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A spike follows a downward trajectory from above.
This is why, in volleyball matches, blocks could still frequently stop spikes successfully, even though the standing jump height of blockers was often far inferior to the running jump height of spikers.
Not to mention, the so-called ‘highest contact point’ is only theoretical.
In actual matches, factors such as the attacker’s physical condition, jump timing, and coordination with the setter come into play, as well as many other variables.
Most attackers found it difficult to consistently spike from their absolute highest contact point.
Of course, if the difference in jumping height between the blocker and attacker was too great, the attacker could easily blast through the block without reaching the highest contact point.
The current situation between Asuto and the opposing side was similar.
Although the dyed-haired college student and the others were volleyball enthusiasts in high school and university clubs, they had only ever been substitutes.
After all, if they had been starters, they wouldn’t have ended up playing on these kinds of ‘street courts.’
They truly liked volleyball, but only liked it.
Once they confirmed that their blocks couldn’t stop Asuto’s attacks, they made a small adjustment.
The two blockers increased the distance between themselves and the net slightly during blocking.
Since spikes travel downwards, the farther the blockers were from the attacker, the lower they needed to be in order to intercept Asuto’s spikes.
Naturally, this tactic also carried risks.
For example:
A blocked ball might rebound off the blockers and hit the net before falling back onto their own side.
Or:
The greater distance between the blockers and the net could create more opportunities for the attacker.
But what they were betting on was that Asuto hadn’t yet mastered advanced offensive techniques.
After all, having great physical ability could still be explained as talent.
But if a third-year middle school student possessed not only elite athleticism but also highly refined technique, then that wasn’t just “talent.”
That would be a ‘monster.’
And, honestly, their gamble was correct.
Against this kind of deeper-positioned block, any attacker capable of diagonal spikes wouldn’t need a sharp angle.
Just a little precision would be enough to break through easily.
Yet Asuto genuinely did not know that technique.
Previously, he had mainly relied on raw strength and jumping height to overpower blocks. While this worked fine against fellow middle schoolers, it became far less effective against fully developed college students and adults.
It wasn’t completely useless, though.
At most, his power could make adults’ arms hurt, not completely blow through their blocks.
In an official match, Asuto could still have a good chance of winning through tips, wipe-offs, and other tactical methods.
But this wasn’t an official match.
Besides, winning games wasn’t his main reason for coming here in the first place.
Asuto’s real reason for coming to the ‘street court’ was to hone his advanced skills through real combat.
So right now, this was the perfect opportunity.
After digging out another opponent’s spike, the college student with the dyed hair on Asuto’s side quickly organized another attack.
Asuto was still the Outside Hitter/Ace Spiker.
Although the opposing side had recently limited Asuto’s offense through their deeper blocking formation, his earlier violent spikes had established a certain level of trust with the college student.
The moment he sent up another high set, the two blockers on the opposite side immediately moved into position, taking a small step backwards simultaneously.
Asuto leapt into the air.
Looking at the two opponents’ familiar blocking position, information about advanced spiking techniques he had researched online rapidly surfaced in his mind.
Volleyball attacking techniques can be divided into several categories:
Cross-Court Spikes, Line Spikes, Overhead Spike, and Tip Outs, to name a few.
Among them…
‘Overhead Spike,’ which involved maintaining the highest contact point and spiking directly above the blockers, demanded a fairly high level of skill from the setter.
Tip Outs depended not only on the attacker’s technique but also on factors such as the blocker’s height, hand positioning, and the angle at which they blocked.
Therefore, the techniques that most directly reflected an attacker’s ability were mainly of two types:
Cross-court spikes and line spikes.
A line spike, also known as a sideline spike, is a technique in which the attacker spikes tightly along the court boundary from extreme positions such as positions 4 or 6. It was generally only used when the attacker had no better option.
Cross-court spikes, meanwhile, were divided into three categories:
Deep cross, sharp cross, and middle cross.
A deep cross spike targets the far outer corners of the backcourt.
A sharp cross spike traveled tightly along the three-meter line, aiming towards the front corners of the court.
The middle cross, also known as the mid-angle cross, was the most commonly used cross-court spiking technique.
Against ordinary single or double blocks, the most commonly used spike was—
BOOM!
While suspended in mid-air, Asuto twisted his torso to alter the angle of his attack. His palm tilted slightly sideways before he slammed the spike downwards with force.
The two blockers on the opposite side only felt a gust of wind sweep past them.
Then, the volleyball had already vanished from sight.
By the time they reacted, the ball had already flown past them and smashed onto the floor.
“Out!”
The last defender on the opposing team shouted loudly.
Asuto landed calmly on the ground, his expression unchanged.
While he was still in the air, he had seen that his spike had landed twenty to thirty centimetres outside the sideline.
“Don’t worry about it! Don’t worry about it!” That was a good hit! A beautiful cross-court shot! Keep trying next time!” The college student with the dyed hair behind him immediately shouted encouragement.
The middle cross spike is the most frequently used cross-court attack in volleyball matches.
Firstly, because it was easier to execute than the other two types of cross-court spike.
Secondly, it was one of the most effective methods for breaking through single and double blocks.
After all, in official matches, opportunities to face triple blocks were fairly rare.
Most of the time, attackers mainly dealt with single or double blocks.
This type of cross-court spike appeared so frequently in matches that, when volleyball players referred to a ‘cross-court shot,’ they usually meant this middle cross.
Encouraging teammates during matches was extremely common.
So, when the college student with the dyed hair saw Asuto make a spiking error, he subconsciously offered a few comforting words.
However, he clearly did not yet understand what the phrase ‘keep trying next time’ truly meant to Asuto.
And thus… the dyed-haired college student’s nightmare began.
After all, when learning a new technique… Mistakes were a very common thing, weren’t they?
· · · · · ·
“Out!”
“Out!”
“Out!”
“Nice shot!”
“Out!”
As the two teams continuously exchanged attacks and defences, time gradually passed.
The lights overhead in the gym remained bright.
The two blockers’ defense remained solid.
Asuto’s spikes remained powerful.
Only, the dyed-haired college student’s eyes gradually became more and more lifeless, while the guy responsible for calling line-outs slowly shouted himself hoarse…
(End of Chapter)
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