The Secret To Passing: Finding Your Process By Natalie Hagglund
I received a great question from an aspiring collegiate libero about service reception. She asked, “I am a libero right now and would really like some helpful tips for serve receive.” I sat back in my chair and sort of thought about what I could say back in response to her question. I was stumped. But, why? I am a libero. I am constantly working on my service reception. I have serve received about a million balls in my life. I have dominated. I have struggled. I have experimented with different techniques. I should be able to answer this question in my sleep. Right?
Well, first off I think the hardest part about answering this question is just that there are so many different moving parts to this relatively simple skill. What I mean by that is that serve receive is, in theory…a really simple skill.
You observe the server, you take a few steps, develop an angle, anchor your body and guide the ball to a target. I mean really! The less you think & the less you move, the better you will be. Try it! Clear your mind of everything (besides maybe one focus point) and just pass the ball like you know how to do! Now, try focusing on 3, 4 or 5 different technical points and just let your mind run aimlessly. I guarantee that you will increasingly struggle the more effort you give to pass the ball “perfectly”.
The hardest part about serve receive is that it can transform from a simple, quiet skill to an almost impossible, extremely frustrating skill within less than 5 seconds. The moment that you start thinking about ALL of things your body and your mind needs to do in order to get the ball to target will be the moment you begin to self-destruct. So, passers…here is the big secret to passing, just be simple; quiet movements with your body and quiet, positive thoughts with your mind. Keep focused on one task and no more than that.
Easier said than done…believe me, I know. Quieting your body and your mind is going to be something that takes months and even years of practice. Hell, I still have trouble with this. There are some days where I just need to take a big step back and say, “Natalie, relax…just pass the ball.” Sometimes it feels like my limbs are simply uncontrollable. Like, I am trying so hard to move fast but instead am just moving…but in the opposite direction. Like, how hard is it to just not try so hard haha! Well, for me…its really really really hard. But, it’s not a bad thing…it just means we care A LOT, and there is no crime to passion, ambition and hard work…sometimes we just need to learn to cope with these overly driven emotions.
So…relaxing, using less movement, quieting our bodies and our minds is obviously a difficult task. But, if you work to create a passing process for yourself…you may have an easier time keeping focused on the task at hand. This is key! So, what do I mean by process? I mean a routine. Create a routine that is the same for every single ball that you pass. This routine can be as simple as taking a deep breath, like for Kayla Banwarth (USA Women’s National Team Libero).
Kayla has worked numerous years to create the perfect passing routine and doesn’t go one training day without implementing this routine before every serve receive ball that she passes. Tedious? Absolutely…but tediousness is what sets Kayla aside from the masses and marks her as one of the best passers in the world.
I have a passing routine. My hands start on my knees and as the server tosses, I straighten my body posture into an upright position and let out a big exhale. -Kayla Banwarth
Or, a routine can be modified slightly to emphasize some sort of focus, either technical or mental.
If I am struggling, I say to myself ‘Kayla, you’re a great passer when you HOLD’ (meaning when I freeze my platform after contact, the ball usually goes to target).- Kayla Banwarth
Your process should be short, sweet and should be able to trigger some sort of reaction. You can create certain words that help with that. For Kayla, a trigger word may be HOLD. So, by saying the simple word HOLD, she is able to quickly refocus on that simple technique…all of which is associated with a good pass in her mind.
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