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The technique of setting

Setting (or “basic basket touch”) is a very special mode of contact, where the fingers have a decisive role in forming the single and bouncing-off contact. Acquiring it is very difficult; it takes a lot of practice. Beginners must learn this contact surface already at the beginning of instruction, and they have to be able to use it, as playing the ball and keeping it in play is based on the setting (or basket) contact. As long as students do not acquire this with the necessary technical skill, no regular and enjoyable volleyball game can develop. The formation of the bounce-off surface, and passing the ball from there, is not a natural form of movement, therefore it requires many presentations and explanations. Playing the ball by setting is basically a ball received from a partner; it is a second contact in the game. With the setting contact, the set is performed, where the ball can be quickly and precisely driven to the right place or position (to the finishing player). Setting can occur in the following positions: low or dump, middle, and high or overhand positions, or in the air (jump set). The contact can occur in various ways: setting sideways, back or after turning away. Other contacts can be: one-hand set, spinning, dumping, drag.

The exercises are available at the following link.

The performance of the contact: After positioning and aligning toward the ball, the student stands in a shoulder-wide straddle, one foot is slightly ahead, providing the formation of a stable balance position. The leg is bent at the knee and the ankle, the trunk leans slightly forward, the eye is on the ball, and the arm is bent at the elbow and points toward the ball. At the contact, the wrist is stretched back; the palm forms a basket with the help of the fingers, the arm is bent at the elbow. The contact is at the proximal phalanges of the fingers, and it must be simultaneous and bouncing-off. This can be achieved if the fingers are slightly bent, in a tonic state. The ball must not be caught and kept. The contact is in front of the forehead, about 15-20 cm from it. The bouncing ball is enhanced by the stretching elbows, the palms point toward the ball. The arms are parallel after the contact, they do not open. The wrists must not bend toward the ball, the palms must not touch it; the ball must advance toward the direction of the setting possibly without rotating. To increase the distance, we have to make the contact with an enhanced knee and elbow bending. The precise performance and timing of the ball is one of the most important basic requirements; the formation of the correct contact, the coordination of the hands, is gradually developed and refined.

The formation of the surface of contact:

Basic position, the arms are in low mid-position, the hands take the ball at the two sides, the thumbs and the index fingers face each other, 2-3 cm from each other. The palms and the fingers equally hold the ball. Raising the ball, in front mid-position, the elbows are stretched, the wrists are stretched back, hence the ball gets out of the palms, and only the proximal phalanges hold the ball. Raising it further, toward the forehead, 20-25 cm from it, the elbows are bent, and that is how the ball is held correctly. The ball is held by the thumbs, index and middle fingers, and the contact is with the inside surfaces of the fingertips, the other two fingers “lie on” the ball.

The characteristics of setting (“basket touch/contact”):

  • basic setting (“basic basket contact”)
  • high setting
  • jump setting

Exercises:

  • Basic position, catching the ball thrown toward the head in a way that we form a basket with our hands.
  • Positioning below the ball that is coming down after it was bounced on the ground and bounced up, forming a setting (basket form) with our hands.
  • Positioning for the ball thrown by the partner in front, and setting (ball contact making a basket form).
  • Pairs lie on the bench in prone position facing each other and “push over” the ball to each other with a setting (basket contact), strongly stretching their elbows.

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