Blocking in volleyball: footwork, timing and hands
A good block is the most demoralizing play in volleyball: the attacker does everything right and gets the ball hammered straight back at their feet. Yet at amateur level, blocking is the least trained of all the skills. Wrongly so — because blocking is mostly technique and timing, and those can be learned.
What a block is actually for
A block has two jobs, and scoring points is only one of them. At least as important: making the court smaller. A well-placed block screens off part of the court, so your defenders know where the ball can still go. Even a block that never touches the ball has succeeded if the attacker had to steer toward the spot where your defense was waiting. How block and defense work together is covered in defensive systems and organizing the block.
The ready position at the net
Stand about half a meter off the net, feet at shoulder width, knees slightly bent. Hands at shoulder height or higher, fingers spread, ready to go straight up — whoever lets the hands hang low brushes the net on the way up. Do not watch only the ball: read pass, setter and attacker, in that order.
Footwork: moving along the net
- Short distance (up to a meter): sideways shuffle steps — sliding without turning the hips, shoulders parallel to the net.
- Longer distance: the crossover step: open with the outside foot, crossover, close and take off. Faster than shuffling, but requires turning the shoulders back to the net in time.
- Takeoff: always from two feet, straight up — not drifting sideways, or you land on the feet of your fellow blocker or the neighbor across the net.
Common mistake: jumping "sideways". Whoever floats laterally through the air blocks with moving hands and lands dangerously. First move, then stop, then jump.
Timing: later than you think
The golden rule: the blocker jumps after the attacker. Against a high outside ball you jump just after the attacker has taken off; only against fast middle attacks do you jump almost simultaneously. Most missed blocks at amateur level come from jumping too early: the blocker is already hanging in the air while the attacker can still choose. Watch the attacker's hitting arm — it tells you when and where the ball is going.
The hands: over the net
Above the net you push both hands actively across the net toward the ball — so-called "penetrating". Fingers spread wide and tensed, thumbs almost together, wrists firm. The shoulders shrug up, the abs engage, and you watch the contact. Hands that are limp or point straight up produce rebounds that still fall for the opponent; hands over the net steer the ball down into the attacker's court.
Mind the net fault: you may reach over the net, but not touch the net itself between the antennas. And keep the hands high on the way back down — most net faults happen on the way down.
Alone or together: the block as teamwork
At amateur level you rarely block alone. On a double block the outside blocker sets the spot — closing the line or the angle per the team agreement — and the middle blocker closes in. "Closing in" means: shoulder to shoulder, without a gap the ball can pass through. A block with a hole in it is more dangerous than no block, because the defenders behind it are counting on a solid wall. Agree per match what the block takes away and train the closing just as often as the jumping; it is footwork, not luck. If closing in time fails, the agreement is simple: better one well-placed block than two half ones — the second blocker stays down and defends the short ball.
Tip: train the block without a ball now and then: have pairs on opposite sides of the net jump facing each other and "high-five" hands above the net. That automates penetrating and jumping straight up without the chaos of a rally in the way.
Progression and drill forms
- Block posture and jump on the spot: at the net, focus on hands over the net.
- Move and block: shuffle and crossover steps along the net, finished with a jump.
- Block against attack from a box or platform: the coach hits predictable balls — ideal for isolating timing.
- Block in the rally: pairs as a block against real attackers, with defense behind them.
More forms at the blocking drills. And do not measure the effect only in kill blocks: attacks that come off the block softened into your defense count too. How to track that is covered at measuring block points.
Frequently asked questions
Does the block contact count as a team touch?
No. A touch by the block does not count as one of the three allowed contacts — after a block touch the team may still play the ball three times, and the blocker may immediately play the ball again themselves.
May back-row players block?
No. Only the three front-row players may block or take part in a block attempt. A back-row player (or the libero) who stops a ball above net height at the net commits a fault and the point goes to the opponent.
Should you watch the ball or the attacker when blocking?
Both, in order: first the flight of the set (where is the attack coming?), then the approach and hitting arm of the attacker (when and where will they hit?). Whoever only tracks the ball jumps too early and in the wrong place.
Which is better: jumping high or standing right?
Standing right. A block in the correct spot with an average jump takes away more balls than a high jump in the wrong spot. Footwork and timing first; jump height is the bonus, not the base.
