Slide into your attack.

Until recently, the use of the one-foot takeoff - or "slide" - on a spike approach had been a forgotten tool of attack in volleyball.

It wasn't until the mid-80's that our coaches discovered that the slide could add an extra dimension to the attack on every competitive level, though they differed somewhat on the definition of the term.

The CAP Level II manual addresses the term as either a "backslide" or a "frontslide."

A frontslide is described as when the hitter "... on a diagonal approach, crosses in front of the setter... following the path of the ball."

The backslide is described as when the hitter "... crosses behind the setter to hit a quick set, again following the path of the ball."

Although Jim Coleman, Director of the National Team Training Center, does not indicate an official definition, he views the slide as "... when the ball and the hitter are going in the same direction."

Sean Madden (1993) describes the slide in a different manner. He also discusses "... frontslides, where the ball and the hitter are moving in exactly opposite directions."

Considering that no official definition exists, I will, for the purpose of this article, refer to a technique in which the hitter uses a one-foot takeoff, with an approach angle nearly parallel to the net, as the "slide."

According to Coleman, the type of approach that Madden refers to as a "frontslide," was generally the accepted technique for spiking the ball in the 1940's. The attacker would approach the setter and jump off one foot.

The two-foot takeoff came into favor in the 50's and the backset became the accepted practice. Tom Tait, former men's coach at Penn State and CAP Cadre, stated:" After the introduction of the two-foot takeoff, players were often discouraged, and in some cases forbidden to use a one-foot takeoff... Perhaps it was a mistake to insist that things be done in a certain way."

Tom's Penn State volleyball team had considerable success in 1977 using a player with a strong basketball background. His left-side player would take off with one foot outside of the outside blocker and hit the ball at a spot between the blockers, receiving a medium tempo set (not quite a shoot) and hitting the ball before the opponent could close the block [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 1 OMITTED].

An occasional European or international player would use a one-foot approach, but for the most part, it was a forgotten technique until the mid 1980's.

To the volleyball purist, the slide may seem to be a "garbage skill" reserved for those who don't know how to play the game. Quite the contrary, the one-foot takeoff in approaching the setter may have been the forerunner of the technique widely used in the women's game today. The slide has now become an effective weapon in the women's game and, in a more limited capacity, in the men's game.

A current point of debate is which takeoff technique, one-foot or two-foot, can result in a greater jump height? Peter Vint's research (1995) showed that "... on the average, there was virtually no difference in the overall height which could be attained."

Vint's research also indicates that where one technique has the force of both legs to gain maximum takeoff velocity, the other technique benefits from an increased takeoff height as a result of the elevated leg. One method of jumping does not offer a reach height advantage over the other.

The slide causes great difficulty for blockers, especially when the hitter is going in the same direction as the set, as the defenders cannot effectively set the block. Nobody knows where the ball will cross the net, making other defensive adjustments indecisive.

In most cases, the parallel movement of the hitter causes the blockers to drift. Even if the blockers contact the ball, it is unlikely that the block will be effective.

On the other hand, when a hitter uses a two-foot takeoff, blockers can better judge where the hitter will attack the ball.

Where to set the block is more easily determined by the location of the set and the approach angle of the hitter. Sometimes the parallel movement can cause the blockers to collide. This is most likely to occur when each of the blockers is reacting to a hitter, with the middle hitter running a slide behind the setter, leading his/her blocker toward the sideline, while the playset hitter runs an "X" route, bringing the outside blocker toward the middle of the court [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 2 OMITTED].

Jim Coleman referred to the area where the ball could possibly cross the net as the "window." In effect, the window becomes much larger when the hitter makes an approach parallel to the net in the same direction as the set.

Although no one has investigated the size the window, Coleman estimated that it would be in the range of 15 to 18 inches when a slide route is ran, as compared to about 9 inches when the ball and the hitter are traveling in opposite directions.

All hitting angles can be effectively attacked by varying the body position in relation to the ball. The hitters can trail behind the ball, or they can slide to the ball or slightly beyond the ball, each position presenting a different hitting angle [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 3 OMITTED].

When trailing behind the ball, hitters are in better position mechanically to hit a shot that will travel straight ahead or more in the direction of their approach.

When hitters run slides to the ball, they have all hitting angles available, and when hitters slide slightly beyond the ball, they have a stronger cut back shot.

Hitters can generate tremendous hitting power by moving the elevated leg toward the midline of the body, which rotates the hips and shoulders toward the net just prior to the arm swing. Momentum can be transferred from the slow, but very massive torso - up through the faster, but less massive upper arm - up through the extremely fast... hand (Vint 1993).

With the traditional two-foot takeoff, more of the hitting power must come from the strength of the arm and shoulder due to the limited rotation of the trunk.

The slide makes it easier to adjust to sets that are inconsistent in height and location, as is so often the case with younger setters. The speed and distance required to reach the contact point can be adjusted simply by shortening or lengthening the stride as needed to allow the hitter to catch up to the ball.

Hitters must judge the distance from the ball and the height of the set, adjusting the speed of their approach accordingly. If they are early with a two-foot takeoff and have to delay their jump, their jump height would decrease significantly by negating the eccentric stretch of the muscle.

Peter Vint states, "If the athlete holds in a squat position for a split-second too long, he or she will lose potential jump height."

A late approach, on the other hand, will not allow the hitter enough time to get the hitting arm back far enough to get a full swing and will most likely force the athlete to hit the ball while going up.

A side benefit to learning the slide is that it gives your outside hitters an opportunity to get a strong attack on the ball even on a poor set, especially if it is not pushed out far enough. A normal approach would often result in an off-balance jump, whereas a one-foot takeoff will allow the player to get to the ball more easily.

Another less than ideal situation that can be handled with a slide is when the setter is pulled off the net by an errant pass somewhere near the attack line. In this case, the slide could still be executed by running the route between the setter and the net.

If you have players who have developed a basketball layup, build on that skill and make it work for your team. The "slide" can add another dimension to your offense.

In no way am I suggesting that we abandon the two-foot takeoff, but to take what has been developed and use it to our player's benefit. The slide definitely has a place in the game.

(Special thanks to Jim Coleman of USA Volleyball, Tom Tait of Penn State University, Marilyn McReavy-Nolen of St. Louis University, and Peter Vint of Arizona State University for sharing their thoughts and insights.)

References

S. Madden: One Leg Up on the Competition, Coaching Volleyball, Oct.-Nov., 1993.

B. Neville: Volleyball Playing Systems. USVBA Level II Volleyball Manual, 3rd edition, 1990.

P. Vint: Citius, Altius, Fortius, An Introduction to Biomechanics and the Potential to Make Your Players Faster, Higher, Stronger. Coaching Volleyball, Oct.-Nov., 1993.

P. Vint: Vertical Jumping: The Fundamental Difference Between One-Foot and Two-Foot Takeoff Technique, Unpublished, Arizona State U., 1995.