swing the ball a fraction of a second earlier than the blockers can get ready for can make the difference between a tool and a stuff block. Running a faster offense avoids tall double blocks for your hitters and often creates 1-on-1 situations by abusing big blockers who might not be as fast as your smaller hitters. 

Matchups

Volleyball is a game of match-ups and against taller teams, it’s crucial to exploit any opportunity for a mismatch. Match-up your team’s strongest players against the other team’s weakest blockers.

Sure, setters like to get smart and try to fake out the blockers to give hitters 1-on-1 situations but often times, less is more – keep it simple and go to the mismatches where you know you have an advantage.

For example, say you’re a 6-foot-tall-average team playing against a team that is 3 or 4 inches taller. You know that in rotation 2 and 3, your 6’4” star-outside hitter is hitting against the other team’s 6’2” setter who happens to be the smallest blocker on that team. You should set him whenever you can within that rotation. Don’t try to get smart – identify your mismatches and go to them.

6’3″ Pujol against 6’9″ Matt Anderson is “easy money”. Identify your matchups and exploit them.

Volleyball is not a tricky sport. Every good team has a weakness and you can make adjustments to your team to beat the guys on the other side of the net. Whether you have a smaller or a bigger team, play to your strengths and exploit your mismatches.

Special thanks to Coach Isaac Owens for the expertise in writing the article!

Photo by FIVB

Facing the Server in Serve-Receive

All coaches and players understand the importance of serve-receive. Good passing means more offensive options for setters to maximize scoring opportunities. But coaches differ regarding serve-receive techniques – specifically where the player’s body should face when passing a serve.

Some coaches teach players to face the setter’s spot (center-right, front-row in the court) in serve-receive. But in my experience, passers should always face the server in serve-receive while using the passing platform to guide the ball to the setter.

The reasoning behind facing the server is that in passing – underhand or overhead – your hips have to be open towards where the ball is coming from. It’s much more difficult to pass a ball with your hips facing away from the ball than having your hips face the ball and using your platform to guide it. Not having your hips face the server can even cause hip injuries if they’re not properly stretched.

Face the server, not the setter when passing in serve-receive.

So if you’re passing on the left (zone 5) and the server is serving from the left side (the passer’s left) of the court (zone 1), your feet, hips, and shoulders should face the server. If the ball is served to you, move to where you need to in order to pass the ball while keeping your body faced towards the ball. Upon contact, use your passing platform (or hands if passing overhead) to guide the ball towards the setter.

Volleyball zones

This does not come without practice. Train your players by lining them up in passing positions on the court and having them pass facing the ball from various directions. Start with throwing them free balls – short, deep, left, right – and then gradually move into down balls, float serves, and eventually jump serves. Practice until facing the server and guiding the ball to the setter with the hands or the forearm becomes second nature.

Learn to serve-receive the right way and give your team a chance to run an unpredictable offense on every play.

Special thanks to Coach Isaac Owens for the expertise in writing the article!

Photo by FIVB, Stein

You never see hitters switching at the international level. Clay Stanley and Matt Anderson are both very capable of swinging from either side. Of course, Clay Stanley is not as effective on the left as he is on the right but it’s too cumbersome to switch and risk the offense running a fast attack then shoving the ball down the defense’s throat. At international competitions, plays go by so fast and you don’t have the time to make that switch.

You can consider switching if you have a hitter that just cannot swing at the other pin. But only do so if your hitters are quick enough to switch very fast and you are playing against teams that do not run a fast offense. All these things have to come together to make it worthwhile for you to switch your hitters – you’ll have to practice switching them so that they don’t run into each other and get the rest of the team to communicate about what’s happening on the other side of the net.

Bottom line: Learn to hit from both pins.

All in all, it eliminates a lot of headaches for teams to not switch their hitters after serve-receive on rotation 1. If you really can’t swing from the other pin, learn to do it and be a versatile player. Knowing what it’s like to hit from both pins will help you see things in a new perspective and make you a smarter blocker in the process.

Special thanks to Matt Proper for the expertise in writing the article!

Photo by FIVB

High school coaches love to put their strongest hitters as outside hitters. In a twisted sense, being an opposite meant you were a secondary option to the outside hitter. But more times than not, the opposite should be your outlet and the guy with the most kills per match. Here’s why.

