Santa Cruz Volleyball Forum

Is it just me or do a lot of beach players seem to be holding the ball and dropping it down in front of their face when setting? I would really like to hear what others have to say about this.
Thanks, Loxy.

They hold the ball to take the spin off of the set. It is an un-athletic and often illegal technique for setting the ball.

Spoken like a true bump setter!!!!! mhullo

mhullo,

Actually, I try to set as many balls as possible with my hands. From high school and club to Division I collegiate ball, we were taught to set from above the forehead. For over 10 years I played at Will Rogers SB and other southern california beaches where I earned a AAA rating. I learned a softer release playing beach ball but it is still done from above the forehead. Although I don't play in tournaments any longer, it is frustrating watching players set with the deep dish and it is not called. They are basically holding the ball to take the spin off of it. No coach worth his salt would teach this technique.

Best regards,

Johnny

Johnny... please take no offense in my attempt at humor.. The whole subjective quality of hand setting is and will continue to be the source of debate for years to come. I do agree about that "catch and release" technique as being hard to accept when it gives the setter a definite advantage to putting the ball in a good place to hit without regard of how it gets there. (Even the NBA has a limit to the number of steps you can take while holding the ball !)
When the hands drop down below eye level in the setting motion it goes beyond my acceptable standards. I guess all of my responses go back to "Tournament Play" and having a ref sit at the pole and make those type of subjective calls. The outdoor game's esethetics are suffering from the influence of the indoor game's ball handling guidelines undergoing such radical changes in the last 5 years.
Have you watched a collage match lately????
Hopefully the outdoor game will continue to place an emphasis on maintaining true ball handling skills.
mhullo

mhullo,

No worries. I agree the level of ball control skills has deteriorated significantly in the last decade.

Johnny

There is a fine line between Deep Dishing a hand set and a clean "Beach/Outdoor" set, if you watch a AAA and or Pro level the hand sets constantly come out clean(with no spin on the ball/no rotation), the ball isn't set above the head really, it is more so past it; furthermore, if you watch a pro set with there hands you see a break in their wrist which makes it look like a "carry" however it is not! I think being a beach player only makes me see and appreciate the people who set with actual ball control, because in indoor its just about your hands not ball control at all, indoor players constantly butcher the ball even at a college level. No need to bust my chops on this just ask any good beach player how they set, and then ask a good indoor setter how they set, its just different in the beach world than in an outdoor one. Later on