Volleyball Safety: The Friction of Sports

Kaushik Chatterjee
Researcher at Pakmen

Volleyball is a relatively safe sport. However, as in every sport, there are injuries one can sustain. The most common injuries are muscle related, with shoulder pulls, ankle strains, and even more serious injuries, such as, Anterior Cruciate Ligament topping the list. There are a variety of causes for these injuries: improper equipment setup; not using the appropriate gear; not using proper technique; not warming up properly (this is perhaps the most important). A lot of your preparation prior to a game or training session should be dedicated towards warming up your muscles. In your off-time, focus on increasing your stamina and strengthening core muscle groups. Every sport requires a specific set of muscle groups to be used, and the best way to prevent injuries are to train these groups. Volleyball requires many complex movements, and can cause severe injuries if you do not practice and train.

The most common injuries in volleyball relate to the muscular system. Pulling your hamstring, twisting your ankle, bending your thumb: they are all muscle injuries. All can be prevented – some of these injuries occur due to improper technique, others due to poor conditioning. We will be going over key exercise you should do, and the importance of using proper technique. Let’s begin with conditioning. Volleyball uses you lower-body joints, upper-body joints, leg muscles, and upper body muscles. It is essential that you condition and strengthen these parts.

You use your lower-body joints for running, jumping, pivoting,and crouching, all of which you do a lot of during a volleyball game. As such, it is important to work on your ankles, hips, and knees. You use your upper body joints for bumping, spiking, and serving. To perform these actions, you require good strength and flexibility within these joints.  These are only your joints however, and don’t require as much care as muscles. Joints account for far fewer injuries than muscles, and the most common joint injuries are rotator cuff injuries and ankle sprains.

Muscles are the core components in sports; muscles produce the force and movement required to smash a serve, or dive for a bump. Muscles are also the most common source of injury. In volleyball you use your leg muscles and upper body muscles (biceps, forearm muscles, rotator cuff, and pectorals). It is vital you stretch these muscles out prior to a game, and work on improving their strength in your off time. You must also acquire proper technique before you start playing. Make sure your bumps, spikes, serves, blocks, and dives are perfect before you jump into a game. Know your limits. Don’t push your muscles too much or attempt actions you haven’t practised.

Before you hop into a game, stretch your joints and muscles. Ensure you have proper technique and adequate practice. Knowing what you can do to prevent injury is pivotal for any athlete. Volleyball exercise core muscle and joint groups, which can be permanently damaged without proper care. For more information on volleyball injuries, causation, and prevention, please click here. For some ideas on volleyball stretches please click here. Gather a basic understanding of how these muscles function, and how to strengthen them. You can’t be an excellent player without having a solid structure; volleyball requires dedication on and off the court.