How do you learn to spike a volleyball? The technique in 5 steps
The spike is why most players took up volleyball in the first place: jump high and hammer the ball into the floor. But a good spike is not a matter of strength — it is a chain of five movements that have to link up precisely. This step-by-step plan builds the technique the way experienced coaches do.
Step 1: the approach
A spike begins far from the ball. The standard approach for a right-handed attacker is left–right–left: a calm first step, a long fast second step and a short closing step that plants both feet next to each other. The approach starts outside the three-meter line (attack line), at an angle to the net — that keeps the ball in front of your hitting shoulder. This rhythm is so decisive for your jump that it deserves its own article: the spike approach and the three-step rhythm.
Common mistake: leaving too early. Wait until the set is on its way, then accelerate — an attacker standing and waiting under the ball jumps without momentum and loses inches of height.
Step 2: the takeoff
On the last two steps you sink through the knees and both arms swing straight back. From that loaded position you explode upward: arms swing powerfully forward and up, legs extend. The double arm swing adds up to twenty percent of jump height — players who jump with hanging arms leave that on the table. Take off from both feet at the same time, toes turned slightly toward the net, so your body does not rotate into the net on landing.
Step 3: the arm swing (drawing the bow)
In the air is where most of the power comes from. Pull your hitting arm back high along your body — elbow above shoulder height, hand at your ear or higher — and rotate your upper body slightly. Your non-hitting arm points up at the ball: that is your sight, and it keeps your shoulder high. Think of drawing a bow: chest open, elbow back, tension through the torso.
Common mistake: the "dropped elbow". Whoever lets the elbow sink below shoulder height pushes the ball instead of hitting it, and loses both power and reach. This is the most common technical fault in youth players — correct it early.
Step 4: the ball contact
Hit the ball at the highest point you can reach, in front of your hitting shoulder. Contact is with an open, firm hand on the top-center of the ball; the wrist snaps through actively, giving the ball topspin so it dives into the court instead of sailing out. Your torso whips forward with it — the power comes from the chain legs–torso–shoulder–arm–wrist, not from the arm alone.
Only choose an angle once contact is stable. First learn to hit, then learn to place: straight ahead, then crosscourt, then down the line. Players who can hit but keep running into a good block need alternatives — see poke, tip and roll shot.
Step 5: the landing
Land on both feet at the same time, sinking through the knees to absorb the impact. Landing on one leg is the biggest source of knee and ankle injuries for attackers. Train the landing explicitly, especially with youth players: whoever learns to land properly plays longer. More on protecting knees and ankles in injury prevention in volleyball.
The timing: matching approach and set
The five steps can be technically perfect and the spike still fails — because the timing is off. The rule of thumb for a high outside ball: start your approach the moment the set reaches its highest point. On a lower, faster set you leave earlier, sometimes while the setter still has the ball in their hands. Timing is not learned from explanation but from repetition with the same setter: every setter has their own arc and tempo, and an attacker tunes into it like a dancer into the music. So reserve time in every attacking practice for fixed setter–hitter pairs instead of constantly changing combinations.
How to build up the spike in practice
- Arm swing from a standstill: hitting the ball into the floor, focus on high elbow and wrist snap.
- Approach without a ball: the three-step rhythm with double arm swing, until it runs automatically.
- Spike off a tossed ball: the coach tosses a high, predictable ball — sprint, jump, hit.
- Spike off a set: now with a setter, first high balls, later a faster tempo.
- Spike against a block and in game play: making choices under pressure.
Alternate the phases within one session: ten minutes isolated, then apply it in a game form. More ideas in the drill library.
Tip: film the approach from the side with your phone once in a while. Players do not feel their elbow dropping or that they leave too early — but on video they see it instantly, and that corrects faster than ten verbal cues.
How do you measure progress?
Do not just look at how hard the ball travels, but at the efficiency: how many attacks produce a point, how many go out or into the net? At team level that is the attack percentage. With beginning spikers you often see the percentage drop first once they start hitting harder — that is part of the process, as long as the technique is right. After a few weeks the efficiency climbs above the old level.
Frequently asked questions
At what age can you learn to spike?
The arm swing and the approach rhythm can be taught playfully from around age eight or nine, on a lower net and with lighter balls. The full spike at regulation height follows only as strength and coordination catch up.
Why do I keep hitting the ball into the net?
Usually you contact the ball too late or too low: it has already dropped in front of your shoulder. Leave a little later, jump closer behind the ball and hit it at your highest point in front of your hitting shoulder. A dropped elbow also pushes the ball down.
How do I hit harder without hitting out?
Power comes from the chain legs–torso–arm, control comes from the wrist snap. Hit the top-center of the ball with an active wrist for topspin — then even a hard ball dives into the court. Swatting with the arm alone gives flat balls that sail out.
Should I take off from one foot or two?
In nearly all cases from two feet: that gives a stable, high jump and a safe landing. The one-foot takeoff exists (on fast slides by middle blockers) but is a specialist variant for later.
