Around the court — jog-in 12

The simplest drill there is, and precisely for that reason often done badly: running round in a circle with the pace building. Four accelerations and then jogging it out again, so that the heart rate climbs without the group standing there gasping after two minutes.

12 players 6 phases ± 8 min No equipment, the space around the court All levels

Phase 1 of 6Twelve players gather in a circle around the court

The whole group in a circle around the court 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

Easy warm-up: twelve players run a big circle around the court and gradually pick up the pace.

Building the heart rate up step by step instead of all at once.
The first minutes of practice: the group together and their attention on you.
Jogging it out after the last acceleration, so that the next drill does not start in a dip.

Coaching points

Run along in the circle yourself.

Shouting from the sideline gets you a stretched-out straggle. Run along and you set the pace automatically and hear straight away how the group is doing — you do not hear that from the bench.

Accelerate on a signal everybody can see.

A raised hand or a whistle reaches the back of the circle, shouting does not. Otherwise half of them speed up and the rest two beats later.

Keep the last minute easy.

A warm-up that finishes at its peak leaves players starting the first drill out of breath. Those first balls are worthless then, and that costs you five minutes.

Four minutes of running is enough.

This is the start-up, not conditioning. What comes after it — mobility and ball work — has more effect and needs those minutes more badly.

Variations

Easier: Two accelerations instead of four, and a smaller loop so that the group stays together.
Harder: Slot running drills in along the way: sideways, butt kicks, or two jumps at every corner.
With six players: A smaller circle inside the court with the same build-up in pace.
As a game: On every signal the player at the back sprints up along the line to the front. The round is done once everybody has led once.

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: building a warm-up with the RAMP method · cool-down and recovery · putting practice blocks in the right order