What I learned from a full volleyball season as a middle blocker
No, none of those is me, and I could only wish to jump that high. If I did, I would have continued playing from competitive, nationally-ranked junior volleyball to seniors. But I didn’t. I injured my knee and bid “goodbye” to my aspirations of being an internationally acclaimed professional volleyball player. That’s ok. After all, I wouldn’t trade my PhD for volleyball anyway. But this past year, 2011-2012 I played middle (block, blocker or middle blocker, all are appropriate terms).
In volleyball speak, I was responsible for running all over the net and try to block whoever hit from the other side. While double and triple blocks are quite common in volleyball, the majority of the responsibility of blocking stays with the player in the middle (the middle, or the middle block). I had not played middle in decades. When I was playing high-level, competitive volleyball, I used to play middle simply because I was the most skilled in my team. When I played with the junior volleyball team, I was a power hitter first and then a setter. I didn’t have the vertical jump to play middle blocker.
But this season, my fellow team mates asked me if I would mind playing middle block. Even without the vertical jump. I jump enough to have both of my hands comfortably over the net, which means that if the ball is tight to the top of the net, it’s most likely that I will block it and it will fall on my opponent’s side of the net. I said yes, and throughout the season, discovered something about myself: despite not having as much vertical jump, I am strategic enough that I know when to jump to slow down the power hitter’s velocity.
I had some amazing blocks throughout the season, and I also hit some really good fast balls. When I compare my performance as a power hitter and as a middle, I really preferred being a middle. It forced me to be faster, and to be fitter. I improved my volleyball technique overall. And most importantly, I became addicted to the position. So much so that this summer, I will be training my core and my legs to increase my vertical jump. I may not jump as high as the kids in the photo shown above, but I will definitely have enough strategy and ability to think on my feet to do some really good blocking. That’s what I learned from this past season as a middle. And I am so grateful.
A volleyball game consists of two teams playing against each other. Each team will generally have six players. The team is split up into three players in the back of the court and three players in the front near the net. The net separates the court into two sections. A game of volleyball can be played inside or outside. The court is rectangular and divided directly down the middle. The net is quite high, much higher than tennis. The goal is to make the ball hit the ground on the other teams side.;