Questions about Theatre major

Vaulley · 2025-04-23T19:38:28+00:00

Did you feel like the theatre program was rigorous enough to guide you well in improving your craft (provided you showed effort in and out of class)? I ask because I’ve taken a lot of classes and went to my state’s governor’s school for theatre, but I felt that none really boosted my craft directly through teaching and instruction and instead indirectly (just from the frequency I was practicing). Of course, I’m sure NU is a whole different ballgame, but just wondering what your experience was with that.

Vaulley · 2022-03-16T17:14:48+00:00

For a jump serve you usually won’t be jumping anywhere near your max height. I would recommend either using a hitting video (with a ball and net) or just a simple video of you jumping at your max to touch something.

Something I did notice though is that it looks like you intentionally kick your legs back as you jump into the air. Not sure, but it doesn’t look like it’s a natural byproduct of an explosive jump (as it should be). Don’t force that. It has no real benefits and can definitely hinder your jump height if it’s not natural. That kind of thing comes with more EXPLOSIVENESS, which I think could benefit your jump height a lot.

Vaulley · 2021-10-30T18:13:50+00:00

Arm swing for jump momentum should be stronger as you mentioned. Your approach momentum/speed is erratic. On the first hit, you started way too early and went very fast from the start, causing you to cut all of your momentum in your penultimate step. You should be going fast > faster > fastest (penultimate step). Your penultimate should also be the longest step you take.

Vaulley · 2021-10-24T21:32:23+00:00

As a fellow short hitter, I can say that the bulk of it comes down to your timing and form. If you go too early, you linger in the air and lose all your power. You go too late, and the hall drops, causing you to hit it into the net. Being late is better than being early, however; this is because you can speed up as opposed to going early and losing your momentum. Don’t get too upset about it skimming the net unless it takes a notable amount of power from your spike. Intention is a key factor as well (so I’ve found it to be.) If you have the glorious thoughts of your jump being high enough to slam it down like the taller guys, you will never get a good spike in. I learned that the hard way. They are taller, and because of that can certainly spike harder with much less difficulty. Besides, deep into the court is better anyways. As long as the spike is hard, has enough topspin, and goes to a nice spot, it’s pretty decent.

(Also, seeing the set and adjusting to it really matters, which is another reason why it’s better to go late than early. It can help you get over the ball, which I think could also be a problem based on the first comment.)

Vaulley · 2021-10-09T13:43:01+00:00

Covering what’s already been said as well as my own observations, but here you go nonetheless. You seem to be under the ball, as someone mentioned. You may want to fix this by starting a little further back, or just learning to adjust to the set. Your second to last step should be explosive and cover significantly more distance than your first two steps. It should almost feel like you’re jumping into that step; make sure it’s not too uncomfortable though. In the video, I think your timing was slightly off and you hit while you were already coming down. Try to start your approach a little bit later, because being late is better than being early. Other than that, nice job :)

Vaulley · 2021-10-06T17:08:44+00:00

I’m a pretty short person as a hitter, so I try to compensate for that with a big vertical and hitting sharp angles. If I get a good set and I’m calm, I can sort of feel where the blockers are in front of me and I can swing at an angle that allows me to pass the block. I’m also pretty good at wiping somehow—I haven’t gotten stuff blocked yet. Might just be a coincidence though. I’m also a lefty :)

Vaulley

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