Technique Tuesday: Step-Out Step-Close

A useful tool for right-handed right-sides and left-handed left-sides

Playoff analysis for PVF and NCAA Men upcoming, but first, a follow up on some of the step-out step-close I talked about in last week’s Thoughts From The Road post.

(Note: this post has a ton of video clips, it might play better in your browser than your email app.)

Previous Technique Tuesday Posts
Q3 Blocking Footwork
Setters In Rotation 1
No-Pass Footwork
Pass-and-Go Footwork
Dig-to-Trans
Setter Tutor
TACo

When hitters hit on their dominant side, there’s a general consensus of:

• Approach at an angle when you can

• Open up to the setter

• Jump into the ball or at least don’t fade away

The No-Pass and Pass-and-Go links above show pretty typical right-hander-on-the-left attacking footwork patterns.

Where I see more variability is in the approach footwork of hitters on their non-dominant side; right-handers on the right or left-handers on the left. In particular, I see quite a bit of variability in how wide hitters start their approach and they angle at which they approach.

Here’s all-world opposite Isabelle Haak with a pretty extreme angle:

And Nimir, for an example on the men’s side, with a pretty similar angle.

On the flip side, here’s an elite-level men’s player with a more straight-on approach.

And a top female opposite with a slightly wider, but still fairly straight approach.

When you hit on your opposite side (right-handers on the right and left-hander on the left), there’s a distinction in where you start and how you orient yourself to the ball. They relate to each other, but the step-close (last 2 steps) is going to either be a step-in or a step-out.

Let’s look at Haak, because it’s so easy to see.