When you need this
Volleyball is the sport people play at the beach, in a school gym, or at a company picnic when someone brings a net. Most of the talk happens during the game, and it's short: who takes the ball, whose serve it is, what the score is. Players shout one or two words because there's no time for more.
The key verbs are small. You serve to start a point, pass or bump the ball to a teammate, set it up high near the net, and spike it down hard on the other side. If you know those four, you can follow almost any game.
When you're new, say so early. "I'm pretty rusty" or "I haven't played since school" lowers the pressure, and teammates will cover for you instead of getting annoyed.
Phrases
hit the ball over the net to start a point
a long exchange of hits before someone wins the point
hit the ball with your forearms to a teammate
push the ball up with your fingers for someone to hit
hit the ball down hard over the net
shouted so two players don't go for the same ball
the ball landed outside or inside the lines
the serving team lost the point, so the serve changes sides
you need one more person to play
move to the next position on the court
you haven't done something in a long time
praise for reaching a ball that looked lost
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the short line a player would use.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.