Volleyball played as part of an organized team, as opposed to random beach or backyard play, involves specialized touches on the ball rather than just any type of hit. The forearm pass or bump is one of three such specialized hits or passes, along with the set and the spike. If you've ever seen women's Olympic beach volleyball, the most widely followed televised form of volleyball, you've seen the forearm pass done to perfection.
Function
Each rally begins with a serve. The receiving team generally has a designated player, called the digger or librero, which handles the serve with a forearm pass. Also called a bump by young players, this is usually the first of three hits used to set up the most effective return. The forearm pass controls the ball and sends it to the setter at the net for the second hit on the ball. The forearm pass also plays a role in defending spikes by the opponent as the rally progresses.
Definition
A forearm pass requires your forearms to be extended in front of you, close together. You can choose one of two methods to create a passing surface. The fist wrap involves wrapping one hand around the other hand, shaped into a fist, so that you feel comfortable. Or try the cupped-hands position, placing one palm into the other to make a cup shape, with thumbs touching and parallel. Contact with the ball occurs on your forearms, parallel and upturned, about four inches above the wrist. Straightening your legs from a bent position adds upward directionality to the ball.
History
The U.S. volleyball team was slow to adopt the forearm pass, instead hitting the ball with both hands over the head, and crouching low to get low or downwardly hit balls. At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, the team arrived to be told the overhead pass was not allowable, writes Deborah W. Crisfield in "Winning Volleyball for Girls." Team members learned the new way of hitting the ball, and while they didn't win medals, they bought word of the new technique home.
Expert Insight
The forearm pass is not required in any other sport, Crisfield notes, and is more of a rebounding skill than one involving catching, throwing or hitting. While the overhead pass is easier and more accurate, you have to master the forearm pass. When you are first learning the forearm pass, the ball may veer unpredictably off your forearms, but with practice, you can eventually step closer to Olympic smoothness.
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