Coach on a box: float serve receive

From a box the coach hits the ball down from above, so it comes in flatter and faster than a ball fed in by hand. That way you set the serving pressure yourself, without depending on how good your servers happen to be that evening.

3 players 7 phases ± 15 min 6 balls, a sturdy box or bench, half court From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 7Coach on the box with a ball; two passers ready, target in the setter zone

P = the two passers, S = target in the setter zone; the coach hits from the box Coach 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

From a box the coach hits tight floaters at the passers; take them to the target and repeat.

Handling a flat, floating ball that does not spin and can therefore change course.
Taking turns on the ball: staying ready while your partner plays.
Recovering to your base position in between two balls.

Coaching points

Track the ball all the way onto your arms, not just halfway.

A float ball changes course in exactly those last two meters. Decide during the first half of its flight and you catch it with the side of your platform.

Keep your hands apart until the ball is almost there.

Locking them early makes the arms stiff, and then you can no longer adjust on that last step.

Coach: from the box, do not hit harder — hit flatter.

The value of the box is in the angle, not in the power. Hitting harder only produces balls nobody can reach.

The waiting passer is already low.

A player who only drops once the coach swings is one movement too late. This is the cheapest gain in any serve receive drill.

Variations

Easier: Hit from the floor instead of from the box, or feed the ball in with an arc.
Harder: Alternate hitting at the seam between the two passers, so they also have to call who takes it.
With six players: Four passers in a half W, one target and one feeding the balls; every round everyone moves on one spot.
As a game: Ten balls per passer: three points if the target catches it without stepping, one point for a playable ball, zero for the rest.

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: passing a float serve · why the ball floats · the seam between two passers