Chapter 2 - The Pass

Murrell Edmunds

A truism, which cannot be too often repeated, is this: team success in any competitive sport demands a mastery of fundamentals. This generality, important in so many games, is particularly relevant to volleyball, where basic procedures are repeated over and over again, endlessly, on both attack and defense, on both sides of the net, and in a numberless variety of situations.

The fundamentals of volleyball are usually listed as these: the serve, the block, and the big three (the game's great triumvirate) of the attack: the pass, the setup, the spike. This discussion will be concerned essentially with the pass, which is the attempt to hit the ball to the setter who in turn sets it up for the spiker. It must be said at once that the nature of the game is such that none of the closely integrated techniques of the big three may be entirely divorced from the others, even in theory. The pass, the setup, and the spike are parts of a whole, like separate members of the same body, and they are interwoven in such a closely knit pattern that when one fails to function properly, the others suffer, sometimes beyond repair.

The bridge between passer, setter, and spiker is skillful ball handling, magic words to be noted well and remembered long. "Ball handling is basic to the game, and from now on no team can expect to win a national tournament without being outstanding in the ball handling department." 1

The man who is responsible for keeping this bridge in good repair is the passer. Perhaps his most difficult passing assignment occurs when he receives the serve. The passer is not a man whose excellence is appreciated by the galleries, and in this respect he may be likened to the blocking back in football—a man who prepares the way for the climax of the attack. The finest running back is of little avail if his blockers fail to do their work and leave him unprotected from the assaults of defensive tacklers. Likewise, the proudest spiker in California can be frustrated if a hopelessly bad pass is slapped into the face of his setter, who is, therefore, unable to make a decent set.

"Getting the ball up on the pass is one of the major plays in the game. Its true value is lost in the scoring plays which always get the plaudits of the crowd, but regardless of this, the 'good pass' is a key to successful volleyball." 2

"The greatest variation of teams and players comes in this department (passing), and I consider it the key to the whole game." 3

Some of the specialized techniques of ball handling will be treated at length in other chapters, but we desire to comment briefly on the subject here.

The wise player will eliminate completely from his repertoire the two-handed contact of low balls with the palms" of the hands turned upward, thumbs out, and backs of the hands flat toward the floor. Whereas the ball can be legally hit with the underhand pass, the practice is not recommended for two reasons. First, the chest pass and the dig pass are much more efficient means of playing the ball. The chest pass is volleyball's most important and effective method of passing,4 while a dig pass allows a player to cover a much greater

Illustration #2. Rolf Engen, Hollywood YMCA Stars, prepares to pass the ball.

Illustration  #3. Rolf Engen, Hollywood YMCA Stars, in follow-through position after a pass.

range than does the underhand pass. Second, the underhand pass leads to many ball-handling errors. The rules forbid the ball to visibly come to rest. ". . . it is commonly known that a player is most likely to allow the ball to visibly come to rest if he plays the ball with the palms of two hands underhand, from behind his shoulder, from behind his head, or overhead with his back to the net. A ball played in this manner acts as a red light and should cause any official to look very closely for visible rest at contact. It is possible to play it lawfully, but it is poor playing technique to follow consistently." 5

The Chest Pass

The best method of handling the pass is the overhand technique known as the chest pass. The arms are extended upward, palms of the hands outward toward the ball, thumbs pointed toward each other and nearly touching, fingers wide to form with palms and heels of the hands a concave basket, and elbows forward of the body to form with the forearms and upper arms a flexible oval. Some players prefer to keep the arms and elbows extended out in front of the body in line with the shoulders, especially when receiving the serve. Others prefer to have the arms and elbows in a more relaxed position near the chest.

The skillful passer learns to get his body in position to make this pass whenever possible, moving forward or backward or to the sides. His legs are apart, slightly flexed, with one foot forward. He will not hesitate to squat down for low balls or even drop to one knee. Then, as the ball approaches him, his extended arms gradually retract and follow it in until the ball reaches face or chest level, when it is struck with the fingers. "As the ball is contacted, some of the speed and impact is absorbed by allowing the hands to give toward the body, and in one continuous movement the ball is clearly batted with the fleshy part of the fingers and thumbs. The ball is released with a finger snap and a co-ordinated follow-through of the entire body." 6 The Hollywood YMCA Stars utilize the wrist and finger snap in their passes. "The wrists cock backward just before the ball is hit and then the fingers roll forward as the ball is struck. Their warm-up drills stress this wrist snap roll."7 De Groot also recommends wrist action: "Good passes are made with wrist action primarily." s It is wise to avoid contacting the ball on the palms or on the heels of the hands, both out of consideration for accuracy in directing the ball, and in order to avoid a possible call by the referee for holding, pushing, or lifting. This pass is the good player's bread-and-butter tool, and he should practice it incessantly.

Conclusion

A spiker is a specialist whose basic skill can be used only -under certain specific conditions, and so is the setter. But every member of a team is a passer, and there is no way he can avoid his responsibilities. He is the man who initiates the attack, and if he does a bad, slovenly job, then the whole pattern of offense is bogged down. It is not a glamorous role, but it is an essential one. It is almost axiomatic that a good pass leads to a skillful setup which, in turn, results in a decisive spike. And, alas, conversely! "The ball should be passed high, giving the setup man plenty of time to move under it. This is especially necessary, since the spiker's offensive play depends upon how well the setup man places that set." 9
The role of the passer calls for a special kind of sportsmanship, an austere, self-discipline—one which places team success above personal applause, one where the reward comes not from the shouts of approval of unperceptive onlookers, but from the quiet satisfaction of a difficult skill mastered by constant practice and utilized for the group good.

References

1. Roberts,  Arlo,  "Pan American Fund  Growing,"  International Volleyball Review, January-February, 1955, p. 19.
   
   
2. Laveaga,   Robert,   "Making  the   Pass   Effective,"  International Volleyball Review, January-February, 1954, p. 35.
   
   
3. Wilson, Harry E., "Player Performance Charting," International Volleyball Review, January-February, 1952, p. 29.
   
   
4. Emery, Curtis R., "Volleyball Fundamentals," An Athletic Journal Feature, Pennsylvania Athletic Products, Akron, Ohio, No. 6.
   
   
5. Welch, J. Edmund, ed., 1960 Official Volleyball Guide (Berne, Ind.: USVBA Printer), p. 196.
   
   
6. Emery, op. cit.
   
   
7. Burton, Roger G., "Coast Sweeps Play in Ioway," International Volleyball Review, May-June, 1959, p. 49.
   
   
8. De Groot, Lt. Col. E. B., Jr., personal correspondence, July 11, 1959.
   
   
9. Walters, M. L., ed., 1950 Official Volleyball Guide (Berne, Ind.: USVBA Printer), p. 103.

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