Synopsis: This is a good warm-up game which gets players thinking, communicating, and working on ball-handling precision across a variety of skills.
Age/Skill Level: This game is suitable for all levels.
Requirements: Full court, 6+ players.
Execution: This is a short-court game played inside the 3 meter line (anything beyond 3m being out), so split the squad accordingly. Serves must be executed from behind the 3 meter. Play is otherwise as normal, with one exception. After each contact, including the serve, the player touching the ball must run to the back of the court and then return. If a player fails to do so, then subsequently touches the ball again it is a point of the opposing team.
Variations:
- Space is a consideration, but ideally for higher level athletes you should make the point at which the players have to run far enough back to force them to sprint to get back in to play and not leave large areas of court exposed.
- Play the game to a number of points which fits in with the amount of time you want to allocate.
- Bonus points can be designated for skills/plays you want to encourage (tips, roll shots, quick attacks, etc.).
Additional Comments:
- This is a good game to encourage communication as the players will fall into a habit of reminding each other to run. They will also quickly learn to talk about where they are on the court, especially after having just done a run.
- Because they are playing short-court, this game really forces players to work on fine ball-control skill, particularly when serving and attacking.
- The one thing you hope to see (though you may have to motivate the players to think about it) is players intentionally attacking weak points in the opposing team’s defense.
- You may need to encourage more aggressive play from your better players so it is not just a progression of easy tips and free balls over the net.
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