In a earlier submit I inspired coaches to educate younger athletes how you can throw correctly as a part of creating volleyball arm swing mechanics. It’s actually one thing that needs to be a part of bodily literacy improvement typically. We don’t all the time get youngsters who’ve been effectively ready in that context, although. In consequence, it’s a difficulty we might have to beat.
One thing that doesn’t assist on this context, although, is coaches type of over-thinking. Let me clarify.
I used to be as soon as in a gymnasium observing a males’s professional workforce apply. On a facet courtroom, I might see a workforce of 13s women from the identical membership coaching as effectively. The throwing challenge was recent in my thoughts on the time. So once I observed their coach doing a little work on that I made positive to concentrate. It was disappointing.
You see, this coach did one thing I’ve see very often through the years (generally known as “bow-and-arrow”). I most likely did it myself again in my youthful days. Reasonably than attempt to clarify in phrases, let me present you an instance of what I imply I got here throughout on Instagram (I’d hyperlink, but it surely’s now not accessible). Watch what this different coach does with their athlete, then once more in demonstration themselves. I’ve blurred it out to keep away from figuring out anybody concerned, however it is best to be capable of see what they’re doing with the arms (I’m additionally presenting it at 1/2 velocity).
Now examine that to this video I’ve shared earlier than. Pay particular consideration to what the hitter’s arms do.
Do you see the distinction?
Within the first video the coach demonstrates arms going totally up overhead, then the best arm is drawn again from there. Within the second video, discover how the arms cut up even earlier than the arms get to about shoulder degree. The left continues upward, whereas the best pulls again.
After I watched the coach of the 13s group, they had been just like the coach within the first video. In the meantime, the lads’s gamers on the opposite courtroom had been doing it just like the second video (possibly a bit increased, as Haak right here appears to attract decrease than most).
However you’re speaking about professional athletes
Right here’s the kicker to my story concerning the 13s. When the they bought round to hitting after the throwing, most of them did it extra just like the second video. So the coach was really going towards what their athletes’ our bodies already understood.
Now watch the remainder of the first video and see what the participant does. And the opposite coach demonstrating (although that one’s more durable to see). I’ve once more blurred the footage, however when you look intently you’ll be able to inform that the participant doesn’t get their hitting hand above about chin degree earlier than pulling it again in all however possibly one case.
I received’t say they’re precisely like what you see within the 2nd video, however they’re positively nearer to that than the demo from the primary one. Proper?
As a examine, I watched the hitting from when the England U17s (girls and boys) performed Norway in an October 2023 worldwide event. Neither nation is close to the highest of the rankings, so no actual loopy stud hitters in that blend. Just a few fairly strong 16 year-olds. All of them appeared rather a lot just like the younger participant above. Their arms stayed collectively as much as about their chin on common – about their eyes on the excessive facet, round shoulder degree on the low facet. From there, nevertheless, they started drawing their hitting arm again. There was maybe one exception, however that’s a participant with important mechanical points round core rotation. Sadly, I can’t share these movies.
I’m assured that when you watch any group of fairly competent hitters you’ll make related remark. I even had a poster on Fb share video that they gave the impression to be saying confirmed the excessive arm factor, however in actuality the arms began to diverge at round nostril or eye degree. There’ll, after all, be some exceptions (I believe I noticed a clip of Leon with increased than standard arm separation, however there aren’t many together with his degree of athleticism).
This type of factor comes from coaches considering in theoreticals quite than really observing what occurs in actual life. Generally we’ve to show our brains off and let our eyes inform us what’s actually happening. Much more so these days the place sluggish movement video is so available. This isn’t simply a difficulty with regards to volleyball arm swing mechanics. It occurs in numerous areas. Mark Lebedew shared one thing on a associated word with reference to hand contact ( which hyperlinks right into a earlier most of mine on the mythology round wrist snap).
So quite than considering your approach to a mannequin of motion that few or nobody makes use of in actuality, watch what nearly all of good gamers do. Not the small particulars, maybe, however no less than the final patterns. They’re what they’re for a cause.
However which means hitters aren’t max leaping!
That is technically right. To actually max leap, your arms ought to proceed collectively above your head. The issue is, although, you need to hit the ball. Meaning you need to pull your hitting arm again sooner or later. When you wait to do this till you’ve reached your peak leap, then you definately’ll find yourself hitting in your means down. Not excellent.
The broad downside hitters face is to have the ability to hit the ball over the online on the highest level attainable with as a lot energy as they will. Drawing their arm again at under peak leap clearly is one of the best answer for the problem offered. If it wasn’t, in any case these many years of hitting in volleyball we’d absolutely see hitters doing one thing else. I believe within the ecological method to talent improvement they’d name it an attractor.
It’s price noting that you simply see one thing related in handball. The mechanics are a bit totally different, because it’s often one-footed (like a slide), however the throwing arm there too attracts again effectively wanting being above their head.
Coaching it
I had somebody on Fb ask the query of coaching the arm movement if not utilizing the type of demonstration above. I believe the late Tom Tait mentioned it fairly effectively in his Volleyball Teaching Wizards interview. He described hitting as run-jump-throw. The throw half has to do with throwing your hand by the ball. I believe you’ll be able to really use throwing, although, when introducing the thought.
If a participant has affordable throwing mechanics (per the place this all began), then having them throw a ball after doing an method ought to look fairly near what we’re speaking about right here (one thing extra hand-sized and weightier than a tennis ball, if attainable). Give them the essential necessities drawn from the hitting downside. Throw the ball over the online with as excessive a velocity as attainable from as excessive some extent as attainable. You most likely need them utilizing the suitable footwork. In any other case it might appear to be a really totally different sport!
With these constraints and a few suggestions – possibly a little bit of “May you throw quicker?” and/or “May you leap increased?” – I believe you’ll discover them pretty shortly attending to the suitable arm movement answer. It’s self-organization.
Not that this is identical as hitting a set, thoughts. You’d solely need to do it to ascertain the idea in your gamers’ head.
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