If you’re the opposite, terminate the play.

The opposite’s primary job is to terminate the play. At the high school level, it’s tough for coaches to put the best hitters on the right side because they don’t have setters that can consistently set the ball behind their head on bad passes. As a result, they have no option but to place the strongest hitter on the left to make it easier for setters to outlet bad passes to the outside for a chance to swing the ball.

At higher levels, you have setters who can consistently get the ball to the opposite. When the pass is on the left side of the court, they can shoot it back and vice versa if the pass is on the right side. This way, the blockers have more difficulty getting to the pins to set up a good block and the hitter can get a 1 on 1 situation.

Playing as the opposite has some major perks. You have fewer responsibilities because, well, you don’t have to pass. You only have to worry about hitting, blocking, and serving. And when you do make a defensive play, people are amazed because they don’t often expect that from you.

So if you’re a strong hitter playing opposite, quit whining about not being an outside hitter unless you’re also the team’s best passer. The opposite is in no way a secondary hitting position to the outside. Think Clay Stanley who is by far the U.S.’s strongest hitter. Cherish your role as the offensive outlet for the team and learn to put away less-than-perfect sets. It’ll pay off in the end.

Photo by FIVB

1. Coming from a somewhat small volleyball town, were there any specific  steps you took to get noticed by coaches and recruiters?

The first step you have to take is deciding whether or not you are actually serious about playing in college. Once you come to that conclusion things begin to make a little bit more sense. Playing club volleyball was probably the biggest thing I did to get myself noticed. I was at tournaments where scouts were: invitationals, regional tournaments, things like that where there are lots of teams and thus lots of scouts. Also, my dad played a huge role in this. He was always on my side when it came to recruiters.

There are a lot of rules regarding when you can and cannot talk to coaches but my Dad was always able to talk to them and tell them about who I was. While there are websites you can use to put your information onto, I chose not to do that. I did email coaches asking for information about their schools, as did my Dad.

2. How did you make your final decision for college? What about Stetson was unique?

My answer to this question isn’t going to be all that helpful. At the end of the day, I basically went with my heart, not my head. On paper, going to Stetson was not necessarily the best choice. I was going to be 3,000 miles away from home, and unable to go home very often due to volleyball and school. I was verbally committed to a school in San Diego when Stetson offered me my scholarship.

While some will say I chased the money I don’t think that was really what I did. Yes, the money helped, but at the end of the day I loved Stetson when I visited. I felt that I had a large role I could play on the team and it just felt right. Stetson is a very small school with good academic programs – things that were important to me. Volleyball was really just the vehicle that got me there.

3. Playing a Division I sport is a major time commitment and can really take over your life. How did you balance between academics and sports?

Time management, time management, time management. You have to use your time effectively in order to accomplish what you have in front of you. VB did consume my life especially in the fall, but you have the time to get things done. You just need to focus, prioritize, and stay on top of your school work.

I am of the opinion that school is much more important than sports. And I always knew that if my grades began to fall I would lose volleyball. Another thing you need to take into consideration is friends (not just teammates). Find activities to do that don’t wear you out all the time and spend time with people who are going to build you up. Also, I learned how to study on a bus. It was probably the best thing [that] I did.

4. What did you miss the most during your time away from home?

I missed my family and friends the most. I used to say that I wasn’t actually home sick for the actual place, but for the people. I did really miss the mountains too. But the people were the main parts.

It was hard to transition at first because my parents were always at every game in high school and club and now they were only able to come to a couple each season. But you adjust quickly.

5. How do you train in the off-season?

Well, we sort of have two off seasons- the spring and the summer. In the spring we practiced and lifted weights four days a week. We worked on more on skills and less on playing and we did much heavier lifting. Our goal in the off season was to get stronger and better in specific areas.

In the summer, we were on our own, though our coach would give us a packet to work on. It was much harder in the summer to stay on top of working out but basically I would run 4-5 days a week and lift 3-4 days a week in order to stay in shape. I didn’t play a lot of volleyball in the summer but I enjoyed my time away from it. I think it helped me find a balance to be able to rest from it.

6. What’s one thing that every middle should know how to do?

I think the most important part about being a middle is being able to put the ball exactly where you want it to do. Placement is the most important in my opinion. My favorite shot as a middle was a tip to my right (the other teams left front) especially if they pull their outside hitter to come block with their middle.

