Learn Volleyball Spiking Before Adding Power

A volleyball spike is an overhead attacking hit, usually made after an approach and jump. The first goal is not to smash the ball straight down. It is to meet the ball high, in front of your hitting shoulder, and send it over the net with a controlled landing.

This progression is for indoor volleyball. Keep serving and passing in your practice while learning to hit. Once the basic swing works, connect it to a pass and set rather than spending every repetition on a perfect coach toss.

The basic spiking technique

Use a three-step approach as your starting pattern:

Hitting hand	Three-step approach	Final two steps
Right	Left–right–left	Right–left
Left	Right–left–right	Left–right

The first step leads into a quicker final pair: step … step-close. Those last two foot contacts happen in sequence, followed by a two-foot takeoff—not a jump from only the last foot. This follows the beginner footwork progressions taught by Cary Wendell Wallin and Tod Mattox.

As you approach, swing both arms back, then upward to help the jump. Bring the non-hitting hand toward the ball and prepare the hitting arm behind you with the elbow bent. Lead the forward swing with the elbow, then extend and whip the hand through contact. Mattox teaches this sequence as arm preparation, elbow lead, then “lift and whip”.

Contact with an open hand at a high, comfortable reach, with the ball slightly in front of the hitting shoulder. Let the arm follow through rather than stopping it at contact. USA Volleyball emphasizes both this ball-to-shoulder relationship and a natural follow-through.

Finish with a balanced landing, allowing the hips and knees to bend. Leave enough space between your takeoff and the net that you are not jumping into it.

Four stages to build a repeatable spike

The checkpoints below are suggested practice targets, not official standards. Advance when you meet the target and every landing remains controlled. Warm up first, keep loose balls out of the approach lane, and pause when fatigue changes your movement or you feel pain.

Count a feed as hittable when it gives you room to make the practiced contact without a forced reach or a jump toward the net. Repeat poor feeds; count your own timing and contact errors.

1. Learn the final two steps without a ball

Setup: Work in an open court lane, starting near the attack line—the line three meters from the net. Keep the net well beyond your landing area.

Action: Right-handed players step right–left, bring both arms upward and make a small two-foot jump. Left-handed players reverse the feet. Start slowly, then link the steps into a quick pair. Add an imaginary overhead swing only when the feet feel repeatable.

Cue: “Step-close, then up.”

Checkpoint: Complete 10 repetitions with the correct foot order, a two-foot takeoff and a balanced landing. If you need a recovery stumble, reduce the approach speed or jump height.

2. Find contact before adding the jump

Setup: Stand several meters from a net with a partner on your side, outside the swing path. Keep the opposite court clear for the ball. Use a lower practice net if needed to make an over-net swing achievable.

Action: Have the partner toss a ball above and slightly in front of your hitting shoulder. Without jumping, prepare the arm and swing through the ball toward a broad target on the opposite court. Use a comfortable swing, not maximum effort. Reset between balls.

Cue: “High and in front.”

Checkpoint: Send 8 of 10 hittable tosses over the net into the court without reaching behind your head or folding sideways. Repeat a poor toss rather than chasing it with a forced swing.

3. Combine the two-step jump and swing

Setup: Keep the same feeder and target. Start near the attack line with the feed comfortably off the net and the feeder outside your approach and landing lane. Mattox’s beginner hitting drill also introduces the two-step attack from this area.

Action: Watch the toss, use your final two steps, jump and swing. Adjust your starting position so contact occurs in front of your hitting shoulder. Do not use a fixed countdown: the ball’s flight determines when you go.

Cue: “Meet it in front.”

Checkpoint: On 8 of 10 hittable feeds, make high contact and send the ball over the net into the court. Keep every landing controlled before moving closer or swinging faster.

4. Add the first step, then a real set

Setup: Use a passer, setter and hitter, plus a feeder across the net. Choose a broad attacking target, such as the deep middle of the opposite court. Allow enough approach space for the extra step. If the setter cannot yet deliver a repeatable ball, work through the first setting drill.

Action: Begin with the setter receiving an easy toss. The hitter uses the three-step pattern from the table, adjusting to the set rather than rushing through rehearsed steps. Next, feed an easy ball to the passer and run pass–set–hit. Rotate roles after a short batch. On an unattackable set, use a controlled return rather than forcing the full swing.

USA Volleyball recommends real sets for timing and describes pass–set–hit as the ideal hitting drill.

Cue: “Read the set, then accelerate.”

Checkpoint: Across 10 hittable sets, put 8 attacks into the court with controlled landings. Track unattackable sets separately. Then add one challenge at a time: a less predictable pass, a different target or a blocker.

Match transfer: Practicing near the attack line does not make every hit a legal back-row attack. Under FIVB’s 2025–2028 indoor rules, a non-libero back-row player attacking a ball entirely above the net must take off behind the attack line without touching it; landing in front is allowed. Use a front-row attacker when progressing to above-net attacks with takeoff closer to the net. See Rules 13.2–13.3.

Fix the miss before adding power

• Ball goes into the net: Check whether contact was low or late, or the ball was too far in front. If you were late, swing sooner; if you were reaching forward, adjust your takeoff position. Aim over the net rather than forcing the ball downward.
• Ball ends up behind your head: Start farther back or reduce forward drift. Do not rescue it by arching your back.
• Feet lose their order: Return to the two-step version, then restore the first step.
• Tossed balls work but sets do not: Spend more repetitions reading actual sets, not speeding up the same toss drill.

When contact and landings are repeatable, add arm speed without tightening the shoulder or forcing the swing. Keep the broad target while learning to control the faster swing; return to the simpler version if your approach or landing breaks down.