|
Without a doubt, the spike contains all the elements that make it one of the most spectacular attacking skills in all sports. The spike ranks with the "slam dunk" in basketball, the overhead smash in
tennis, the lightning-fast knockout punch in boxing, and the home run blast in baseball. All have in common the suddenness of the action, the noise of contact, and the most definite finality of result when executed
correctly. Virtually every sport has a moment that represents the culmination of skills, tactics, and technique that is designed to finish off the opponent. In volleyball, the skill most frequently representing the
culmination of play takes the form of the spike.
Spiking is the name given to the technique of leaping high in the air to drive a ball that ha been passed or set above net height into the opponent's court. It is decidedly an attacking play designed, in most cases,
to finish off an opponent with great force.
The spike (or smash) can be divided into four stages:
- Approach to the Net
- Take-off
- Preparing to Hit
- Hitting Action
Alternatives to the Spike
 There are many occasions when it is not practical or
wise to smash the ball hard across the net. The block may be well formed, the set badly placed for a smash, the smasher slightly off balance, or there may be a particular weakness in the opponents'
defensive line up. In these instances players should use other alternatives.
|
The Spike
