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Use the following tips to take your doubles game to a higher level...

1. Pass to same side of the court.

If you're playing left side, pass the ball more to the left side. If you are playing right side, pass the ball more to the right. The shorter the distance the ball travels, the easier it is to control. Also, setting a shorter distance is easier.

2. Learn to forearm pass everything.

In doubles, it's illegal to overhand pass the serve. In my opinion, overhand passing in the indoor game has made players lazy. Learn to move backwards and pass off-line. As with every skill in volleyball, the key is POSITIONING. The better you are at anticipating and getting in the right position, the better you will be at passing.

3. Understand the object of the game.

Getting your teammate a good set to hit is the goal. Why do you pass? You pass so your partner can set you. Why does your partner set you? You get set so you can ATTACK. Attacking is the object of the game. The better your team is at putting itself in a position to attack the opponent, the more you'll win.

4. Learn to hit shots.

This is a much different mindset than when playing sixes. Placing the ball in the court is very important in doubles. If you just spike the ball hard all the time, you will become predictable. Players that just spike hard are easier to block and dig. If you have the ability to mix in shots, you will be less predictable, you'll keep your opponent guessing, and your hard spikes will be harder to block and dig.

5. Practice serving tough.

Remember, the object of the game is for the hitter to get a good set so there would be a better chance to get a kill and score. If you are able to serve tough, you will likely make it difficult for your opponent to get a good set and then execute an effective attack. If you can consistently force your opponent to give you an easy ball, you will more likely make a successful defensive play which leads to winning the point.

6. Effectively score points when your team is serving.

The better you are at scoring points while serving, the more you’ll win.

Winning in volleyball is all about scoring points when you’re serving. To effectively score points while serving, you need a combination of these 3 things...

A) Good Serving, B) Good blocking, and C) Good defense

If you are poor at one, you need to make up for it somewhere else. For example, if you don’t block or play defense well, make up for it with tough serving. Serve so tough that your opponent doesn’t run their offense very well and you consistently get easy balls to pass.

7. Improve your conditioning.

Doubles volleyball is a very fast paced game. For example, after you pass in serve receive, you must go hit. Or if you dive and make a defensive play, you must now get up and get ready to hit. If you are blocking, after your attempt to block, you must land and recover so you can now set your partner.

If you want to know how well conditioned you are, just go play doubles at a high level. You’ll soon realize you’re not in as good a shape as you thought you were.

For a more in depth discussion on learning beach, visit the following page.

P.S. Doubles is a much faster paced game compared to playing indoor sixes. With only you and your partner, you are constantly working real hard covering the entire court. There are also outside factors such as the sun, heat, humidity, wind, and possibly even rain. If you're playing on the beach, you may also have to deal with moving around in deep sand. Doubles volleyball is a very physically demanding sport. To be successful, you need volleyball specific conditioning. Visit the following page for more on what you can do to improve your level of strength and conditioning.

volleyball strength and conditioning program