Blocking · Quick Check

Volleyball blocking analysis: footwork, press and timing

Blocking is footwork plus timing. Coach Lea compares the moment your blocker leaves the ground with the moment the hitter contacts, and explains what to change.

Send a clip of your blocking

What Coach Lea looks for

The checklist she runs on every blocking clip

A real email from Coach Lea: the one thing to fix, how to fix it, and a drill to start on.

Coach Lea watches every rep herself and decides what matters, in what order, and what to change first.

She checks

Ready position: hands up and above the shoulders, knees loaded, eyes on the setter then the hitter
Footwork: shuffle or crossover to the hitter's shoulder, finishing square to the net
Hand press: hands over the net, fingers spread, wrists firm, angled into the court
Timing: jump after the hitter, not with them
Body line: no drift along the net in the air
Landing: balanced, ready to transition to offense

Common errors

What usually shows up on blocking film

From Coach Lea's checklist, in plain words. Your athlete probably has one or two of these, not all six.

Drifting in the air

Momentum from the crossover carries the blocker sideways after the jump, opening a seam.

Fix: plant the last step to stop, then jump straight up.

Hands not penetrating

Hands finish straight up or pull back, so the block deflects balls out instead of into the court.

Fix: press forward and over, thumbs up, shoulders shrugged, hands angled to the floor.

Getting tooled

Hands are soft or too far apart, so the hitter uses them to wipe the ball out of bounds.

Fix: firm wrists, hands closer than shoulder width, press into the court.

Jumping too early

The blocker leaves with the hitter and is on the way down at contact.

Fix: read the set, wait for the hitter's arm to draw, then jump.

Hands dropping between reps

Arms rest at the hips in the ready position, so the press is late.

Fix: hands stay at shoulder height or higher while the ball is on the other side.

Eyes on the ball, not the hitter

Blocker tracks the set and loses the hitter's approach and shoulder.

Fix: ball, setter, ball, hitter — eyes finish on the hitter's shoulder before the jump.

Coaching references:

The three essential components of blocking — The Art of Coaching Volleyball

How to film blocking

The angle that lets us see it

From the blocker's own side of the net, behind and slightly to the side, so the hands over the net are visible
Whole body in frame, including the feet for footwork
5–10 blocks against a live hitter or a hitter from a box
A second angle from the end line shows press depth

Full filming guide

Coach Lea's Quick Check

$40 per clip

Coach Lea's email within 48 hours

A real email from Coach Lea: the one thing to fix, how to fix it, and a drill to start on. One athlete, one skill, one clip.

One athleteper submission

One skilla second skill is a second Quick Check

One clipa file or a shared link

30 sec – 2 minclip length

5 – 10 repsof the same skill

Whole body in frameside view for hitting and serving

Send a clip How to film

No payment on this site: after you submit, Coach Lea confirms your clip and sends payment details. Unusable clip (angle or lighting)? One free re-submission.