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Volleyball drills for technique attack / smash / spike / hitting

pawns-of-the-bank-2

  • Player A throws ball over the net.
  • Player B or C passes the ball over the net.
  • The other player quickly runs under the net and sets up the ball for the same player who passed.
  • This player tries to get a pawn off the bench with overhand play or a hitting move.


Which pair or team has knocked the most pawns off the bench after X number of minutes?


  • Balls often don't land neatly on the aerial as the attackers would like, they stay hanging/ out of the net/ or outside the aerial.
  • Execution:
  • The players receive a ball and learn to correct it.
  • 1st pass is always used the same.
  • 2nd and3rd passes will be used to correct.
  • Balls will be thrown in underhand in the following positions.
  • Position 1 Out of the net: -> player must stay behind the ball.
  • Position 2 Hangs on: -> player must accelerate to the inside
  • Position 3: outside the aerial: -> player must step outside
  • Get behind the ball
  • - So that you can hit the ball diagonally in front of you.
  • Players can throw the ball in themselves or at one side through the trainer.
  • step 1) catch the ball from the run-up
  • Point of attention: get behind the ball well, do not hover, keep making the attacking pass.
  • step 2) attack
drawing Correcting the attack pass when the set up is inferior
  • Continued from Correction in attack pass - at lesser set up
  • Player falls on lesser set up- stays hanging/out of net/out of aerial.
  • set-up is given either on position 2 or 4
  • The defense adjusts its view to the angle of the attack.
  • phase 1: without blocking - defend the ball from being hit freely
  • phase 2: with blocking attention on the defense position - one of the attackers goes on the ball
  • one of the attackers is going to block on the middle position.
drawing Attack correction + defence
  • field is divided in 2 parts
  • on side 1 are 1 playmaker, the libero and the middle attackers
  • on side 2 are the other players
  • there are on each side 1 attacker and 1 blocker and a server.
  • depending on the number of players there is 1 passer or 2 passers.
  • the purpose of this exercise is to get in agreement with the distributor which ball you want to play.
  • With the middle players we will practice on the 'rise' balls and other variations such as the 'neck'.
drawing coordination with playmaker
  • 2 playmakers who alternately set uppen
  • 2 passers.
  • The person who does not pass attacks.
  • Communicate well whether the ball should go outside or back.
  • The rest stands behind the field and takes the place of the attacker.
  • extend with blocking
  • Control the ball 6 points in a row.
  • Formation with 6 players.
  • Trainer throws in the ball and the players have to finish 6 balls in a row.
  • Rotation - after each good ball you turn, otherwise you stay standing and the score is 0 again.
  • Extension: instead of throwing - save the rest of the team hard.


drawing 6 in a row
  • 2 rows behind the back line.
  • First 2 stand in the field.
  • Trainer brings in ball.
  • Pass left player towards position 2/3 then setup of right player.
  • The passer goes to attack on own side of the court.
  • The setupper does attack coverage.
  • The two teams rotate to form a new pair.
  • Extension: There are now 2 attackers at the net.
  • The rest do exactly the same as before.
  • Attackers come back from the net after the coach has brought in the ball.
  • The setup always goes to the opposite corner from the set-upper.
  • Pass from the right back, then left back setup on the right front.
  • Set-upper covers and takes the place of the attacker.
  • The passer remains standing and so does the non-offending player.
drawing Improve rally pass, takeover, set-up and attack
  • switching-from-defence-to-attack-2
  • C attacks diagonally on 3 and 4- 1 and 2 after the block attack
  • 3 and 4 defend, playmaker comes in
  • set-up to 1,2 or 3, attack to 3 defenders.
  • These defend for themselves and put the ball in the box.
  • C throws a ball to A or B
  • Set up a block on that side
  • Pass the ball over the block to the defence
  • Build up an attack on the middle
  • Change after 10 balls
  • Variation: attacking outside or behind

attack-after-block

  • 3x trio
  • 2 threes play regular rally, also start with service.
  • on the other side 3 players handle the service, and deliberately play a high underhand ball.
  • team on the other side has to handle the ball by running well, the 2 outfielders have to go backwards, the passer calls loose, the midfielder calls high ball, and distributes the game.
  • The 2 outfield players have already made a few steps to the back to assist with the high ball, and are thus ready to attack.
  • 6 players on the opposite side of the field just play out the rally.
  • On this side of the field the players are lined up on 2 and 4
  • Trainer plays the ball up a few times in front of himself, so that the players do not know when it will come.
  • They have to look good to be able to time the ball.
  • Then the player attacks.
  • In today's exercise, the following techniques will be used: serving, attacking, passing and distributing.
  • However, the emphasis is on the pass and the distribution.
  • The players have to watch, think well and react adequately during this exercise.


service-pass-and-distributionThe diagram looks more complicated than the exercise is. The exercise goes as follows (I keep the numbering of the red numbers):

  • 1 player 3 serves
  • 2a one of the two playmakers runs to the position at the right front (the playmakers take turns)
  • 2b one of the two passers (in this case player 2) passes the ball to the right front side
  • 2c player 3 (who has just served) runs to the backline of the other half of the game
  • 3 the server gives a setup to the player who did NOT pass. A setup to the centre if player 2 has passed and a setup to the outside if player 1 has passed.
  • 4+5 the player who did not pass attacks (in this case player 1)
  • 6a the attacker retrieves his own batted ball and joins the back of the line of serves.
  • 6b the attacker's place is taken by the first player in the row behind the court.

As soon as the ball is struck the next service is executed.