The forearm pass, commonly called the bump, is the core skill in volleyball, serving as the first contact to control a serve or attack. Its purpose is to accurately direct the ball to the setter, initiating the team’s offense. Mastering this technique requires coordinating the lower body’s stability and the arms’ precise angle, ensuring the ball is handled with control rather than power. A successful pass sets the entire offensive sequence in motion.
Mastering the Ready Stance
The ready stance is the foundation for a controlled pass, emphasizing balance and mobility before the ball arrives. Players should position their feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, staggering one foot slightly ahead of the other to facilitate quick movement. This staggered stance helps maintain equilibrium and allows for a faster first step toward the ball’s trajectory.
The knees must be deeply bent, placing the body’s weight onto the balls of the feet, not the heels. This low posture ensures the player is ready to move, rather than standing flat-footed. Maintaining a straight back with the shoulders slightly forward over the knees completes the stance, creating a low, balanced position prepared to absorb the force of the incoming ball.
Building the Perfect Platform
The platform is the flat, stable surface created by the forearms, which is the intended contact point for the ball. To form the platform, the hands must be joined using one of two common methods: wrapping one hand around a loose fist of the other, or cupping the hands together. The thumbs should be side-by-side and pointing down toward the floor, which helps lock the wrists and forearms together.
The arms must be kept straight and locked at the elbows, then rotated inward so the flat part of the forearms faces upward. This rotation ensures the two forearms are parallel, creating a single, wide, and stable surface for contact. The ball should strike the lower third of the forearms, just above the wrists and below the elbows, as this area is the flattest and most consistent for deflecting the ball.
The Power of Leg Drive
The force and trajectory of the pass are generated almost entirely by the lower body, not an arm swing. The arms should remain locked and straight throughout the pass, acting only as a rigid, angled surface. As the ball approaches the platform, the player should extend their bent knees and hips in an upward and forward motion, known as the leg drive.
This extension provides the power needed to send the ball toward the target, minimizing unpredictable variables introduced by swinging the arms. The angle of the platform, which should be squared toward the setter, dictates the ball’s direction. A slight, controlled upward follow-through of the shoulders and arms is a natural result of the leg extension, but it is not an independent swing designed to hit the ball.
Fixing Common Passing Mistakes
One frequent error is swinging the arms up at the ball, which reduces control and results in an inaccurate pass. The fix is to consciously lock the elbows and focus solely on the upward push from the legs, keeping the arms still and angled. Another common issue is making contact with the hands or wrists, which are rounded and unstable surfaces. This is corrected by ensuring the platform is built correctly with thumbs pointing down and contact occurs consistently on the forearms.
Beginners often stand up straight during the pass, which eliminates the power source and causes the ball to fly too high or behind them. Players must maintain bent knees and a low posture throughout the pass, using the leg drive to lift the ball while keeping the hips low. Finally, failing to align the body with the target is a directional error. The solution is to move the feet quickly to get the hips and shoulders facing the intended destination before forming the platform.