Volleyball Coaching Info

Run Throughs

Drill #1

Purpose: To teach movement and low posture in defense. Especially at a young age, we need to teach our players that rarely is an attacked ball hit directly to us. They need to learn to move to the ball.

Setup: The drill begins with 3-4 players on the end line in middle back.

1. The coach initiates the ball from middle front to land on the10-15 ft. line.

2. The players may leave their starting position when the ball leaves the coach’s hands. #1 must play the ball and get back in line. There should be a work team who is shagging, targeting, and handing to the coach.

Drill #2

Setup: The players start from 20 feet back on the sideline.

1. The drill is performed the same way. This time #1 must round the ball with the body or adjust the platform to the target.

Drill #3

Setup: The players begin on their stomachs in the back corner.

1. The coach stands in the right front corner and bounces the ball to #1. The coach should slap the ball before initiating. This variation causes the players to stay in a low posture while getting to the ball quickly.

Drill #4

Setup: The players begin on either the left back corner or the right back corner. The initiation is from the left front on the opposite side.

1. The coach tips the ball over the net to land on the 10 ft. line. #1 is forced to read the attacker’s (coach’s) hand and react. Drill continues until goal is reached.

Figure Eight Digging

Purpose: To create movement on defense. It is also to teach the defender the differences in posture and platform between digging a hard driven ball and a tip.

Set-up: 2 coaches, basket of balls, 3 defenders.

1. The drill begins with a defender (#1) in ready position in the left back corner. Coach 1 (C1) will stand on the same side of the net as the defender in middle front and will attack a ball at the defender (position A).

2. As soon as #1 digs the ball, #1 will attempt to dig a tip initiated by C1 (position B).

3. #1 then runs to the right back corner and receives an attack from C2 (position C).

4. #1 runs forward to dig a tip initiated from C2 (position 4). To keep the drill running efficiently, have #2 begin the drill when #1 is running to receive the attack in right back. You may vary the difficulty in the drill by varying the coaches’ attacks and by putting a strict goal on finishing the drill (10 perfect digs).

Blind Run Throughs

Purpose: The purpose of this drill is to force the defenders into a low posture when executing a run through. It is also an excellent conditioning drill.

Set-up: 3 players, 1 initiator, 1 target, 1 basket of balls.

1. The drill starts with three players lying on the volleyball end line, on their stomachs with their eyes closed. C (coach/initiator) will stand close to the net. C slaps the ball for the defender and bounces the ball into the court for the player to run through. The players will go one at a time. The slap lets them know when they can open their eyes and get up. Their goal is to dig a perfect ball to the target. They must get up quickly and run in a low posture in order to get to the ball after one bounce.

2. After one player performs the run through, she must get back onto her stomach before it is her turn again. You may either put a time limit on the drill or have them dig fifteen perfect balls to the target as a team.

Pop-Ups

Purpose: Develop run-thru techniques, especially staying low.

Set-up: 3 players on their bellies facing the coach from behind the end line; another player behind each ready to go. Coach at the center line in the middle of the court. A target, a feeder, and shaggers.

1. This is a fast paced drill where the coach controls the tempo by bouncing balls at the players.

2. As the player sees the ball being bounced, the player jumps up and runs to the ball, passing it to the target.

3. As soon as the ball is passed, they player must return to the original space on the floor (in the “belly position”).

4. The coach goes from player to player with a ball they must pass.

5. After each one passes a certain number of balls successfully (i.e., 10), the player becomes a shagger. The person waiting in line starts a set of 10, as a shagger waits in line.

6. The tosses should be low to the ground, forcing the players to get up, stay low and run through the ball. The faster the player is, the lower the bounce should be.

Square Drill

Purpose: Challenges players to square up to their target, and fully extend when setting.

1. Players start with equal groups at the corners of the court.

2. Player A1 sets to player B1.

3. Player A1 then follows the set, and goes to the end of line B.

4. B1 sets to C1 and follows their set to the end of line C.

5. The progression continues to D1, then to A2.

6. Have a goal of a number of sets in a row (25). Less experienced players should be allowed to start several steps in from the corners.

Setter Training

Purpose: To train the setter in or out of season. To give the setter a lot of repetitions. To train specific setting situations.

Set-up: 1 or 2 setters, coach, basket of balls.

Drill #1

This drill trains the setter off of the defensive position. Put the setter in right back and another player (2nd setter) in right front. Have a coach attacking cross court from left front on the same side of the net. The setters will start in their base and once the coach tosses the ball they should rotate to their defensive positions.

The attack is dug by either right front or back and the non-digger sets the ball outside. If there are more people have them target for different sets. The pair should set 15 good balls and then switch.

