Synopsis: This is a good drill to work on all skills short of attacking and can be used either to work on ball-handling or as a warm-up.
Age/Skill Level: This is a drill for all levels.
Requirements: Four players, two balls, a net.
Execution: Begin with a passer, a setter, and target on one side of the net and a server on the other side. The server and the target each start off with a ball. The server sends the ball over to the passer, who passes to the setter, who in turns sets the ball to the target. As soon as the first ball comes over the target tosses their ball to the server so they are ready to do the next repetition quickly. Continue until the passer reaches some defined number of good passes.
Variations:
- For lower skill levels or to give shoulders a break, players can toss the ball over rather than serve.
- In order to work different angles, the drill can be run on a diagonal rather than in a linear fashion. For example, instead of the server being in zone 1 and the passer in zone 5, the passer could be in zone 1..
Additional Comments:
- If the initiation is done by an underhand toss with the ball allowed to roll off the fingers (USC called this bowling) it will imitate a topspin ball. If it comes from a 2-hand overhead toss it can be made to be like a hard, flat float serve. A simple underhand toss or underhand serve could imitate a freeball.
- If the server serves from mid-court it can be a good way to warm up the shoulder while working on mechanics without having to also worry about power.
- Having the two balls going is meant to keep the drill moving quickly as the idea is to maximize reps in minimal time, so make sure the players keep the tempo high.
- Having the ball come over the net in a variety of ways (you could have the players go through several rotations varying up the initiation) helps the players learn to recognize and adapt to different types of balls, especially with the ball coming from over the net.
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