As with any other sport, in order to be proficient, you have to practice, practice, and practice some more. Volleyball is no different. If the game of volleyball is at the top of your favorite sports to play, then knowing a few helpful volleyball tips can help elevate your game; thereby causing more than a few, “Where did you learn to do that?” comments. So the next time you take the court or hit the beach, remember the following volleyball tips.

To begin with, almost every physical sport such as volleyball requires a fair amount of physical strength and endurance training. So even though it’s not a skill tip per se, preparing your body with the proper cardio-vascular and stamina-building activities, such as: Jogging, jumping rope, and moderate aerobics and resistance training are a great place to start. The following volleyball tips are rely on basic physical conditioning.

One of the most basic skills in volleyball is passing; for without accurate passing, your game will be lacking. A great tip to learn proper volleyball passing is to start with your body in a ready position, your arms extended, and your legs balanced. When receiving the serve, make sure your arms are straight, you contact the ball with your forearms, and you finish with your arms facing the target.

Second to passing, blocking is another essential skill you must acquire to ensure volleyball success. To execute a successful block, you first need the seal the net. You do this by locking your arms with your thumbs pointing upward. If possible, extend your arms over the net while keeping your shoulders square and always remember to anticipate the attack and jump straight up and down.

Aside from passing and blocking-and since it begins every play-serving skills need to be learned by every player. Serving in volleyball is done either underhand or overhand. The underhand serve will be covered first. To execute a successful underhand serve, you need to stand facing the net with your non-serving-side leg facing forward. Holding the ball waist-level, you slowly lean forward, swing your serving arm while dropping the ball just prior to contact. The ball is then hit with your fist or heel of your hand followed by a complete arm follow-through toward the target.

The overhand serve is also known as the power serve and begins with a firm wrist and arm toss. The ball is tossed in the air roughly 18″ above the server’s head and to where when it falls will be in-line with your lead foot and hitting shoulder. Always remember to keep your elbow and hand shoulder-height or above throughout the entire serve; shift your weight to your lead foot; swing your serving arm toward the target; and then finish with a clear follow-through.