First Things First: Build Your Platform

First things first, what do our hands look like when passing? With all your fingers on one hand touching and palms flat, put one set of fingers (except the thumbs) on top of the other, perpendicular to each other. Now, make your thumbs “kiss” (two thumbs touching and parallel to each other). We absolutely do not want to intertwine our fingers because if a really hard serve hits your hands wrong, it could lead to some broken fingers.

Next, make sure your arms are completely straight with no bend in your elbows - think about hyperextending your elbows, and hunching your shoulder blades forward to try to press your elbows together. And there is your perfect platform!

Key #2: Hold your platform longer than you want to!

One of the biggest mistakes people make when passing in volleyball is breaking their hands/platform apart too quickly. This leads to a fast touch on the ball. We want a long, slow touch. Make it feel like you are touching the ball for as long as possible. After the pass leaves your platform, you should hold your platform strong and steady for a full second. 

If you want to pass perfect every time, check out our Serve Receive Master Class: https://www.betteratbeach.com/howtopassinvolleyball. We are going to help you pass with more accuracy, more consistency and more confidence! Get the positioning and the mechanics to control the first touch against any server, in any weather. You’ll also learn to develop a mindset that keeps you in the game so you can stay focused and win matches.

Key #3: Footwork for Passing in Volleyball - “Step, Plant, Plant.”

Yes, some serves will take more than 3 steps to get to, or you’ll have to dive. But, you should be able to cover MOST of your area with a step, plant, plant. We want the first step to be with your “lead leg.” This means, if the serve goes to your right, you take a big, strong first step with your right leg and vice versa (no crossover steps). Then, we want our “plant, plant” to stabilize us and keep us balanced. If the lower half of our body is not stable, our upper half and therefore platform will not be stable either. 

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Bonus Key! Pass Lower in the Wind.

Lower your pass in the wind! Normally, we at Better at Beach think a perfect pass is 6 feet above the net; however, when it is windy, we want to lower that because the longer the ball is in the air, the more it can be moved around by the wind. So, when it is windy, aim to pass about antenna height (and don’t forget to let your partner know that you are making this change).

If you want to learn ALL the specifics about where the perfect pass goes and what it looks like, check out our Where Is The Perfect Pass? Blog: https://www.betteratbeach.com/blog/howtopassinvolleyball. 

Now, let’s talk about the direction of the wind. If the wind is blowing in your face, that means it is going to blow the serve deeper than it originally looks like it is going; thus, you should start your serve receive position just a step or two deeper than you normally would.

If the wind is blowing at your back, the serve is going to drop or “die” sooner than you expect. So, take a step or two forward from your normal serve receive position. 

Check out this video to see some simple drills you can do to practice these three passing keys!

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If you want to pass perfect every time, keep reading. We are going to help you pass with more accuracy, more consistency and more confidence! Get the positioning and the mechanics to control the first touch against any server, in any weather. You’ll also learn to develop a mindset that keeps you in the game so you can stay focused and win matches.

All you have to do is sign up for our Beach Volleyball Mastery. We take you through the basics and then work all the way up to eyework and advanced mechanics so you pass every ball right where it needs to go!
We’ll show you how to pass for option (on-2) attack, how to fight off great float serves and how to pass for YOUR best offense.

Once inside the membership, you’ll be able to unlock “Pass with Consistency and Confidence: The Serve Receive Master Class” which will build your footwork and passing platform from the ground up. It comes complete with footwork drills, solo drills, partner exercises and passing charts so you can measure your progress!

We also include with 9 more skill courses AND our 60 Day At-Home Max Vertical Jump Training Program.

Once you sign up, you'll be able to watch the in-depth tutorials, film your “before” videos, start and film your at-home drills and begin posting to our Private Facebook Group. Then, our coaches will break down your mechanics, footwork, and touch at our weekly online meetings. Yes, that means we look at YOUR videos and we coach YOU!

Facebook Group CTA VolleyChat! Get Better at Beach Volleyball for posts about common questions/ problems > https://www.facebook.com/groups/betteratbeach

SIGN UP NOW AND LEARN HOW TO WIN FROM THE PROS.