What can you learn from these girls in the red bikinis? Part 1

Patience is a virtue, especially in volleyball. whether it's patiently waiting to chip away at the score column by just siding out consistently while letting your opponent make all the mistakes or whether it's being calm and patient enough when you are serve receiving a ball (or passing a ball) to WAIT, bend your knees and give yourself a high enough pass so you have time to swing out to make a good hitting approach.

Suzanne Stonebarger, half of Team Gorgeous, shows you what it looks like to give yourself a good high pass first. Don't be rushed. How do I know she gave herself enough time? Because despite being in the sand, which naturally slows you down, and despite receiving a serve designed to put her into trouble by pushing her further back in the court and over to her right sideline--she still made a good enough pass to give herself the time to sidestep/side shuffle over to the left side of the court, stop and be ready to make a good spike approach and run a back set.

Most players would have stayed on the right side of the court to hit the ball because they probably wouldn't give themselves enough time when they passed the ball to run a set play.

Think about passing the ball first. Then get to position quickly for your approach. Breathe, pause a second...then make a strong approach.

Remember the ball is in your court.

April Chapple is a freelance copywriter for volleyball products and promotions; a columnist for USA Volleyball and the American Volleyball Coaches Association Coaching Volleyball magazine and author of numerous online articles on playing and coaching volleyball.
Author of the upcoming ebook "How to Stop Serving Like a Wimp" April's volleyball sites are volleyballvoices.com, volleyballvoyeur.com, beijingolympicvolleyball.com, and aprilsbeachvolleyballblog.com. "You can reach her at april@volleyballvoices.com

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