Learn the forearm pass: forearm platform, shoulders forward, moving to the ball. With milestones, typical mistakes and tips against bruised arms.
How do I learn the forearm pass properly, and does it always hurt? The honest answer: in the forearm pass you form a steady surface with both forearms and move to the ball with your whole body; your arms do not swing. Bruises on the forearm are usually a sign that you hit the ball with your hands or with swinging arms, not a sign of weak skin.
According to the teaching material of the West German Volleyball Association, the forearm pass remains the most important technique for receiving serve, even after the rules allowed a double touch in reception [1]. It is needed as the answer to flat and far-away balls when the overhead set is no longer possible [1].
Put your hands together so the fingertips form a V and the thumbs lie parallel next to each other. The forearms lie side by side, the elbows are straight and the shoulders pushed forward. The angle between upper arms and trunk is about 90 degrees, roughly as if you were carrying a table in front of you [1]. Milestone: you form the platform automatically from the ready position.
A partner holds the ball at hip height. You push against it with a measured leg extension and a soft shoulder push while the partner gives way slightly [1]. This way you feel that the impulse comes from the body. Milestone: you push the ball forward and up without any arm swing.
The partner throws from one to two metres. You pass it back by extending your bent knees [1]. At first the drop height and ball speed should be low, and the ball only goes back over short distances, so you do not use your arms too much [1]. Milestone: 10 balls in a row back to the partner without swinging the arms.
Pass the ball up so the next contact follows after a small forward movement. This trains the contact point with an extended platform [1]. Then comes the movement: get to the ball early so your body stands in front of it, ball at arm's length and balanced at contact [1]. Even at a high level the path to the ball makes a difference: in a small study with four experienced players receiving jump float serves, the receiver's position and movement had the greatest influence on reception. Those who started further back and had to run further received worse [3]. That is a small observation, not a law, but it matches your own experience. Milestone: 10 contacts without the ball hitting the floor.
First you play the ball back along its line of arrival, then at an angle. Later you raise the time pressure so you must also pass to the side or away from your body [1]. Now vary the drills instead of repeating the same one. How much varied practice helps is not clear-cut: in a school study with the underhand serve, constant and specific practice were better for learning, and varied practice only helped for transfer [4]. In another study with three volleyball skills, all groups improved and no advantage for varied practice appeared [5]. So: consolidate the basic form first, then add variation, but there is no magic formula.
The forearm pass is considered low-risk. The teaching material even notes that, unlike the overhead set, you can play it without injury risk before you are warmed up, which is why it fits well into the warm-up [1]. Still, the ball has pace. Watch your surroundings when feeding and defending so you do not bump into a teammate, and keep your back straight. The extension goes forward and up, not into a hollow back [1].
If your forearm swells badly after training or does not improve after days, have it examined by a doctor. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
Squeeze a second ball or a balloon between your upper arms and chin and pass a tossed ball back like that. The teaching material uses this trick against arm swinging [1]. With fixed arms you simply cannot swing, so the drill forces the right impulse from the legs automatically.
A side note: how much leg extension you need is debated in coaching methodology. Newer approaches stress more shoulder and arm control. The association sees a compromise as sensible, with a larger leg share for children and youth and more arm and shoulder use for advanced players, but no author gives up the leg extension completely [1].
Your hands are interlocked, thumbs parallel side by side, and the forearms form one common surface. The elbows are straight, the shoulders pushed forward, and the angle between upper arms and trunk is about 90 degrees [1]. You play the ball with your forearms, not with your hands.
Usually you hit the ball at an unfavourable spot or swing your arms at the ball instead of forming a steady platform. If the ball hits your hands or your hands lie next to each other, the ball bounces away and it hurts [1]. Softer balls and more leg work help.
On your team's first contact the ball may touch different body parts one after another as long as it is one action. On the second and third contact that would be a double contact [2]. So in receiving a serve a small double touch is not a fault.
Almost every ball that comes high and close can be set. Setting is more accurate and safer. You need the forearm pass when the ball arrives flat, fast or far away from you [1]. You make the decision while the ball is in flight.
Underhand Serve: Getting It Safely Over the Net, Step by Step