Synopsis: This is a drill which focuses on serving accuracy, potentially providing the weaker servers with more reps than the stronger ones.
Age/Skill Level: This is a drill for beginner and intermediate players.
Requirements: A team, a full court, one ball per player
Execution: Split the team into two even groups and place the groups at opposite end lines. The drill starts with one player from each side serving a ball. They then go sit or lie down where their serve landed – assuming it went in (if not, the next player serves). The rest of the players then start serving, trying to hit their teammate on the other side of the net. If successful, they go join them. The drill ends when one team has all of their players reach the other side.
Variations:
- For better players you could require them to execute more than one successful serve before they can go over to the other side.
- You can also constrain the court for better serving groups, like requiring short serves.
- In order to give the initial server some reps you could have them swap with the first teammate to hit them.
Additional Comments:
- By requiring a successful server (one which hits a growing target) to go to the other side of the net this drill provides more reps to the players who struggle the most with their serving.
- And because the target continues to grow with each teammate who goes over, the weaker servers tend to have a larger one to aim at than the stronger servers.
- Because winning the drill often comes down to the performance of the weakest server, you will generally see their teammates become quite supportive and encouraging, which can help overall team chemistry.
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