Playing Levels

This is approximate/desired skills for each level  -- not everyone on each level can tick off every skill to its fullest.

We unfortunately do not accept beginners at this time. If you are beginner please see the links for beginners.

Beginner

• Some knowledge of volleyball and only knows the basic rules (3 touches maximum, don’t touch the net, etc). Perhaps this is someone who last played in grade school or middle school.

• A "recreational" player where their main (or only) goal is to always put the ball over on the other side of the net.

• Serve: Can underhand serve successfully most of the time.

• Attack: They try to spike the ball, but they usually cannot direct the ball with much strength or very far over the net. Their spiking form does not have the proper step approach nor a proper follow through arm swing yet.

• Passing: A player can bump the ball up from an “easy” ball, but it is usually not accurately passed to the setter and the ball sometimes accidently goes back over the net on the first touch.

Slightly Advanced

• Passing: A player that attempts to play with 3 touches (pass, set, and hit the ball).

• Passing: ~50-60% of passes/bumps go accurately to the setter. An accurate pass is when the setter does not have to move much to set the ball (the setter isn’t dashing all over the court).

• Passing: If the player receives a strong spike the pass will most likely not be accurately passed to the setter and the ball may accidently go back over the net.

• Attack: The player can attack/spike over the net pretty reliably, but cannot yet direct their spike to different quadrants of the court (short, deep, left, right) while jumping (a step approach and follow through arm swing while jumping). Short players can hit deep, angle, tips, etc while jumping or stationary. 

• Attack: The player can sometimes direct their spike to a specific target (short, deep, left, right) while stationary with their feet on the ground.

• Serve: A player that can serve successfully over the net almost 100% of the time underhand and/or ~60-70% of the time overhand.

• The player knows the numbers of the positions on the court (ex: position 1 is the server).

• The player is learning the 4-2 offensive concept (desired).

Intermediate

• May have played in high school varsity or in an organized league or club. 

• Passing: 70-80% of passes/bumps go to the person they intended (this includes an accurate pass to the setter when receiving a very strong spike). If the ball is an “easy” ball then 95% of the time we would want the pass to be quite accurately passed to the area of the setter.

• Attack: The player can execute a back row attack (a fast directed bump or a spike).

• Attack: The player can execute a strong, fast, downward spike from a good set and while jumping (tall players).

• Attack: The player can attack over the net reliably and can sometimes direct their spike or attack set to a specific target (short, angle, line drive, deep corner) while jumping.

• Serve: Ability to deliberately serve a quadrant of the court (short, long, left side, right side).

• Serve: On a match point the player has a “safety serve” that has close to a 100% chance to go over.

• Setting: Players who are not setters can execute a basic overhand set (with no doubling) that is not highly accurate but acceptable for another player to execute an attack hit.

• Setting: Dedicated setters can reliably and accurately overhand set high or mid-high sets and can execute a basic back set. The ball will not rotate or only very minimally rotate in the air after a set.

• The player moves their feet and moves to the ball when receiving and is not frequently caught flatfooted having not moved to play the ball.

• Understands the offensive concept of 4-2 positioning, and it is desired they also know 6-2 and 5-1 rotations or they are learning these roatations.

• Understands defensive positions such as covering the hitters and knowing the rules of how players can and cannot overlap during service receive.

• Understands all the FIVB rules of volleyball. It is desired they even know the rarely used rules and that they have read the FIVB casebook.

Advanced

• Elite high school, club, or college level player that can run many different offenses proficiently (6-2, 5-1, etc), they have a great understanding of all positions on the court and can execute all skills with accuracy and power.

• Serve: Ability to accurately overhand serve to an intended target or to serve with extreme speed or jump serve (some accuracy loss for power).

• Attack: Ability to spike on short quick sets, execute a slide attack, or execute a backrow spike while jumping and landing forward of the 10ft line.

• Setting (specialized setter): able to deliver different types of sets, execute short quick sets, jump sets, slides, back sets, and back row sets. Their sets are extremely accurate and a spiker can request adjustments to the distance off the net, height and flatness of the set.

Advanced Plus

• Division 1 university team or advanced club level player that can compete in a national or regional level tournament.