Hitting is the most effective ways to score points in volleyball.  The goal of a hitter is to have the ball hit the floor on the other side of the net as quickly as possible.  Since the player has to stay on their own side of the net hitting the ball straight down is impossible.  There are also blockers that try to deflect the ball as it crosses the net, the hitter must be able to hit the ball around the blockers and into the court.  To accomplish a good hit the hitter must be a good height in the air, must be able to hit either over or around the block, and when contacting the ball propel it downward towards the court at a high velocity.

Height is always important in contacting the ball in a offense attack.  To be able to jump higher the hitter will try to push off the ground as hard as possible to and counter act the force of gravity for a few moments.  As Newton’s 3^rd law states : For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, therefore to propel oneself higher into the air a greater force must be exerted downward onto the floor, so that the reaction will force one into the air.  The approach for volleyball is to get horizontal movement, usually by running, and then transfer that motion into a vertical movement by landing on two feet and pushing hard on the floor with the hitter’s legs.