The pass stays up, the set reaches the left side and the attack does not get past the block. Whose error was it?
If you look only at the last contact, you may conclude the hitter handled it badly. But perhaps they received a late ball, too close to the net or without space to execute. Perhaps the setter had already arrived running because the pass left the agreed area.
The work starts when we can distinguish these situations. The aim is not to find someone to blame for the lost point. It is to discover which action needs to improve and what the team can do with the ball it actually has.
Where to start: linking actions, what to observe in each fundamental, progression or diagnosis.
Learning the movement and learning to play
In Ricardinho and Fernanda’s work, preparation for overhead contact starts before the hands: stance, legs, positioning. If you arrive off balance and try to correct only your fingers, you may be changing the end of the movement without correcting where the error started.
This attention helps you look at the other fundamentals. Before contact, there is preparation. After it, there is a consequence for the team. Training needs to let you recognise both.
A reception may stay in play but send the ball so far away that the attack has few options. A dig may go up close enough for someone to organise the second contact. A block may not score but still soften the ball for the defence.
A good action puts the next player in a position to continue.
This does not mean demanding perfection in every play. When the opponent’s serve is difficult, delivering a high, controllable ball can be an important solution. The criterion needs to match the difficulty faced, not compare everything with an ideal situation.
The six fundamentals and what to observe in each
Serving: create a difficulty on the other side
The serve starts the rally. You choose an execution you can sustain and a target that makes sense against the opponent’s reception.
A very hard ball without direction can go out before creating any difficulty. A more controlled, well-placed serve can force the passer to move and change the preparation of the attack. This needs to be observed, not assumed from how the action looks.
After serving, join the defensive organisation. The opponent will receive and attack; your involvement in the point continues. To study types, targets and evaluation of results, continue to serving in volleyball.
Reception: provide conditions for building the play
Reception is the first contact against the serve. A forearm pass is common, but the name of the fundamental describes the situation; it does not require a single contact technique.
Observe whether the trajectory gives the setter time and space to arrive. Before judging the pass as good or bad, compare the ball received: a serve that requires a large movement calls for a different response from a comfortable ball at the body.
There is also shared responsibility among passers. Who takes the ball in the seam? Who calls it? If both leave it or both arrive without an agreement, the problem will not be solved just by practising the forearm action individually.
Setting: prepare the attack that is possible
The set organises the ball for the hitter, usually on the second contact. The trajectory needs to account for the setter’s arrival and the condition of the player who will attack.
Did the pass move away and you arrive late? Trying to repeat the speed of a comfortable ball can disrupt the play even more. Height and direction need to give the hitter an opportunity to act again.
The complete setting guide explains stance, movement and ball choice without reducing the fundamental to hand position.
Attack: choose within the conditions received
The attack aims to send the ball to the opponent to win the point or make continuation difficult. Power is one possibility; direction, using the block and placement are also solutions.
Before demanding a particular execution, check the hitter’s approach and the trajectory received. Did they have space to jump and meet the ball? Was the ball comfortable or did it require a last-moment adjustment?
In training, distinguish the attack after a controlled set from one after a difficult reception. Comparing the two situations helps locate whether the problem lies in the action, the meeting with the ball or the preceding build-up.
Blocking: work together with the defence
The block aims to intercept the ball near the net. It can produce a direct point, a touch that helps the defence or a reduction in the directions available to the hitter.
That is why counting only block points leaves some of the work unassessed. See whether the blockers arrive together, follow the defensive agreement and whether the back court is organised for the ball that may get through.
After the jump, follow the continuation. The ball may touch the hands and come back to your side. The blocking article shows how to observe these situations.
Defence: control the ball so you can counterattack
Defence responds to the opponent’s offensive action. Keeping the ball off the floor matters; directing it to a usable area allows the counterattack to be organised.
Observe what changes when the setter makes that dig: who sets now? Ricardinho’s expression every player is a setter draws attention to this responsibility. If the team has only practised the second contact with one person, it may save the ball and lose the continuation.
Control work needs to include this change of responsibility. Each player needs to recognise when the second ball is theirs and what they can deliver in that situation. The volleyball positions guide explains how these responsibilities are shared among players.
Overhead contact, forearm passing, reception and setting: why the names confuse
Some materials present different lists of fundamentals. Part of the difference comes from mixing the technique used with the purpose of the action.
