Synopsis: This game features 6-v-6 play, but with a major focus on serve receive offense, winning points in a row, and finishing a set.
Age/Skill Level: This game is suitable for all levels.
Requirements: two teams, full court, several balls
Execution: One team is the designated offensive team. The drill starts with one team serving the other with play running as usual for that rally. If the receiving team gets a first ball kill they get a point. If not, that rally is a wash, though the winner of it will serve the next ball. Before that, though, a coach initiates three balls to the offensive teams. If either team wins all three rallies they get a point. If not, no point is earned by either side. The game continues until one team reaches 25. Repeat all six rotations.
Variations:
- To make getting the wash mini game point (the 3-ball part) a bit easier, you can award the point to the team which wins 2 out of 3 rallies instead of all three.
- The coach can initiate the ball as an attack, a downball, or a free ball.
- To have a more concentrated focus on serve receive you can have the non-offensive team serve all balls.
- To make sure to give weak rotations more time, you can require a team to win the game before rotating, with the first team to go all six rotations winning overall.
- This could be used just as easily for small-sided games.
Additional Comments:
- I saw this game played at USC, though I may not have all the details exactly correct.
- The focus here is obviously on first ball serve receive kills, and secondarily winning points in a row. The way the coach initiates the three balls also creates an opportunity to work on some other types of offensive play (e.g. free ball attack).
- If you do have only one team serve you’ll want to allow for miss serves (but not two in a row) to encourage aggressive serving.
- I should note that this is not a game that’s meant to replicate end-of-set conditions. Yes, you’re playing to 25. You could just as easily play to 3. Starting at 22 doesn’t create any kind of end-of-set pressure.
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