The objective of this drill is to give the defensive team a multitude of defensive and transition plays in a minimum amount of time.
Set up
# of players : 2-8 players
Ideal : 3 players
Equipment : 6+balls
Average duration : 15-25 minutes
Description
- In this drill an athlete or coach drives balls at the defensive team from a box placed in a number of different positions along the net.
- Initially the ball should be driven at the defensive players but should progress towards short and deep balls and also balls hit to either side of the athletes.
- If you have multiple athletes you could have them hitting from a separate boxes (if you have enough boxes) and you can also have additional players on the service line waiting to come in to replace a defensive player
Evaluation :
# of reps (ex. 2 sets of 8-10 reps)
Variations
- Rotate between players
- Left and right
Progression
- Place markers on the opposite side of the court that the attackers need to hit towards.
- For more experienced athletes make the areas attacked towards random.
- Have the attackers back from the net and put a blocker in for the defenders to hit against.
Key points
- Athletes need to adopt a relaxed but alert state of mind.
- Athletes need to be reminded to commit to the ball, which means hitting the sand if necessary to stop a ball from touching the ground.
- Remind the athletes to watch the arm of the hitter as this will give them information regarding where the ball is likely to go.