However, you don’t want to be known for always doing something specific because teams will begin to adjust to you after a while.

7. How important are passing and defense for middles?

Middles playing defense…in most cases I would say it is not necessary to master that aspect of the game unless for some reason you are going to play all the way around on your team. However, I think understanding how the back row works will help you understand how big of a role you play as a blocker.

I actually really enjoy passing and defense. Another thing to consider is as you get to be a better defensive player you begin to develop a better sense of court awareness which I think helps you a lot as a player.

8. Has transitioning into coaching provided you with new insights into the game?

My transition to coaching really makes me think about how I do certain things in volleyball. After playing for this long a lot of things just become habitual and automatic, but for my JV players they are not habits or automatic at all.

I have to break skills down for them and think about how I explain everything. Why do we do things thing way, what is the best way to do this. Stuff like that. Its been challenging but very rewarding at the same time.

9. What are your coaching and individual goals, both immediate and long term?

For coaching I want to teach my girls as much about volleyball as I can. I want them to love this sport as much as I do, and I want them to have fun as a team. Winning, especially at the JV level isn’t everything. We are going to work hard at practice, work hard at games and have a lot of fun along the way.

Individually, I am on track to get my masters degree in occupational therapy. When I graduate I want to work with kids who have developmental difficulties.

Coaches often ask me how they can take the opposition’s dominant middle out of the game. My answer is simple: don’t let their setter set the middle. How can teams do this? Strong serving.

Unless you're Lloy Ball, this set is going to the pins.

With the rally scoring system and players getting bigger, stronger, and faster, serving has become a more important part of the game as the first line of offense for the serving team. More often than not, a well-served ball that is poorly passed 8 feet off the net will go out to the wings. Most high school and the majority of college setters will go to the outsides off of a bad pass. This funnels the action away from a dangerous middle hitter and makes it easier for your team to defend.

With strong serves, the team can put up 2 blockers on the other team’s MVP attacker. Will this work all the time for every team? Not necessarily. The other team will sometimes pass a tough serve perfectly to the target and all bets are off. But in terms of managing your odds, you can put yourself in a much better defensive position by starting with a strong serve. The rest will follow from there.

So as a coach, how much time do you dedicate during practice to serving? I asked this question to many high school and club volleyball coaches and surprisingly, most responded less than 10 minutes. If you want your team to improve its serving, you better be ready to put in more time than this.

Serving should be a primary focus during practices, especially at the high school level. Coaches should dedicate at least 20 to 30 minutes to serving everyday because serving is the team’s first opportunity to score a point. I like to think of serving like shooting free throws. If you execute good technique on a free throw, you sink it. Similarly, if you hit the right spot or serve the other team’s weakest passer, you either score or dramatically increase your team’s chance of getting a point during that possession.

Here’s a serving drill coaches can incorporate during practice to increase serving accuracy for players. I started using this in my practices as well. It comes from Steve Simonsen who is an assistant coach at Indiana University:

1)      Write each players’ name on a chalkboard.

2)      Split them up into 2 groups; Group 1 serves while Group 2 shags balls.

3)      Specify a zone on the court and have group 1 serve for 4 minutes to that zone only.

If Susie serves 11 out of 20 balls to zone 1 in 4 minutes, she records her name and score on the chalkboard along with her teammates. The next day she will try to beat 11 for 20. It’s a great way to track progress in serving zones and for players to seriously work on their serving. The added element of  competition provides an added drive for players to improve their serving game as well.

If your jump serve is not effective, stay down.

A quick note on jump serves. Most high school players love to jump serve. And why shouldn’t they? It’s fun to watch and impressive if done properly. But float serves are far more difficult to pass than a jump serve. So unless you have players with the talent to rip a jump serve with significant speed, top spin, and consistency, teach your players to stand 15-20 feet back from the serve line and serve a mean float or a jump float serve. Have your players practice the float serve until they are comfortable serving a floater that actually floats while consistently hitting its target.

At the end of the day, volleyball is about scoring points. A great serve can lead to aces or well-established blocks, and thus more opportunities for your team to score points. So if you’re not doing so already, focus heavily on developing your players’ abilities to serve the right zones with effectiveness to maximize your chances to score on every play. This will give your team much more flexibility in its strategy and game plan and hopefully lead to many more victories.

