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Volleyball is a great sport to include in Nintendo Switch Sports based on its simplicity. That’s not to say that the game is easy by any means, but that it’s simple to grasp and the general movements of its controls are basic enough for non-gamers to pick up, but have enough nuance to them that those looking to practice and hone the skill have areas where they can excel.
Unlike some of the other games in Switch Sports volleyball sometimes feels like a complete game of chance, but there’s a lot more skill that goes into it than might be seen immediately on the surface. While winning can often be about who’s able to keep the volley going longer without making a mistake, there are a few small changes that players can make that can put them far above the rest of the pack and cause them to win more consistently.
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Thoughtful Spiking
One of the moves that scores the most points in volleyball is the spike. Because it slams the ball down directly into the floor, if the opposition misses the return, it’s a guaranteed point. Switch Sports gives those returning the ball a lot of wiggle room when it comes to bumping it back into the air so many times the spiker needs to rely on the returnee missing their save completely. This isn’t a solid or consistent strategy, however.
Luckily, there’s one simple thing that the spiker can do to start consistently scoring points: smash the ball in the opposite direction of the returnee. There’s only so big of a window that Switch Sports will give players to return the ball so if it’s far enough away from the opposing team’s players, they won’t be able to do anything about it.
The blocker can get in the way of this plan working as sometimes they’ll be blocking from the side opposite the returnee, but they can miss pretty frequently so it’s only a matter of time until your spike hits the floor. It goes without saying that you should try and get perfectly timed hits on the bump and the set before the spike to hit harder and faster, giving the opposition less time to react.
Timing Your Blocks
As mentioned above, many people will jump to block a spike without thinking about when the ideal time for their jump is. Sometimes they’ll jump a the same time as the spiker, but unless they’re keeping an eye on the ball, they’ll likely miss the block every time. To block better, keep an eye on the ball and when it’s going to make contact with the spiker.
Time out the amount of time it takes to reach the apex of your jump and synchronize it with the exact moment the spiker makes contact with the ball. This will either block the spike completely, sending it back into the opposition’s side of the court, or slow the ball down enough to make it an easy return for your teammate.
Blocking is a great tool for rebalancing the momentum of a volley so make sure you’re timing everything out and finding the window for when to jump. This, paired with spikes that are meant to land away from opposing players, will drastically raise your chances of winning a match.