I have real issues with this drill.
This is not the first time I’ve seen it. In fact, I once saw it used in England U20 training. Fortunately, the coaches realized it wasn’t working and shut it down. I shared my problems with it after the session.
Let’s start with the number of players working in this drill. There are 5 of them, but only one actually training. That’s a bad ratio. There must be a more productive use of their time.
My main issue, though, is the defender’s focus. The “guess and defend” text that goes along with it says everything. I never want players guessing.
Training defense is about training focus of attention and anticipation. This drill goes entirely counter to that by forcing the player to split their attention. So basically they’re training to not focus on anything.
Of course, I can also throw in the missing elements of set timing/location and hitter approach that are also factor into proper defensive reading. I get, though, circumstances don’t always allow you to have live setters and hitters.
And, of course, there’s the risk of the player getting hit by the ball because they focused on the wrong place. Definitely not a great outcome.
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