Bonus-point game

An ordinary set with one twist: the point that matches today's training goal counts double. In the animation that is the transition kill — a point off the counter-attack, after you have dug the ball first. Nobody has to hold back, and the scoring still steers exactly the behavior you want to see.

9 players 9 phases ± 30 min 6 balls, full court, a scoreboard From U17 upwards

Phase 1 of 9A serves; today a kill out of transition counts double

Your own team (S = setter) The opposition 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

A normal set with bonus points for the training goal (a transition kill counting double, for instance).

Scoring out of transition: dig, switch and finish the counter-attack.
Choosing an attack that fits the bonus point instead of the one you always play.
Keeping the rally alive long enough to get into transition at all.

Coaching points

Agree the bonus point before the first serve and do not change it after that.

Adjusting it halfway makes the score unreliable and players stop thinking along with you. One goal per session is enough.

The bonus sits on the behavior, not on the result.

If you want to see more pipes, let every pipe count double — even the ones that go out. Reward only the pipes that land and nobody will try one on a difficult ball.

After the dig, somebody calls that the attack is coming.

The transition kill lives or dies on the hitter getting out to his approach in time. If nobody warns him, he is still in his defensive posture when the set is already on its way.

Have a substitute keep track of the bonus points out loud.

If the players have to remember it themselves, the double scoring disappears within ten minutes and you are simply playing a scrimmage.

Variations

Easier: Every point from a rally that lasted longer than three contacts counts double. That is easier to recognize than a real transition kill.
Harder: Only the transition kill counts; points off the first attack and aces are worth nothing. So you only score after you have dug a ball.
With ten players: Five against five, with the two substitutes taking turns keeping score and rotating in after every five points.
As a game: Play to 25 with the bonus point changing every set: set 1 the transition kill, set 2 the block point, set 3 the ace. In one session you see which kind of point your team never makes.

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: setting the focus of your session · from defense to attack · calculating hitting percentage