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• What is an attack?
• How to attack
• Different ways to attack
• Courtesy of:

What is an Attack?

The attack (or spike, the slang term) is usually the third contact a team makes with the ball. The object of attacking is to handle the ball so that it lands on the opponent's court and cannot be defended. A player makes a series of steps (the "approach"), jumps, and swings at the ball.

Ideally the contact with the ball is made at the apex of the hitter's jump. At the moment of contact, the hitter's arm is fully extended above his or her head and slightly forward, making the highest possible contact while maintaining the ability to deliver a powerful hit. The hitter uses arm swing, wrist snap, and a rapid forward contraction of the entire body to drive the ball. A 'bounce' is a slang term for a very hard/loud spike that follows an almost straight trajectory steeply downward into the opponent's court and bounces very high into the air.

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How to Attack:

1. Wait near the 10 foot line, watching the setter
   
2. Keeping your weight forward, anticipate and plan your approach
   
3. Wait until the ball's trajectory is at its peak and then begin your approach
   
4. Start your approach using a couple of steps with the last two steps being a right and close left, or step to jump
   
5. Swing your arms back and together to at least waste level and bend your back and knees
   
6. Explode into the jump, jumping as high as you can and swinging both arms straight up in front of you
   
7. Point at the ball with your non-hitting arm and bring your hitting hand to your ear
   
8. With your fully extended arm contact the center back of the ball in front of your hitting shoulder with heel of open hand
   
9. Snap your wrist and hit through the ball
   
10. Bring your hitting arm down across your body and land on both feet, cushioning your landing by bending your knees
    
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Different ways to attack:

• Backcourt attack: an attack performed by a back row player. The player must jump from behind the 3-meter line before making contact with the ball, but may land in front of the 3-meter line.
  
• Line and Cross-court Shot: refers to whether the ball flies in a straight trajectory parallel to the side lines, or crosses through the court in an angle. A cross-court shot with a very pronounced angle, resulting in the ball landing near the 3-meter line, is called a cut shot.
  
• Dip/Dink/Tip/Cheat: the player does not try to make a hit, but touches the ball lightly, so that it lands on an area of the opponent's court that is not being covered by the defense.
  
• Tool/Wipe/Block-abuse: the player does not try to make a hard spike, but hits the ball so that it touches the opponent's block and then bounces off-court.
  
  (for more ways to hit click here)
  
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Courtesy of:

Wikipedia.org
About Volleyball