Defense

Hit the deck

• Have the girls run in place, like the football players. When I point in one direction, they shuffle. 

• Randomly, blow the whistle and the girls are to hit the floor instantly.

• I like to add a whistle blow and point and they are to dive and roll that direction.

Off the Floor 3rd Hit

• Have a player quickly hit their belly, then jump up as the coach tosses a random ball, play it any way they can, putting the ball over the net as if it was the 3rd hit.

• This is a great drill for conditioning, quickness, thinking quickly, reaction and a way to lose fear of the floor.

• Move the drill very quickly, every couple seconds a new ball should be tossed, so players are on the ground as short a time as possible.

• Remember to give a target to try to hit (like back corner) or just a number of balls in bounds.

Go get it drill

• One girl on the court with rest of the team outside that side of the court.

• She must play 10 balls thrown/hit by coach to get out of the drill.

• The CATCH...For a ball to be counted it must be caught by a surrounding player on her court. This emphasizes not just touching the ball but making sure it's playable.

• If she can get the ball passed perfectly to target we count as 2 points

Tigers

• Player starts in RB for line down ball, runs up to RF for tip, then must run & chase a ball, then gets down ball in LB,  then must run down & set a ball

Pursuit Drill - 

Hyperventilate

Blind Digging

• Partner stands at net other on court facing away from them. Partner at net calls their partner’s name and the partner must turn around and dig a ball that was hit.

Behind Box Angle Digging

• Make sure you focus on getting feet stopped and kids getting low.

Defense to Overhead

• Two passers can be at any position in the back row (either LB/RB or LB/MB, or RB/MB)

• Hitters (usually best to have just OH and RS hitters) are at their touch points (or deeper) and will attack the overhead pass from a passer.

• Coach tosses, down balls or attacks from box to back row player.

• Whichever player does not dig must step in and overhead pass to Hitter.

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Middle Back Communication

Develop communication between middle back players and outside hitters.

1. Coach, standing behind the passers, tells the block where to block, line, cross or leave a hole.

2. The tosser throws a ball to one of the two passers.

3. Passers pass ball to setter.

4. Blockers set up in designated areas.

5. Setter sets outside.

6. Middle back tells outside hitter where to hit.

7. Outside hitter hits where the middle designated.

8. Can do this with pool noodles or other blocking tool if coach wants to be the blocker.

+8 drill

• 6 vs hitters.

• Defensive side must earn 8 points to get out of the drill.

• Slap ball, wait for block then attack... block +3, only dig +1, dig with kill +3, over pass +1, floor -3.