Overhead contact and forearm passing describe ways to play the ball. Reception, defence and setting help explain what that contact does within the play. A forearm pass can receive a serve, dig an attack or prepare a ball for another player to attack.
When talking to your coach, say which situation is difficult. “My forearm pass does not work” can hide very different problems: the ball gets away in reception against a hard serve, loses direction in defence or lacks height when you need to set.
The clearer the situation, the more useful the correction. You do not need to debate which list has the “right” number of items to start training precisely.
How to start training without separating everything from the game
Ricardinho says the wall played an important role in his learning of overhead contact, forearm passing, attacking and ball control. It let him repeat and see the result. In training, he also uses the expression discomfort will bring you comfort when adding controlled difficulties. The application proposed here is to vary the task gradually, without losing the opportunity to observe and correct.
Ricardinho and Fernanda’s teaching approach starts with tasks in which the learner can recognise the action, then moves on to movement and continuity situations. You do not need to add everything at once.
First, make the error visible
Choose a simple task. For example: play the ball against a wall aiming for a reference area and observe the return. If the result varies widely, check your distance, the chosen height and your body organisation.
If you still cannot repeat it with control, that is fine: reduce the difficulty. Move closer, adjust the height, recognise the action and do it again. The aim of this stage is to notice and correct, not win a contest of strength against the wall.
Then add one change at a time
Once the stationary situation is controllable, include a short movement. Then vary where the ball comes from. Later, add a teammate and a decision about the direction of the next contact.
If you change distance, speed, direction and target all at once, it will be hard to identify why the result worsened. One change at a time makes comparison and adjustment easier.
Finish by observing a game sequence
Take the difficulty you worked on into a task with continuity: receive, prepare and return; or dig, set and attack. The next ball needs to give meaning to the previous contact.
This concern also appears in educational material from USA Volleyball on learning through play. The institutional article reinforces the value of game context in training; the progression proposed here should be adapted to the group and the aim.
The drill needs to help you recognise a situation when it returns in a match.
When the play does not work, where to start correcting
Choose one point in the sequence to observe. If you try to correct everyone on every ball, the instruction becomes long and the player does not know which adjustment to make first.
| What happens | What is worth checking | Possible next task |
|---|---|---|
| The serve goes in, but reception is comfortable | Target, trajectory and passers’ positions | Choose a target and record the effect on the pass |
| Reception goes up, but no one reaches it to set | Direction, height and team agreement | Reception with a defined build-up area and responsible player |
| Setting works from a stationary position but loses direction on the move | Arrival, balance and timing of contact | Add a short movement before execution |
| The hitter has to adjust their approach all the time | Relationship between approach and trajectory | Discuss the delivery and repeat a controlled condition |
| The block touches the ball, but it drops undefended | Coordination with the back court and attention after the jump | Continue the drill after the ball touches the block |
| The dig works, but the counterattack does not develop | Who is responsible for the second contact | Alternate who digs and who prepares the attack |
These tasks are starting points, not definitive diagnoses. The same difficulty can have more than one cause. Observe again after the adjustment: did it improve the next player’s conditions or merely change the appearance of the movement?
FAQ — questions about volleyball fundamentals
Do I need to learn all the fundamentals before playing?
You can start with games adapted to your ability while learning. The task needs to allow enough participation and control for you to observe what happens. The coach can adjust the space, number of players and difficulty. Waiting for complete mastery of every action before experiencing a play separates stages that can help each other.
Is the learning order the same for children and adults?
There is no single sequence that removes the need to know the group. Experience, coordination, understanding of the task and the aim influence the choice. Two people of the same age may need different challenges. The progression in this article is an organisational logic, not a prescription by age group or calendar.
How do I know whether to continue the drill or increase the difficulty?
Observe whether control holds across several attempts and whether you can recognise the adjustment made. Then test a small variation. If execution breaks down completely, go back a stage or simplify the change. One successful attempt does not show stability; repeating without attention does not show learning either.
Sources and references
- USA Volleyball — The Game Teaches the Game: game context in learning. It is not a source for a promised result or a universal training load.
- FIVB — Official Rules 2025–2028: reference for the limits of playing actions, especially contacts, attacking and blocking.