Drill #2

This drill trains the same skills but has the attack and dig coming from a different place. Have the 2nd setter in left back digging an attack from the coach who is in right front. The setter is in right back, and should set a back ball off of the dig. She should work hard on making her body look the same for each set. If the setter has a problem of releasing too soon the coach can mix it up by hitting a few balls down line just to keep the setter honest. The player should set 15 good balls and then switch with the other setter.

Drill #3

Set up this drill exactly the same as drill #1. The only difference is that the player that digs the attack should dig it all over the place (too tight, way off the net, far to the right, far to the left, etc.). This trains the setter to set hittable balls off of bad passes.

The Rainbow Drill

Purpose: To give the setter a lot of repetitions with the pass coming from all different angles on the court. It can be modified to train beginners, right sides, and advanced setters.

Setup: Target, Tosser, Setter, 2 balls.

1. The tosser starts out at the left front position and after each toss, takes a step back and to the right.

2. This pattern should form the shape of a rainbow to the right sideline (10 tosses). The tosser should move all the way to the right sideline and back to the left sideline.

3. The target should bounce pass the ball to the tosser quickly to allow for more repetitions in a shorter amount of time.

Modifications:

1. The setter may play as a back row setter and release from the right back position (her defensive position).

2. You may add another target who will stand in the right front position to catch the setter’s back sets.

3. You can move the tosser to the other side of the net and have her toss the ball to a passer who passes and then moves to next position in the rainbow pattern.

4. You may add a middle blocker, on the other side from the setter, who chooses to commit block in the middle or release outside. The setter should see the blocker and set the opposite way.

Slide Training

Purpose: A “slide set” is a set behind the setter in which the attacker takes a one foot take-off in her approach. The benefits are many, such as, deception for the opposing blocker, and it allows the attacker many options once in the air. The foot work is similar to a basketball lay up. For a right handed person, there are ideally 3 steps (left, right, take-off with left). However, the set may require more than three steps. The majority of the approach should be taken parallel to the net. The last step (left) should plant parallel to the net, the player should draw up the right knee and the shoulders should rotate counter clock-wise to attack the ball.

Slide Progression 1

Set-up: 1 coach to toss, basket of balls.

1. The coach should initiate the ball from middle front, facing toward the right front position. The attacker should line up next to the coach with her shoulders facing LF.

2. The coach tosses the ball to simulate the slide set. The attacker runs and chases the ball to attack. The player should keep the ball in front of her and jump off of one foot.

Note: The coach should put attackers in two groups. One is a hitting group and the other is a shagging group. This makes the drill run more efficiently.

Slide Progression 2

The coach should begin at the same place. The attacker should start in the middle of the net at the 10 ft. line. She should take her first step toward the coach and once the coach tosses the ball, she should perform the drill as in Part 1.

Slide Progression 3

Add a setter. The coach should toss from the same side of the net to the setter. The attacker should let the ball pass her and then start to make her approach.

One Hand Punch

Purpose: Like all defensive emergency skills, the purpose of the one hand punch is for a last resort play. A player would use this skill if the ball to be played is too far behind her and too high for her to use conventional technique.

Set-up: 2 players 1 ball.

1. Player A will start at the net facing the end line.

Player B (the one performing the skill) will begin at the 10 ft. line in defensive ready position (low posture with feet shoulder width apart).

2. Player A should toss the ball over player B’s head so that the ball would land around the end line. Player B should back pedal or turn and run in order to play the ball. She should form a flat platform with her fist (moving thumb on side of fist instead of lying across the fingers) and contact the ball on the platform with an upward punching movement.

3. Partner A should toss 10 balls alternating sides and then the partners should switch.

Training Middle Attackers

Purpose: To train middles to keep their eyes on the ball and to correctly position themselves to receive the ball.

Set-up: one middle, one setter, one tosser, one shagger, basket of balls.

1. This very simple drill has the middle starting at the 10 ft line in the middle of the court. The middle will start in an aggressive ready position with eyes on the ball which is in the tossers’ hands.

2. The tosser should stand in various places on the court (to simulate digging the ball from different areas). When the tosser tosses the ball to the setter the middle should keep eyes on the ball, let it just pass and then explode into an approach to get to the setter and be in the air when the ball is in the setter’s hands.

3. If a delayed quick in the middle is used, have the middle let the ball pass and wait a split second. The setter should set the ball just before the middle jumps.

4. Emphasize to the middle to keep eyes fixed on the ball while approaching. The middle should make 10-15 approaches/swings and then switch with another middle. Make sure that the middles’ approaches are extremely explosive.