In 1895, William G. Morgan, a YMCA coach, invented a new game based on elements he selected from basketball, baseball, tennis and handball. The result was a new sport called mintonette, later renamed volleyball. This sport involved hitting a ball back and forth over a high net, but did not yet include one of the classic moves that has since become an integral part of the game. That move, called the spike, was developed in the Philippines in 1916 and quickly spread around the globe. Today, it is a popular offensive move with both amateurs and professionals.
Definition
Spiking a volleyball involves forcefully hitting the ball over the net at a downward angle that is hard for your opponents to return. It is usually performed by the third player to come into contact with the ball after it has been served. Unlike other hits, which concentrate on movement toward the net or toward another player, the goal of a spike, also known as a kill, is not to cover distance, but rather to drive the ball to the ground to win a point for your team.
The Approach
Many spiking techniques begin with a three or four-step approach, which quickly covers the distance between you and the ball and develops the speed you need to thrust yourself into the air when you make the jump. Right-handed hitters usually end the approach with their left foot, while left-handed hitters end with their right. Timing is one of the most important and most difficult parts of the technique. In general, you should take your first step when the setter on the opposing team touches the ball, but you will have to adjust your timing to the speed of the ball. At the end of the approach, as soon as your left foot has landed, swing both arms forward and launch yourself into the air. You should keep your body at a 30-degree angle relative to the net in order to better see the ball. Always keep your hitting shoulder furthest from the net.
The Spike
When you spike, or hit the ball over the net, you will bring both arms forward, but only hit the ball with your dominant hand. As you jump, reach both hands over your head, pull your dominant arm back so that your elbow is bent at a 90-degree angle, then rapidly bring it forward and hit the ball with the palm of your hand. You will get the most power out of your swing if you make contact when your arms are at their highest point above your head.
Legal and Illegal Spikes
Only the players in the front or back rows can spike the ball. Usually, it is the front row players who perform this move because they are the best positioned to get the ball over the net. Spiking from the back row requires much more skill and power, but it is a legal hit when executed behind the attack line, which is about 10 feet behind the net. If a back-row player performs an attack in front of this line, her team will incur a fault and the opposing team will be awarded the ball to serve.
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