The Outside hitter Volleyball Position: Beginners Explanation
Posted on: 1/17/25
Last Updated: 1/17/25
Author: Thalia A. U.
THE Outside Hitter EXPLAINED FOR BEGINNERS
Volleyball positions are an important part of enhancing your knowledge of the sport as each one has its own strengths and sets of challenges. That’s why I have created a blog series where I explain each position within our sport from the fundamentals, to players you can learn from.
This fourth post in the series is all about the Outside Hitter position! Parts one, two, and three covered the Setter, Libero, and Middle so be sure to check those posts out as well.
In this post we will go over:
1) What is the OH position + What are they responsible for?
2) What sets apart a great OH from a phenomenal OH?
3) Coach T’s Outside Hitters to watch
1) WHAT IS THE Outside Hitter POSITION & WHAT DO THEY DO?
The Outside hitter is a position with its own unique set of challenges and responsibilities.
An Outside hitter is considered to be an offensive player in the front-row, hitting in the rotation 4 spot on the court (left side). Although the outside hitter is mainly considered an offensive player, depending on a coaches decision, an OH may play during all 6 rotations (3 front-row, 3 back-row), meaning they also are apart of back-row’s defense. However, even if an outside hitter is not playing all 6 rotations they are apart of front-rows defense with a block, covering the block/the middle hitter, and digs.
Similar to a wide-receiver in football who works alongside the quarterback with pre-chosen routes/plays to help the receiver score a touch down with their catch, an outside hitter works alongside their setters (ideally pre-determined) offensive choice to hopefully have the outside hitter earn a point off of their attack swing.
Although the big difference between an outside hitter and a wide receiver is that an outside hitter also plays defense (as we learned earlier).
It’s clear the outside hitter has an impactful position on the court, so let’s dive into what attributes a great outside hitter has to further explain the position.
2) WHAT SETS APART A GREAT Outside, FROM A PHENOMENAL Outside?
A phenomenal Outside typically has these attributes:
Stamina/Endurance
Consistent/explosive attack
Athletic/agility
Efficient decision making
. Communication Skills
Stamina/Endurance: Since an outside hitter is at an angle (left side of the court, position 4) where even the toughest pass can still be pushed to the left side of the court by the setter, the OH needs to have a lot of stamina to keep up with those long rallies and matches. In long rallies the outside hitter is sometimes blocking, transitioning, and attacking over and over again.
Consistent/explosive attack: The OH position is one of the most competitive spots as many athletes aspire to be an outside hitter. Having a consistent, but also explosive attack with some heat behind it will help set you apart from the long line of hopeful starting outside hitters on your team.
Efficient decision making: Following the consistent/explosive attack, it’s also important to have efficient decision making when playing the OH position. This means you notice open areas on the court and aim to push the ball there, you utilize the block to get a touch on your attack, etc. The best OH are ones that know when to swing, tip, push, etc.
Athletic/agility: Yes, this can be said about any athletic position but as an OH you will need to have a baseline of athletic ability and agility in order to perform your position to its full intentions. It’s painful to watch an OH that isn’t aggressive to get the ball, intentional about their movements, etc. This also explains the passionate player idea, where a passionate OH will be hard to not watch on a court!
Communication skills: This point can also be mentioned for all positions on the volleyball court as efficient communication can make or break a volleyball teams success. You need to communicate to your setter when you’re ready for a set up, when you are covering your team-mates, and much more.
3) COACH T’S Outside’s TO WATCH
The best way to get better at volleyball can be done not only by getting repetitions yourself but also by watching the sport.
Here are the Outside Hitters that I currently watch and learn from:
Merrit Beason: Nebraska alum, and Pro volleyball player for the Atlanta vibe
Jess Mruzik: Penn State Alum and National title champion. LOVB pro volleyball player for Houston
Anna Debeer: Louisville alum, and pro volleyball player for the Indiana Ignite.
Matt Anderson: Men’s USA national volleyball team, and Penn state alumni.
TJ Defalco: Men’s USA national volleyball team, and California State University alumni.
Sarina Koga: Retired volleyball player (2024), Women’s Japan national volleyball team & team captain
IN CONCLUSION…
There is a lot that goes into volleyball, but learning the positions is a great place to start when looking for improve your knowledge of the game.
If you are looking to become an outside I strongly suggest you do your “homework” by watching the Outsides I mentioned, or finding your personal favorite to learn from. This alongside a lot of repetitions and coaching will help you improve tremendously in your position.
Be sure to check out the YouTube video linked at the top to get extra information and tips!
Hope to see you in a future blog post!
-Coach T