Building your own drill library
Every coach has them: those fifteen drills that always work. They just live in your head, in an old notebook and in three screenshots. A library of your own turns loose ideas into tools.
Why a library and not loose lists
The problem with drills-from-memory is not forgetting — it is one-sidedness. Under time pressure you grab the same five every time, and your team trains the same things for months without anyone noticing. A library with categories shows you at a glance: when did I actually last do anything with blocking?
How to build it
- Start with your standard repertoire: put your ten favourites in — name, category, short description. One evening of work with the drill editor.
- Add the moment you encounter something: saw a good drill at a clinic or another team? Straight in, or it is gone.
- Categorise strictly: attack, passing, serving, blocking, defence, warm-up — see categorising.
- Prune every season: a drill you have not used in a year can go — or deserves a second chance in your next programme.
The library as team property
In Koach the library belongs to the team, not to one coach: every coach adds their own drills and filters by creator — see sharing drills between coaches. That way you build a collection together that survives when someone leaves, and you pull your programme together in minutes when planning.
Describe drills for your substitute: write every description as if a stand-in coach has to run it tomorrow. Setup, flow, scoring — if that is all there, your library is truly transferable.
Frequently asked questions
How many drills do I need in my library?
Thirty to fifty good drills cover a whole season: around five per category that you can vary in difficulty. Collecting hundreds is hoarding, not preparation.
Can I just copy drills from the internet?
As inspiration, absolutely — but rewrite them for your group: player numbers, level, equipment. The translation to your own context is exactly what makes a drill work.
What makes a drill description good?
Four lines: goal, setup, flow and scoring/rotation moment. Plus the pitfall you saw last time. Nobody reads more text courtside.
Try it yourself in Koach
Less admin, more coaching — starting at your next practice.
Get started with Koach