Volleyball Serving Machines FAQ

Volleyball serving machines FAQ will help you better understand specific points about Total Attack, Attack, Attack II, Skill Attack products and to choose best pitching trainer for your team, club, college, sport schools or even individual practice exercises.

What levels of play are the volleyball machines?

Total Attack – international teams to university programs, as well as all the top club teams in the nation, will be interested in the new Total Attack. The Total Attack machine is clearly the number one volleyball machine for professional levels.

Attack – international teams to college programs, including the top men’s teams in the nation, and hundreds of high schools across the country currently use the Attack volleyball machine.

Attack II – international teams to college programs, including the top women’s teams in the nation, and hundreds of high schools across the country currently use the Attack II volleyball machine.

Skill Attack – was designed for young serious players and individual practice at home as well as competitive club or school youth teams.

Range of Drills

Total Attack / Attack / Attack II – can do a full range of drills. The machines can do digging, serving and team coordination drills delivering top-level speeds and breaks.

• Serving drills: consistent repetition of a full range of speeds and spins including jump serves, breaking top spins, and floaters.
• Digging drills: ball released from above the net provides a true downward trajectory at high speeds and unmatched spike simulation for digging. Delivery from the opposite side of the court and above the net provides a realistic reaction time during drills.
• Team coordination drills: throwing head pivots instantly to any point on the court, at any speed or spin, from any height. This provides a realistic game simulation involving serves, sets, tosses, passes, hits, or spikes.

Skill Attack also can do a full range of drills, just at the limited speeds and height. Skill Attack can do digging, serving and team coordination drills.

• Serving drills: consistent repetition of a limited range of speeds and spins including jump serves, breaking top spins, and floaters.
• Digging drills: ball released from the same side of the net provides a downward trajectory and effective spike simulation for digging.
• Team coordination drills: throwing head pivots instantly to any point on the court, at a different range of speeds or spin. This provides a realistic game simulation involving serves, sets, tosses, passes, hits, or spikes.

How is the machines moved around the court?

Total Attack has extra large, soft non-marking  20 cm (8”) locking casters to allow the machine to move at the slightest touch.

Attack / Attack II / Skill Attack has locking casters that provide instant mobility on the court.

What is the range of ball speeds the pitching machines can deliver and how do you change the speed?

Total Attack will deliver a serve at professional level speeds, over 140 km/h (90 mph). The speed is quickly adjusted using the speed dials.

Attack will deliver a serve at professional level speeds, over 130 km/h (80 mph). The speed is quickly adjusted using the speed dials.

Attack II will deliver a serve at professional level speeds up to 110 km/h (70 mph). The speed is quickly adjusted using the speed dials.

Skill Attack will deliver a serve at speeds up to  65 km/h (40 mph). The speed is quickly adjusted using the speed dials.

What adjustment is required on the machines to change placement of the ball on the court?

Total Attack / Attack / Attack II / Skill Attack can be done simply by loosening the horizontal and vertical locking handles, allowing the throwing head to freely pivot side-to-side or up-and-down to instantly target any location on the court.

What is the recovery time between throws for the machines?

Total Attack / Attack / Attack II / Skill Attack – there is no recovery time necessary. All volleyball machines can deliver rapid repetition for any drill. (Some competitive units require a recharging every 8 – 10 balls.)

When using the trainer, is there tearing or cutting of the ball or excessive ball wear?

Total Attack – there is no tearing or cutting of balls. The third wheel increases the gripping surface by 50%, which defuses any friction points, making ball wear a non-issue. With the wider, softer white polyurethane ball throwing wheels, actual ball wear is extremely limited. The convex contoured shape of the new throwing surface uniformly distributes the contact force, eliminating the high wear contact points. Leather or softer exteriors are only slightly worn with extended use at the highest of speeds, no marking from wheels on softer balls. As with other sports like baseball or tennis, coaches will typically use the prior season’s game balls in their machine.

Attack / Attack II – there is no tearing or cutting of balls. With our wider, softer white polyurethane ball throwing wheels, actual ball wear is extremely limited. The convex contoured shape of the new throwing surface uniformly distributes the contact force, eliminating the high wear contact points. Leather or softer exteriors are only slightly worn with extended use at the highest of speeds, no marking from wheels on softer balls. As with other sports like baseball or tennis, coaches will typically use the prior season’s game balls in their machine.

We are recommending you to use for training prior season’s game balls or training balls brands such as MIKASA V300W or MOLTEN V5M4500. Those models are very close to the official game balls by quality but have significant difference in cost.

How are the machines most commonly transported?

Total Attack can fit through a gym door, easily breaks down and can be transported in a standard SUV or pick-up truck.

Attack / Attack II can easily fit through a gym door and can be transported in a standard SUV or pick-up truck.

Skill Attack can easily fit through a gym door and can be transported in a any size car, even a Mini Cooper.

Can the machines be operated with a generator?

Total Attack / Attack / Attack II / Skill Attack – yes, however the generator must generate “clean electricity”. We recommend a minimum of 1000W up to 2000W generator.

How long does it take to receive a volleyball machine?

Total Attack / Attack / Attack II / Skill Attack can typically deliver a machine within 14-28 business days.

What type of assembly is necessary upon first receipt of machine and are there any special tools required?

Total Attack / Attack / Attack II can be assembled in less than one hour. Easy-to-follow instructions are included in manual; all you will need are two standard wrenches, 13 mm (1/2″) and  11 mm (7/16″).

Skill Attack can be assembled in less than 30 minutes. Easy-to-follow instructions are included in manual; all you will need are two standard wrenches, 13 mm (1/2″) and  11 mm (7/16″).

What is the warranty on the volleyball machines?

Total Attack / Attack / Attack II / Skill Attack  – all sports training equipment is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of five (5) years from the date of original purchase, with the following exceptions: throwing wheels are warranted for two (2) years; electronic controller is warranted for two (2) years; and, the throwing wheel motors are warranted for two (2) years.

How is repair and service handled for the volleyball machines?

Components parts are designed to be easily replaced in the field, local assistance is not required. Parts list is available in the manuals. Simply identify part needed, order part from SporTraffic ([email protected]) and follow easy directions for repair. Only a few common tools are required to complete any repair.