Volleyball is a competitive sport that involves many plays and utilizes many body parts, both directly and indirectly. Volleyball players are encouraged to wear protective equipment, such as kneepads, as well as proper athletic wear to reduce the risk of injury. Speak to your coach if you require athletic tape or other forms of protective gear prior to a game.
Hands and Arms
Whether it's serving, blocking or setting the ball, playing volleyball involves the hands and arms. Volleyball players even use hand signals to communicate with one another. Volleyball players use their hands to block, bump, serve, set, dig and attack the volleyball, as well as pass and tip the ball over the net. Each team is allowed to touch the ball three times. In indoor volleyball, one player can block the ball, then hit it again -- a block doesn't count as a hit -- but players may never otherwise touch the ball twice in a row.
Legs
Volleyball players must anticipate their opponent's moves as well as help their teammates. Once the ball is served, volleyball players use their legs to scramble to prevent the other team from scoring. Volleyball players also might jump to serve, block or pass the ball to their teammates. Volleyball players also might fall onto their knees to keep the ball from hitting the ground or sand. Having strong legs helps improve your blocking techniques and helps prevent overuse injuries.
Core
Volleyball involves a lot of movement, power, strength, balance and coordination. It also involves the use of core muscles, including your abdominals and back. These muscles work indirectly with your hitting and blocking power, and help keep your body stable as you run around the court or sand. Volleyball players also use their hips to help transfer power as well as move them to wherever they need to go to hit or block the ball.
Other Considerations
Other body parts that are involved in volleyball include the shoulders, chest and glutes. To prevent strains, sprains and other forms of injury, spend a few minutes performing warm-up and cool-down stretches. Wear proper athletic gear and eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. When conditioning for volleyball, make sure your cardio and strength training focus on all major muscle groups. This will help prevent unbalanced muscle growth.
