Around the world

Six cones, one fixed route: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and finally 6. You only move on to the next zone once the previous one is on target, so a single sloppy ball costs you your lead straight away. The catcher walks the route along with you and is the referee as well.

2 players 7 phases ± 15 min 6 cones, 6 balls, full court with net From U17 upwards

Phase 1 of 7Six cones mark the target zones; server ready with two balls, the catcher stands in zone 5

Server and catcher; the catcher moves along with the route Equipment 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

Around the world: serve the six zones in a fixed order; a hit means on to the next.

Hitting six zones one after another, so six different flight paths and six different contact points.
Carrying on after a miss without getting stuck in the same mistake.
The switch from a deep zone to a short one inside a single series.

Coaching points

After a miss: first say what went wrong, then take the next ball.

Otherwise a player repeats the same mistake until the ball happens to drop in. Saying 'too flat' or 'too far right' out loud costs three seconds and saves five balls.

From zone 5 to zone 4 only the depth changes.

Players almost always shift the width as well, because they turn their whole body along with it. Keep the same direction and only shorten the flight.

Keep serving the same way, even when you are behind.

Start hammering to make up a deficit and you lose the whole route. The fastest lap comes from the player who holds their tempo.

The catcher stands next to the cone, not on top of it.

They have to be able to see the ball land in order to judge it fairly. Standing on the cone, every ball in the neighbourhood gets approved and the yardstick disappears.

Variations

Easier: Three zones instead of six (5, 6 and 1) and a target area of a meter around the cone. Underhand serves count just the same.
Harder: A zone is only checked off after two hits in a row. Or: on a miss you drop back one zone in the route.
With twelve players: Six pairs across two courts, each pair a server and a catcher who swap halfway. The combined time of both players decides the result.
As a game: Two servers at the same time on the same side, each with their own route and their own cones. First one around wins; the loser shags the balls.

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: handling pressure and serving nerves · weighing risk against return · which position has which number