Photo by USAV, AnnArbor

10. Dwight Howard (NBA)

Nationality: USA
Height: 6’11”
Weight: 265 lbs
Age: 25 yrs
Team: Orlando Magic

Ideal Position: Middle Blocker
Style: Indoor

To kick off part 2, we head back into the NBA to pick out the starting center for the Magic, Dwight Howard. The “Superman”-though he may not have been the first basketball star to give himself this nickname”- certainly “represents the man of steel” persona well. From his gravity defying dunks to his monster presence on the defensive end, Howard has established himself as a perennial MVP candidate in the NBA. Individual success has been plentiful for Dwight in his career so far. He’s consistently among the league leaders in scoring, blocks, and rebounds, and has won the Defensive Player of the Year award for each of the last three seasons (and is having another stellar statistical season). At this point, he shows no signs of slowing down.

The major knock on Dwight is that he hasn’t been able to translate this dominating play into significant team success. Since their NBA Finals appearance in 2009, the Magic have struggled against elite competition in the playoffs. True that Dwight hasn’t been surrounded with good enough teammates for a championship (it’s one of the reason’s he’s demanded to be traded) but as the team leader, some of the blame has to fall on Dwight’s shoulders.

Dwight’s skill set would make him perfect to play either middle blocker or opposite.  His height and strength will be valuable up front, and with a vertical of nearly 40”, he’ll be that much deadlier. Passing will be a difficult skill for Dwight to pick up on, but expect him to be a defensive monster up at the net. Even without any real training, he’d pound the ball straight down and have it reach somewhere near the ceiling. Unfortunately, Dwight’s history indicates even with all the coaching in the world, he’s probably still going to try to mindlessly pound every ball into oblivion, and this can come back to haunt him. A kill inside the 3m line with massive topspin looks awesome during warm-ups, but it’s also one of the easiest shots to block.

It’s not a knock on Dwight’s dedication to his sport. Over the course of his career, he’s put in countless hours in the gym to improve on his skills as a basketball player. Yet whenever games get tight, he resorts back to trying to overpower opponents with his athleticism which often backfires. Dwight will continue to struggle unless he is able to incorporate more finesse into his game. Honestly, Dwight Howard should be placed a lot higher on this list. No other player has his combination of height, strength, speed, and athletic ability. But at this point in his career, he hasn’t shown enough to convince me that he’ll be much more than a one dimensional player. Of course, none of this will stop Howard from becoming a defensive menace on the volleyball court, and my guess is that most teams will jump at the opportunity to sign him.

9. Gael Monfils (ATP)

Nationality: France
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 177 lbs
Age: 24

Ideal Position: Outside Hitter
Style: Beach

Gael Monfils is truly one of the most unique characters in all of sports. He’s currently ranked number 13 in the world, and when he steps out onto the court, his presence commands the crowd’s full attention. He moves with grace, strikes with power, and has an excellent touch around the net. And to top it off, Monfils possesses more raw athleticism than any other player on the tour. Standing 6’4” and in the prime of his career, Monfils should be dominating every tournament he enters, yet he consistently finds himself losing in the early rounds of the Grand Slam Tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) to opponents he should be beating. He most recently was ousted from the US Open in the second round by Spanish veteran, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and earlier last month he lost at the Australian Open in the third round.

From a coach’s standpoint, Monfils is both incredible and frustrating to deal with. Athletic specimens like Monfils come around once or twice in a generation but at the same time, it’s very frustrating to watch him come up short time after time simply because of his lack of focus. Monfils is a showman first and a winner second. He often opts to make a spectacular (and much more complicated play) rather than making the more efficient, less flashy move to end the point quickly. His lack of coach-ability would be the only thing to hold him back as a volleyball player, but if he gets on a good team with teammates to push him in the right direction, get ready to be amazed.

With his speed, agility, and hops, Gael Monfils would make an excellent outside hitter. Monfils’ quickness and length would make him a great at keeping balls in play, and his delicate touch at the net would translate well when it comes to passing and digging. The overhead shot in tennis is one of Monfils’ best weapons and also one of his all time favorites, making him ideal to play at the outside spot in volleyball. He’d be a great asset both offensively and defensively.

