Blocking Volleyball Terms For Female Volleyball Players

The following blocking volleyball terms are important for female volleyball players at all playing levels to learn and become familiar with.

hole - A hole in the block can be created between the hands of two female volleyball players that are going up to cover an area and don't, or a single female volleyball player who creates a hole in her block because her hands are spread too wide apart.

roof - An aggressive block usually made against a proficient hard-hitting hitter resulting in the ball going straight down at a high velocity back into the hitter's court typically within the ten foot, three meter line.

block attempt - A block attempt is made by a player when they perform the action of jumping to block the ball of an opposing player but are unable to prevent the volleyball spike from entering into their court.

joust - A joust occurs when two female volleyball players contact the ball over the net at the same time. This usually occurs between two opposing team's blockers, or one blocker and one hitter who was trying to tip the ball over the blocker and instead the ball was set close to the net, so now both players are contacting the ball at the same time, both of them trying to push the ball into the other's court.

Nine times out of ten, if two opposing female volleyball players go up to contact a ball at the same time over the net, the second player to contact the ball almost always wins because they have momentum on their side. Their advantage is that they are going up and pushing over while the first player is coming down, on the way down the first player is losing momentum.

Once I learned this trick I hardly ever lost a joust because I knew that all I had to do was wait as long as I could, then once I saw the other volleyball player touch the ball then I put my hands on the ball and pushed it over into the opposing volleyball court. It takes practice, timing and a quick eye but it’s worth saving a tip gone bad.

block assist - A “block assist” is one of those frequently used statistical blocking volleyball terms used to give credit to a female volleyball player or players who created a double block or triple block by assisting a teammate who blocked the ball of an opponent for a point during a rally.

kong block - While volleyball blocking the phrase "Kong" block refers to a player who blocks with one arm instead of two arms. The Kong block was made famous and popularized by American beach volleyball champion and Hall of Fame inductee Randy Stoklos.

over - "Over" is one of the blocking volleyball terms a referee will use to indicate that a blocker has reached over the net to contact or block a ball while it is still on the opposing team's court.

under - "Under" is another one of those blocking volleyball terms that a referee will use to refer to a violation committed when a blocker steps "under" the net in a way that prevents the opposing hitter from hitting the ball.

Check out more important volleyball terms for blocking.