The attack is the most stunning part of a volleyball game. The primary responsibility of the entire team is to develop and successfully carry out this moment.
Nothing in team sports is arguably more intimidating than men teeing up strong volleyball spikes.
In competitive men’s and women’s volleyball, the average spike speed ranges from 50 to 70 miles per hour. The record-breaking speed was set by Matey Kaziyski, a pro volleyball player from Bulgaria, at 82 mph.
The average pace of a man’s volleyball spike at the Olympic level, however, differs greatly from those at lower levels.
Volleyball spikes can be perfected in two, three, or four steps, with the last usually providing the fastest speed.
It’s crucial that the “spiking player” receives a high-quality set and that the contact occurs at the right time.
Spikes from a player’s “strong” side are executed much more quickly. Additionally, important factors include the player’s body alignment and the trajectory of the spike on the opposing team’s side of the net.
Without further ado, let’s see at what speeds volleyball players hit the ball and the factors on which it depends.
How Fast Do Volleyball Players Hit the Ball?
Volleyball is the other indoor sport that receives less media attention than basketball, yet it still serves as a showcase for strong men.
Men’s volleyball spikes have the most astounding average speed at the Olympic beach or indoor level.
Men’s Olympic volleyball spikes typically travel between 70 and 80 mph.
As we said, Matey Kaziyski of Bulgaria, for instance, recorded a spike in a 2012 international volleyball match that hit 132 km/h, or 80.8 mph.
Yanelis Santos, a Cuban setter/hitter and one of the top servers in the world, currently holds the record for the women’s category with a speed of 64 mph (103 km/h).
Since the attackers have the requisite mechanics to pound the ball, the velocity is highest at this level.
In NCAA competition, a man’s spike typically travels between 50 and 60 mph.
The direction of a player’s upward movement and the force behind his arm action are two examples of specific, scientific parameters that affect the post-impact speed of a volleyball spike.
As most high school guys don’t yet have that kind of skill set, the average spike is in the 40 to 50 miles per hour range.
The timing and execution of a blow by a player have a significant impact on the spike’s speed. When a player’s hand gets into contact with the ball, his body angle, or degree, ultimately determines the ball’s velocity.
The greatest players eventually pick it up since it frequently results in a successful offense. A squad that can frustrate blocks and keeps a defense on its toes can constantly attack with quick spikes.
The findings indicate that for women, the maximum impact speed was 50.9 mph (82.7 km/h).
How fast is the average volleyball serve?
The start of a burst is service. Studies estimate that the average service speed of top athletes is 121 mph.
The serving player seeks to place the ball in a crucial area of the other team’s playing field while seated on that team’s end line or back edge of the playing court.
Factors Influencing Hitting Speeds in Volleyball
Which factors significantly connected with faster hitting speeds became clear rather immediately when you observe a form of volleyball players’ spikes. These are:
1. Age
Older players hit harder, but after the age of 20, age is no longer a factor.
• The Olympic participants displayed the greatest disparity in average and peak velocity.
• On average, high school players hit the ball 3–4 mph slower than senior players.
• The difference between high school and college is less noticeable, only 1 mph on average.
The high school to college gap may have something to do with the fact that college is closer to physical maturity.
The rise in speed between the ages of 17 and 19 could be explained by a significant physical growth factor that occurs between those two years and causes an increase in strength, size, or height.
Another explanation for the growth is that it was brought on by the improved volleyball skills developed from participating in a college program for a year.
Since 18 is the earliest age eligible to enroll in college, this year of skill development is probably going to play a significant role.
The volleyball players mature in that year AND become much more proficient at hitting the volleyball, which is based solely on physical maturity.
2. Strike excellence
It goes without saying that the ball will go more quickly the more firmly the palm strikes it. However, mishits don’t have to be severe to reduce velocity significantly.
We observed how even little mishits led to decreases 3-5 mph velocity.
Big mis-hits, or balls that hit on the extreme edges of the hand, registered at speeds between 6 and 10 mph slower and had a lot of sidespins.
3. Set quality
To execute their greatest, most effective arm swing, the player had to time their jump perfectly.
Poor setups always causes the player to alter in midair and employ a less effective swing pattern, which reduces velocity.
Velocity was optimized when the set was good, and the player timed it correctly.
4. Jump Height
Simple physics dictates that one can hit the ball harder without it falling out of bounds the higher they jump.
A very strong hit will go outbound if one can’t rise above the net since the trajectory will be too high.
Hard hits can still stay within the lines of play the higher one jumps because the downward trajectory will be greater.
Additionally, increasing proximity to the net improves trajectory and permits heavier hits.
A volleyball player’s jump height gives them two advantages: a more downward trajectory when they hit and a better chance of blocking an opponent’s shot.
What’s intriguing is that the player’s leap height really controls the player’s maximal hitting velocity.
If a player, for instance, is capable of striking the ball at 50 mph but can only leap high enough to just clear the net, 50 mph may constantly travel outside of the court from that low trajectory; the player would need to reduce hitting speed to keep the ball within the court.
In this case, the player may need to slow the arm down to 40 or 45 mph, even if 50 mph may be on tap, to keep the ball in bounds.
A higher trajectory would keep harsher hits within the legal range if the vertical jump was increased, essentially improving hitting speed with little to no change in arm power.
5. Aggression
Consistently, bigger volleyball players hit harder than smaller players.
There are a lot of outliers, though, including very slim players who hit just as hard as or even harder than their larger counterparts.
Many athletes have trouble controlling their desire to move at a top pace.
Inexperienced spikers don’t throw the ball like they’re trying to kill someone with it, inexperienced lifters don’t fight the bar hard enough, and many volleyball players only hit at 80 to 90 percent of their potential because they lack aggression and try to crush the ball too softly.
The tiny players that hit hard all have fast arms; their natural arm speed may have been a little bit blessed.
However, each outlier had more aggressive hits overall. They actually hit the ball like they were attempting to kill someone with it as they swung and followed through harder.
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Recommended: Average Weight of a Female Volleyball Player (2022 Data)
What’s the Striking Technique of Best Volleyball Players?
The most typical running kick in volleyball is executed using the following technique:
1. Select the ideal takeoff location
2. While the ball is still in the air, gauge its direction.
3. Squat and jump up.
4. Accelerate the ball as quickly as possible.
The attacker takes 3–4 rapid steps and jumps after assessing the game situation, the distance, and the direction of the ball’s flight.
He simultaneously waves his hands to assist himself while leaning on parallel feet. He then extends his legs straight and leaps as high as he can.
The volleyball player bends his chest and lower back while swinging his leading arm up and back during the jump.
The elbow joint of the hand straightens when it strikes the ball. As you exhale, your body bends, and a tense hand strikes the ball with the force of the contact.
You must be able to land correctly on your knees, bent at the knees to prevent harm.
The player needs a few seconds to complete the listed components.
Athletes train for a considerable amount of time to perfect their striking technique when playing volleyball since it is quite difficult to track the transfer and flight of the ball while running, jumping, and hitting simultaneously.
The attacker needs to escape any pass, regardless of the serve that passed through reception and transmission.