While Monfils is suited to excel indoors, his laid back attitude would probably be best expressed on the sand in beautiful sunshine (he’ll realize many tournaments are also played in the cold). Beach volleyball will also be a lot easier on his body when he dives after all those loose balls. The spotlight will be welcomed by Monfils’ presence, and beach fans will embrace him quickly.

8. Steve Nash (NBA)

Nationality: Canada
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 178 lbs
Age: 37
Team: Phoenix Suns

Ideal Position: Setter, libero
Style: beach, indoor (only in 6-2)

This next choice might surprise a lot of folks out there. After all, when pondering great physical specimens, Steve Nash is generally not included in the first 100 or so people that first come to mind. Listed at 6’3” (which might be a little exaggerated) and 178 lbs, Nash isn’t exactly built like the average volleyball pro. He isn’t all that fast, possesses no vertical threat, and has been plagued with chronic back problems for a great portion of his career. But even with all these so called “disadvantages”, Nash, at the tender age of 37,  is easily one of the 15 best players in the NBA. Now don’t get me wrong,  Nash is still plenty athletic. He’s extremely well conditioned and his lateral quickness is heavily underrated. But it’s his passing, ball handling, shooting touch, basketball IQ, mental and physical toughness, and leadership that have helped him stay at the top for this long.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Nash would be an excellent setter. His court vision is unrivaled and he’s got the touch to hit teammates from all angles. He also knows how to get creative in tough situations. Part of being a setter is having the ability to create something useful out of a broken play. Not every pass will be perfect, but the setter is responsible for  giving his team a chance to hit a ball. With his quick thinking and brilliant skill, Nash can be trusted to make a good set from any spot on the court. Nash is also a great leader, and his teammates will look to him for guidance during tough moments. He knows how to make his teammates better, and that’s a quality that cannot be taught.

Unfortunately at only 6’3” (and remember, no vertical threat), Nash would become a defensive liability for his team when he rotates into the front row. His coach could avoid this issue by using him in a 4-2 lineup (2 setters and four attackers), but we’d only get to see him on the court for half of the match. That’s why I’d rather see Steve Nash try his luck on the sand. With his discipline, Nash would be able to learn all the different shots to find open space in the court. He won’t need to try and pound on the ball in order to get points. With the right partner, he could really do some damage on tour.

7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Nationality: Sweden
Height: 6’5”
Weight:  lbs
Age: 29
Team: AC Milan

Ideal Position: Setter/Opposite
Style: Indoor

We head back to Europe for #7, gigantic international soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Perennial douchebaggery aside, he stands as one of the most talented and electrifying athletes out there. The Swedish international has been around for so long and played for so many teams it’s getting hard to keep track of where he’ll end up next. Currently, he’s playing for the AC Milan looking to finish first in Serie A and make a deep run into the UEFA Champion’s League.

But don’t take his frequent relocation as a bad indicator of his skills. Sure, he’s had his fair share of troubles fitting into the long term plans of certain clubs (read: FC Barcelona), but Zlatan’s talent as a footballer cannot be denied. Ibrahimovic is one of the best strikers of this generation. It’s his job to score as many goals as he can, but his all-around game is on par with the top tier players. He generates insane power from both feet, his field vision is exceptional, and handles the ball with a rare finesse at his size and all these skills can translate into volleyball.

It would be easy to play Ibra as an attacker because it’s parallel to the role of a striker. But his ideal position has to be at the setter spot. It’s fair to question a footballer’s ability to use his hands for anything other than appealing for a penalty…or flopping. Still, Ibrahimovic is an elite athlete and he’ll pick up on the skills. He possesses all the intangibles that characterize world class players and being a setter is more than being blessed with a good pair of hands. Setters need quick feet, great vision along with the timing and the touch to feed the ball to a teammate from any angle, and pure creativity. Ibra’s physical strength will also be useful when he’s playing in the front row and has to joust at the net.

Zlatan can also contribute as an attacker. As a world class striker with a keen eye for goal, he already has the instincts of a hitter. He knows how to read defense and put an exclamation point on any play. In volleyball, he would be effective from either side of the net. Therefore, it might be best to use him as both a setter and an opposite in a 6-2 rotation. Having played on the biggest stages of European soccer, Ibrahimovic has become immune to sports related pressure. For years he carried the hopes of his home country when he captained the Swedish team. That’s a burden very few athletes have to deal with, and though Ibrahimovic has never won any major international titles, he’s been phenomenal playing as the front man for his team.

