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Who Should Play Outside Hitter?

-By Mike Tully


A recent question to Coach Tom Houser caught my
eye. A reader said they had a setter who set a
"monster" middle a few times, all of which ended
up as kills. The thrust of the question was if a
setter should stay with a successful hitter, or
spread the ball around, and Tom answered that one.

But the reader's question raised another one for
me: If this middle is consistently putting the
ball on the floor, why isn't she playing outside
hitter?

Many coaches make the mistake of putting their
tallest player in the middle, so she can block.
This strategy is questionable for two reasons:

First, blocking is the least important skill in
the game.

Second, the set to the outside is the most common
offensive play in volleyball. More balls are set
to the outside hitter than to anywhere else. So if
you have someone who can terminate like a
champion, that player should be playing outside
hitter, no matter what her size.

These are not opinions; they are principles on
which to build your team.

Most teams will dig many more balls than they
block. In the women's game, transition is a huge
factor. So when the ball is dug, you need someone
who can convert the opportunity. That person is
most often the outside hitter.

Again, these are not opinions; they are
principles. Recently on the "Yes, I Can!" site
there was a fun discussion of "Gold Medal
Squared" volleyball. These principles are a
perfect example of things that are part of the GMS
system: Take your best player and make her an
outside hitter! Don't worry about how many balls
you block. Worry about how many balls you dig, and
how many of those balls you convert!


-Mike Tully is a member of the "Yes, I Can!"
coaching staff. You can read his peak performance
blog at www.totalgameplan.com