Blog 5: Momentum in Volleyball

This past week when I was at my club volleyball practice I was thinking of all the momentum involved in the game. If the hitters get a good set, they try to hit the ball with the most momentum they can while still being accurate. The passers in the back row, tries to control the momentum of the hitter's hit by digging the ball. Sometimes if there is too much momentum on the ball, the passer can't control the momentum and guide the ball to the setter, this results in a shank. Also the blockers try to totally stop the momentum of the ball so it goes back to the opponent's side of the net. Or they slow down the momentum of the hit by touching the block, which makes it easier to pass the ball. Every time the ball is contacted a collision occurs.

As a libero, or a defensive specialist, I constantly have to dig the hitter's hit. If the ball is coming at a fast pace I strive for the collision of the ball and my arms to be inelastic, so the momentum would be conserved, but the kinetic energy wouldn't be conserved. If the kinetic energy isn't conserved, with my dig, I would be able to slow down the ball and guide it to the setter.