In the past, Zlatan has been criticized for his leadership on the pitch, but it’s really his willingness that’s come into question, and not his actual capability. He’s single-handedly been able to will his teams to victory at various points in his career. This leadership is an important responsibility for a setter. It pays off to have a setter that can captain the team’s proverbial ship. Zlatan would be his own biggest obstacle to his ability to lead. If his heart isn’t in it, then his team may be affected by that, but when he brings his “A” game, things could get really exciting.

Zlatan has very few weaknesses as an athlete that could hold him back in terms of what a volleyball player needs to do. Add his athletic prowess, brains, and a decent coach, he will develop the technique and skills to be a great volleyball player.

6. Rafael Nadal (ATP)

Nationality: Spain
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 188 lbs
Age: 25 yrs

Ideal Position: DS, Opposite
Style: Beach

In modern tennis, Roger Federer is generally the first big name that comes to mind (though Novak Djokovic has stolen all the thunder in the last one year). After all, he’s won more Grand Slam titles than any other man with 16 majors and he is considered by experts to be the greatest of all time. Yet in the midst of all of this, one man has consistently made life on the tour miserable for Federer, and his name is Rafael Nadal.  Nadal has dominated the head to head matchup against Federer, with 7 of those wins coming in the final of a Grand Slam, having most recently defeated him in the Australian Open semi-final last month. In total, he’s won 10 grand slams, an Olympic gold medal, and in a few years, Rafael could very well make his own case for the honor of “greatest player ever”.

While his serving and ground strokes currently rank among the world’s best, Nadal first made a name for himself with his incredible defense. He covers the court with a combination of speed and finesse unlike any other tennis player that we’ve seen. His movement allows him to track down any ball, and he is able to transition from defense to offense with ease. It’s this kind of play that propelled him to the world’s number one ranking in 2008 and yet again in 2010. Nadal defeats his opponents by overpowering them, both physically and mentally. He plays with the ultimate focus to complement his raw athleticism.

We can easily toss Nadal into the back row and as a libero or a D-S. However, Rafa is capable of bringing so more to the game of volleyball. At only 6’1”, it’ll be difficult for him to battle against the towering competition in indoor volleyball which is why Nadal would be best suited for sand. His lack of height will still put him at a significant disadvantage (beach players are giants too), but with only one blocker and more space to work with, he’ll find plenty of ways to score. Roll shots, cut shots, dinks, and wipes, Nadal will have them all. He’ll score from angles that are seemingly impossible, causing opponents to merely shake their heads and smile. Also, Nadal is one of the best players on tour when it comes to adapting to difficult weather conditions. He’ll have no problem adjusting to the tricky winds that often blow through the beach volleyball courts.

Rafa is naturally right handed, but if he chooses to play with his left hand (like he does in tennis), things could get really interesting. To see if he could generate the kind of spin with his jump serve that is similar to what he does on the ATP tour would also be very cool.

Apart from his height, the only potential setback for Nadal is his injury history. Over the course of his tennis career, Nadal has been plagued with various knee injuries that have kept him out of several major tournaments, and before the recent rise of Novak Djokovic, these injuries have pretty much been the only hindrance to his reign over the tennis world. Moving around and diving on the sand will probably be easier on his body than sliding on the hard courts at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but volleyball players are by no means immune to serious knee injuries.

In our universe of crossover athletes, Nadal will find a way to dominate. As a physical and mental maestro, he will make life miserable for his opponents. And even if the rules of volleyball don’t allow him to pull off insane plays like this, expect Rafa to rise to greatness as a volleyball player. Just give him plenty of time to get his serve in play (Nadal is notorious for his slow pace between points), and always make sure that there’s someone to hand him a towel…after every single point.

That’s the end of part 2 of our “Other Athletes” profiles. Be Sure to check back soon for part 3 and the conclusion of this series where we reveal the top five of the list.

Photo by Soletron, LIFE, Presswire, Serie A, AFP

It’s more difficult to statistically evaluate setters than outsides or middles. Good passing or hitting can significantly boost a setter’s assist stats, while poor passing and hitting will significantly hurt them. Is failure to score on a play because of a bad pass, set, or just good defense?

