Last Updated: January 16, 2024
There’s always room on a volleyball team for a skilled setter because a setter holds the most powerful position in the team. To be honest, a bad day for a setter usually means a bad day for the team.
That said, being a skilled volleyball setter is no joke. If you are not constantly delivering the ball to your teammate’s hitting zone, regardless of the game situation, you may be lagging somewhere.
Even though the volleyball setting is a learnable skill, you can’t learn effectively with no practice plan whatsoever.
You need to avoid making these common volleyball setting mistakes to get better than other players around you.
Volleyball Setting Mistakes to Avoid
1. Moving too fast
While getting under the incoming ball quickly is important, moving too fast can result in poor choices. Rushed sets can increase the scope of errors. Usually, you will struggle to control the ball, which will eventually affect the hitter’s tempo and rhythm. It can cause early fatigue during long matches too and even limit your ability to vary the sets effectively.
To overcome this issue, focus on slowing down your setting approach. Practice setting drills while paying close attention to your footwork. Take small and controlled steps to get into your position. You might also want to take deep and slow breaths to resist the urge to rush. Better still, you can record your practice sessions to analyze when you are rushing so that you can make the required adjustments.
2. Being predictable
Being predictable in volleyball is a great disadvantage. It illustrates one’s lack of setting skills and makes it easy for the opposing team to defend against your team’s attack. On the other hand, unpredictable setting can keep the opponents guessing about where the next ball will be set, making it harder for them to block the volleyball.
You need to be proficient in many types of sets, like quick sets, back sets, high sets, and others, to adapt to different game situations. By varying your sets, you can literally disrupt the opponent’s serve-receive patterns. This will also open up a wide range of attack opportunities for your teammates, making them more efficient, which can eventually break the opposing team’s morale.
3. Over-depending on a single hitter
Setters often make the classic mistake of over-depending on a single hitter, which makes it easier for the opposing team to anticipate the attack strategy. An opposing team will usually do a good job of blocking predictable hits. Due to this, your star hitter will get demoralized at some point during the game.
You can avoid this by spreading the sets across all the hitters in the team. This will create a more balanced attack strategy, forcing the opposing team to do more guesswork in the process. During practice sessions, watch all the hitters and adjust your sets accordingly. Keep communicating with the hitters about your intentions.
4. Ignoring the game situation
In tight matches, good court awareness can be a game-changer. Truth to be told, setters who are less aware of their surroundings end up limiting their ability to adjust to the changing game situations. Consequently, they pose less of a threat to the opposing team than skilled setters, leading to missed scoring opportunities for their team.
Related: Mastering the Art of Setting: A Step-by-Step Guide for Volleyball Beginners
As a setter, you must adjust your sets based on the team’s rotation, the opponent’s strategy, and the overall game situation. You must carefully observe the opposing team’s blockers and defenders to create sets that allow your teammates to exploit less defended areas of the court. In tight game moments, you should set the ball for the most reliable hitters in your team.
5. Ignoring the hitter’s preferences
Your exceptional ball-handling skills will only produce great scores if you consider your hitter’s preferences. If you set the ball too high or too low, your hitters will find it challenging to execute their attacks. The height needs to be correct according to each hitter’s preference, or else they may have to reach too high or too low to attempt a score.
While some hitters may prefer higher sets, some may prefer quick sets, and so on. You must communicate with every hitter in your team to understand their strengths and weaknesses so that you can cater your setting based on their strengths and weaknesses. You can bring out the best in them by setting the ball based on their preference.
Conclusion
You need to practice more and play more. After all, there’s no substitute for hard work. So, be willing to work those extra hours to cultivate your volleyball setting skills. Sometimes, the improvement can be slow. However, keep reminding yourself of the player you can become by staying persistent.