Hand
Position
Put
your hands above your head and put your index fingers and your
thumbs together. to make a window with your fingers. Position
your hands so that if a ball small enough to go through this
window went through the center of it, the ball would hit you
right between the eyes.
Now
put your other fingers together (keeping them straight and only
touching at the finger tips--down to the first knuckle). As
you pull your fingers apart, you will feel as though a ball
would fit in between your hands perfectly as they become a certain
distance apart. This distance will be the position you will
start your hands in before you contact the ball.
Hand
Action
The
ball must only contact your fingers and never the palm of your
hand. The points of contact on your fingers when setting the
ball should be similiar to the contact points when you had your
hands together earlier. The ball should contact your thumbs
and first two fingers with an equal amount of force, while your
last two fingers on both hands may contact the ball sometimes
(for extra control), but with less force. Therefore, do not
pull your last two fingers back out of the way--keep them there
for those sets that will require more control on the release.
Keep
your wrists flexible. The more flexible you wrists are and the
stronger and faster your forearm muscles are, the better setter
you are. Your elbows should be slightly bent at the time of
contact and your hands should be in the ready position discussed
earlier as the ball contacts your fingers.
Llay
on your back and hold the ball in your hands and move only your
wrists to throw the ball a few inches into the air, you'll have
to adjust the angle of your arms so that the ball won't shoot
behind you, but will go straight up in the air and land back
in your hands.
Throw
the ball with your wrists only, catching the ball back in your
hands and pause to make sure that the ball lands softly and
your hands are in the correct position at the time of contact.
In order to allow the ball to land softly, you must time the
contact in such a way as to retract your wrists at the same
speed the ball is coming. Continue working this drill until
there is no slapping sound when the ball hits your hands.
Arm
Action
While still laying on your back, start the movements discussed
above. The arm action starts as the wrists move to throw the
ball back into the air. Don't make the mistake of cushioning
the ball with your wrists and arms (this will constitute a throw
and is not allowed). As you push with your wrists to release
the ball, extend your arms simultaneously. As you do this, the
ball will go much higher requiring you to become even better
at cushioning the ball as it lands in your hands.