A good blocking team, for instance, might have fewer assists simply due to fewer opportunities. On the other hand, a poor blocking team can lead to inconsistent passes to make the setter’s job more difficult. Box scores don’t track the quality of passes or how often a setter is in or out of system. Nevertheless, a good setter is more likely to convert a bad pass into an assist but a box score can’t tell you what happened. Weaker opponents can also balloon assists per set and vice versa. To account for this, I’ve filtered out certain programs playing against relatively weaker competition.

Freshman Setters (Min. 8.0 assists/set, 40 sets)

1. Mary Pollmiller 5-10 (Tennessee) 59 sets, 11.76 a/set, .894 team-set%, 11 BHE, 6/29 SA/SE, 2.19 digs/set, 0.20 blocks/set, 0.54 kills/set, .206 hit%

Top opponents (a/set): Dayton (11.60), Illinois (12.25), Florida (11.80)

2. Lexi Dannemiller 5-11 (Michigan) 54 sets, 11.59 a/set, .859 team-set%, 11 BHE, 15/28 SA/SE, 2.69 digs/set, 0.20 blocks/set, 0.63 kills/set, .228 hit%

Top opponents (a/set): Florida State (12.34), Dayton (13.34), Purdue (8.00), Nebraska (11.00)

3. Micha Hancock 5-11 (PSU) 50 sets, 9.64 a/set, .798 team-set%, 8 BHE, 38/27 SA/SE, 2.22 digs/set, 0.31 blocks/set, 0.54 kills/set, .308 hit%

Top opponents: Oregon (3.34), USC (9.00), Stanford (11.25), Texas (10.40), Nebraska (10.60), Minnesota (9.67)

4. Deedra Foss 5-9 (RS/Colorado State) 46 sets, 10.83 a/set, .904 team-set%, 9 BHE, 16/13 SA/SE, 2.07 digs/set, 0.32 blocks/set, 0.54 kills/set, .302 hit%

Top opponents (a/set): Oklahoma (10.67), Nebraska (7.60)

5. Erin Juley 5-10 (LBSU) 53 sets, 9.9 a/set, .749 team-set%, 10 BHE, 8/10 SA/SE, 1.70 digs/set, 0.35 blocks/set, 0.58 kills/set, .231 hit%

Top opponents (a/set): Washington (8.00), UCLA (11.25) , Hawaii (9.20), Ohio State (12.50)

* Blocks/set are calculated with BS=1 and BA=.5.

Mary Pollmiller and Lexi Dannemiller were named Freshman Player of the Week in the SEC and Big 10, respectively. Pollmiller is ranked first mainly for having the highest assists per set (11.76), with Dannemiller just behind her (11.59). I placed Micha Hancock at #3, because of her overall statistics, especially for her ace/serve error ratio (38/27) and hitting percentage (.308).

Note that she didn’t start at the setter position at the beginning of the year and this partly explains her assists per set (9.64) and it doesn’t help that her team has faced the strongest oppositions. But any of the three just mentioned could be #1. Runner-ups are Deedra Foss, a redshirt freshman, who set CSU to a home upset over Nebraska earlier in the year, and Erin Juley.

Outside Hitter Update

Emily Wilson (Missouri) had a strong weekend at home against Texas A&M and Kansas State, with a combined 30 kills and 7 errors, on 80 attacks, with a .288 hitting percentage, over 9 sets. She also had 4 solo blocks and 6 block assists.

Haley Eckerman (Texas) had 41 kills, 7 errors, on 102 attacks, with a .255 hitting percentage, over 10 sets, on the road against Oklahoma and Iowa State.

Summer Ross (Washington) had a very efficient weekend at home against Oregon and Oregon State, with a combined 11 kills and 1 error, on 30 attacks, for a .333 hitting percentage, over six sets. She also had 16 digs and 10 blocking assists.

Middle Blocker/Hitter Update

Hannah Schraer (Southern Cal) had 14 kills, 3 errors, on 26 attacks, for a .423 hitting percentage, over 6 sets, on the road at Colorado and Utah.

Katie Dutchman (Northwestern) had 20 kills, 6 errors, on 42 attacks, for a .333 hitting percentage, over 7 sets, at home against Purdue and Indiana.

Photo by CSURams, goPSUsports