Book excerpt: The Art of Volleyball Hitting describes the basics of hitting the volleyball. It begins by describing ten types of sets and their possible hits such as the hard spike, dink, cobra, off speed, wipe, and push. It describes basic hitting technique including starting position, jump, arm position, and arm swing along with some variations for different sets. It also describes eleven common hitting mistakes all volleyball spikers should be aware of. This book also offers some characteristics of good hitters that all aspiring volleyball hitters should work to develop. The core of this book describes eighteen different sets, the various challenges each one presents, and some possible strategies to help make successful hits. These are illustrated with numerous diagrams. This book finishes with some thoughts on various sets' and hits' effectiveness derived from some empirical evaluation and the author's experience. This is a common sense book on hitting the volleyball effectively from an experienced hitter. This is a book for those interested in improving their volleyball hitting ability and performance.