What is “The Basics of Setup?”
It is important to note that the “basics” are not “how to perform a movement”, but rather “the most versatile movement principles”. What is it like, the essence of the most commonly used movement? What are the most important senses of movement that are common to all players, from beginners to top category players?
What are considered necessary are the sense of being able to
・make the pass fly properly
・visualize the target where the ball is to be set (tossed)
・control the ball to the target in any direction
・know if the proper foothold is made to use the floor reaction force
・visualize the proper position where the proper foothold is made and move to it
・assess the situation of your teammates and choose the set (position to set and timing of the ball arrival) accordingly
・assess the situation of your opponents and choose the set accordingly
The central idea is the feeling that “if you capture the ball at a position connecting the center of your body to the set target and move both hands toward the target, you can control the ball accurately. The “basics” are to control the ball based on this idea. There are various “ways” to realize this, and it is better to be able to choose various ways depending on the situation, so I believe that restricting the way of doing things by saying “this is the basic way” (“always face the target” or “use this step for movement”) is rather negative.
I think there is no doubt that “De Cecco”, the setter of the Argentine men’s team that won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, is the best high performance setter in the world. But when you look at his sets, no matter how unexpected and tricky the set is, no matter where he is facing, he always “capture the ball at the position connecting the center of his body and the set target, and accurately control”. He has achieved the “basics” on a “beautiful” level. So he is playing “true to the basics” as much as possible.
In the May 2012 issue of Volleyball Monthly (published by Nippon Bunka Publishing), in the section titled “Challenging the ‘natural’ of the star players”, De Cecco’s play is introduced as “controlling the direction in which the ball is set by the position in which it is captured”.
Many videos are also introduced.
Ideally, it is not about what “way” to controll the ball, but about being able to reproduce the principles of control most reliably in various situations.
We have not discussed about “handling”(how to use your hands and fingers) at all in this series, but if you search for “where to capture it and where it will fly” and “the feeling of power being transferred to the ball”, you have no need to try to correct the handling, and the handling will be very stable and clean as a result. By searching for “the feeling of power being transmitted to the ball” in a good, accurate, and pleasant way, rather than intentionally trying to do something about it, the result will be the ideal way to handle the ball.
The most important feature of volleyball is that “you can pass the ball on your own side of the net with your teammates (within 3 touches)”, and “set” is the central play that connects defense to attack and creatively assembles the attack. Shouldn’t the basics of the set be the feeling needed to control the ball in all directions, freely, accurately, and without waste?
