Butterfly drill

The butterfly is a rotation drill in which nobody stands still: you serve, follow your ball and two balls later you are the target yourself. Every ball comes in on the diagonal, always from the same side, which makes the difference between reading and reacting easy to see.

3 players 6 phases ± 15 min 3 balls, full court From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 6Server ready behind the end line, passer cross-court, target at the net

All players rotate through three roles (P = server and passer, S = target at the net) 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

Butterfly: serve cross-court, follow your ball, pass to the target and rotate on through the butterfly.

Serving and moving on straight away: the serve is the start of your own run, not the end of it.
Passing on the diagonal — the ball comes in at an angle, so the platform has to point at the net and not at the server.
Changing roles without stopping: within one round every player serves, passes and plays target.

Coaching points

Only follow your serve once you have actually hit the ball.

A server who is already moving during the toss hits with a rotating trunk and serves wide over and over.

Turn your shoulders to the net, not to the server.

The ball comes in on the diagonal. Aim your platform straight back at the server and the pass automatically goes out over the sideline.

The target stands still and catches with high hands.

A target who walks to the ball makes the drill unmeasurable: you no longer know whether the pass actually arrived in the right place.

Serve for rhythm, not for power.

Waiting time in the butterfly is short. One server who blasts it into the bleachers holds up the whole round while everyone hunts for balls.

Variations

Easier: Let the server go underhand or toss the ball in from the three-meter line, so every ball is playable and the butterfly keeps turning.
Harder: Both diagonals at once, so two balls in the air. Or: the pass has to land within two meters of the target, otherwise the server does not move on.
With six players: Run both diagonals at the same time: two servers, two passers and two targets. That removes the waiting time completely.
As a game: Every pass the target can catch without taking a step is a point for the passer. The first player to five points is done serving.

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: choosing where to serve · aiming your platform without swinging · more ball contacts per player