Approach and outside attack

One long line, one setter and a libero feeding the ball in. Everybody gets a lot of balls in quick succession here, and that makes this the drill for pointing out exactly one thing: the moment the approach starts. With a line of ten you see that difference in every single player within two minutes.

12 players 6 phases ± 15 min 6 balls, half court with net From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 6The libero has two balls, the hitting line is ready and one player catches across the net

Your own team (S = setter, P = outside hitter, M = middle blocker, L = libero) Ball

This animation comes straight out of the Koach app. In the app you play it at your own pace and the positions carry your players' real names.

Open in the app

How the drill runs

What you are training

The setter keeps setting outside; the hitters approach in turn, swing and rejoin at the back.

Tying the start of the approach to the setter's contact.
An approach that runs in from outside the sideline.
Keeping the balls circulating so the line never stalls.

Coaching points

Start outside the sideline, not inside the court.

Approaching from the outside in keeps both the line and the cross-court open. A hitter who runs straight at the net can only hit straight ahead.

Your first step falls on the setter's contact.

Leaving too early is the mistake young players make most: they are at the ball before the ball is there and then have to wait in the air. Lock that first step firmly to the moment the setter touches the ball.

Watch the ball, not the net.

Hitters who look at the other side during their approach lose track of their set. You read the court once, on the last step.

Balls go back through the libero, not rolling across the court.

Loose balls in the approach zone are the most common cause of a sprained ankle in practice.

Variations

Easier: The libero throws the ball to the setter instead of passing it.
Harder: The setter varies the height of the set from ball to ball; the hitter has to adjust the start of the approach to it.
With six players: Four hitters, a setter and a libero; whoever has hit becomes the catcher on the other side.
As a game: Five balls per player, and only attacks where the start of the approach was right count. The line judges itself, the coach decides when it is close.

Volleyball drills

4 players · 6 phases SafeVolley base round Warm-up 3 players · 5 phases Shoulder activation with band Warm-up 2 players · 6 phases Dynamic movement patterns Warm-up 5 players · 5 phases Core plank with rotation Warm-up

Read on in the knowledge base: drills for the outside hitter · the three-step approach rhythm · the timing between setter and hitter