Am I Too Short To Play Volleyball?

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When it comes to such games as volleyball, the height of a player may matter. It’s no surprise that tall volleyball players are more desirable than short volleyball players. If a volleyball player is tall, then he/she will find it easier to block a ball or carry out an attack hit during a game. Obviously, the taller a volleyball athlete is – the better chances he/she has to succeed in the game of volleyball.

Some people believe that they can’t play the game of volleyball for the reason they are too short. Everyone can play volleyball game. How good you are is what matters.

Shorter volleyball players have a lot of important advantages over taller volleyball players.

There are positions both for short volleyball players and for tall volleyball players. Short volleyball players are usually good at positions like a libero (also known as a defensive specialist), passer and setter. Tall volleyball players are good at positions like blockers and hitters. A volleyball team should consist of players, who are good at various skills – blocking, digging, attacking, passing, setting, serving and so on. That means that it would be great for a team to have both short and tall volleyball players.

Am I too short to play volleyball? Can I play volleyball if I am short? How tall should I be to be able to play volleyball? What are the most important advantages and disadvantages of being tall or short for volleyball? These types of questions are frequently asked by so many beginner volleyball players. It’s crucial for athletes to get the answers to all of these questions.

A quick Google search reveals that questions like these ones are very debatable. Thus, there has been a lot of talk about the importance of being tall for volleyball players.

Today, we are going to clarify all these questions and explain to you why you can play volleyball even if you are short. As a result, you’ll be able to make your own conclusions and figure out what it takes to be a short volleyball player.

Can I Play Volleyball If I Am Short?

The answer is –yes. Of course, you can play volleyball despite the fact that you are short. If a person has a passion for the sport of volleyball, then he/she should definitely play the game, Shorter volleyball players have many great benefits over taller ones. Shorter volleyball players are quick on their feet, so they will be able to explode and move quickly on the court when such a need arises. Another big advantage is that short volleyball players rotate their body faster. That’s the reason why shorter volleyball players usually react to the game much faster comparing to tall volleyball players. It’s also important to note that short volleyball athletes usually get fewer injuries when falling down during the game.

Among the best shortest male volleyball players are: Farhad Zarif (height – 165 cm),Ace Jumper (height – 171 cm) as well as Francisco Ruiz (height – 178 cm). Among the best shortest female volleyball players are: Jorella Marie de Jesus (height – 152 cm), Kotoe Inoue (height – 161 cm) as well as Nicole Marie Davis (height – 165 cm).

The history of volleyball sport knows many great short volleyball players (both men and women).

The statistics have shown that short volleyball players are great libero players (defensive volleyball players), great passers and great setters. The next important question is – how to play volleyball if I am too short? Below, you’ll be able to find a few tips for short volleyball players.

Tips for Short Volleyball Players

It’s recommended for a short volleyball player to play at the position of a libero. Shorter volleyball athletes have a good chance to establish a successful career as a libero. A libero is responsible for defense and plays on the back row(behind 3 meter line).That’s why the player’s height is not so important for a libero. It’s crucial for a libero to be very fast on the court. So, a libero has to be able to start moving in any direction on the court very quickly.

Short volleyball player’s can learn to jump high. So, it makes a lot of sense for short volleyball players to focus on increasing his/her vertical jump. Without a doubt, exercises for a higher vertical jump need to be a key part of short volleyball player’s training program. It’s a great idea for a volleyball athlete to do different types of jumping exercises (such as box jumps, depth jumps, jump squats, resistance training, standing vertical jumps, shock jumps, tuck jumps, weight jumps and many others) on a regular basis. Doing these volleyball exercises will make it possible for a short volleyball athlete to increase his/her vertical jump dramatically over time.

Ball control is another important aspect of the game that short athletes have to work on. It’s no surprise that the height of a player is incredibly important for such volleyball skills as blocking and hitting. So, if a volleyball player is too short then he/she is likely to find it difficult to master these types of volleyball skills. On the other hand, the height of a player doesn’t matter for ball control. All of this means that a short volleyball player will probably find it easy to succeed in such an aspect as ball control. That’s the reason why short volleyball players should definitely focus on developing such skills as defense and passing. Obviously, a short volleyball player should do everything possible to take his/her passing skills to the next level. So, it would be great for a short volleyball player to perform such volleyball passing drills as concentration passing drill, passing to yourself drill, toss catch drill, perfect passes drill, three pass team drill, ladder passing drill and others.

Thank you so much for reading this article. We’ve made it clear for readers that being short doesn’t mean that you can’t play volleyball. If you really like this sport, then you should definitely play it. Every athlete has a chance to succeed in volleyball. The success in volleyball is not all about a player’s height. The success of a volleyball player also depends a lot on factors like diligence and consistency. In other words, it’s vital for a volleyball player to train hard and train smart on a regular basis. And remember, the history of volleyball has many examples when short players were successful and demonstrated excellent results on the court. So, you are not too short to play volleyball! Best of luck!