Page 30 - Jim Stone Book Beginner

Hand-Ball Contact

It is wise to use practice time for players to practice putting their hand
on the ball, similar to the spiking motion. If you watch young players
the spiking or serving skills, the percentage of poor hand/ball
contacts is staggering. One of my former All-American attackers,
Stacey Gordon, was a player that never had a bad hand/ball contact.
She said that one of the keys for her consistent contact with the ball
was practicing putting her hand on the ball. She would hold the ball
in one hand and slap the ball in a spiking motion on a non-stop basis.
Another activity was spinning the ball to herself to gain ball control. In
this video, we will replicate the drills that allowed for Stacy to develop
good hand/ball contact.
Sample Activity

 Practice the hand/ball contact activities described in the video
below.

Checklist

 Contact ball with an open hand, relaxed

wrist
 Fingers comfortably spread, shaped to the

ball

 Contact the ball with the palm of the hand