In volleyball, the two opposing teams do not have direct physical contact. Fouls and resulting injuries are therefore rather rare in volleyball. Nevertheless, volleyball is not a harmless sport. The fingers in particular are at risk in volleyball due to the constant blocking and hitting. If a player accidentally receives a ball at high speed incorrectly, there is a risk of injury to tendons, joints and bones. This happens much less often to experienced players than to beginners. Therefore, especially at the beginning of volleyball training, the focus of the exercises should be on technique and clean ball reception and delivery. Thorough warming up of the fingers to prevent injuries is also highly recommended to every player.
Prevent injuries
Many professional volleyball players partially bandage their fingers with sports tape to protect fingers that may be slightly damaged. In any case, however, such a procedure should be discussed with a doctor beforehand. Important in this context is a high quality, sufficiently inflated volleyball. Cheap balls from discount stores are often too hard when inflated or lose air quickly, so that the flight characteristics change. This is also a potential risk for injury. A big risk for volleyball players is also knee injuries. Very hard-hit balls sometimes require players in reception to slide toward the ball on their knees to receive it cleanly. This “going down on your knees” can be very unhealthy for the whole knee. A graze or pain on the knee are then no exceptions. Knee pads should therefore never be dispensed with, but it is best to try to land as gently as possible on the knees or to avoid it altogether. Here, too, targeted training in ball reception helps to prevent this, and knee pads are highly recommended. If you take a look at the volleyball Bundesliga in Germany, you will see some players wearing knee pads.
Volleyball: physical fitness in demand
But there are also dangers with ankles and ligaments when playing volleyball. Due to the sometimes jerky and fast movements on the court as well as the numerous jumps at the net, you can easily bend away. Sprains, bruises or even torn ligaments can be the result. However, special shoes can also reduce this risk. Another focus of training in volleyball should be the development of muscle and shoulder training to avoid injuries and pain here. Due to the often very fast, hard balls, the muscle parts of shoulders and arms are often exposed to enormous stress. An appropriately stable upper body and targeted warm-up will prevent ball hits with pain. The trunk muscles should also be strengthened in volleyball with targeted exercises. If they are too weak, the forces of jumping and turning movements are transferred one-to-one to the joints of the spine. The result can be osteoarthritis as well as pain and muscle tension.
Exercises and training for volleyball
However, if you focus on the correct playing technique from the beginning and train the important muscle parts accordingly, the risk of serious injuries overall is lower in volleyball than in many other sports. Above all, passing the ball to each other promotes finger skills, while exercises with medicine balls train the arm and shoulder muscles. When the weather is nice, the training can also be moved outside. A game of beach volleyball is also a good change of pace. Especially for people who do not like or do not enjoy endurance sports and running-intensive sports, volleyball should be a good choice. Although a certain level of fitness is also required here, more important is often a precise play of the ball as well as tactics and the introduction of moments of surprise for the opponent.
