Digs: cross, line, pancake

Three balls back to back, three completely different situations: the hard cross-court, the ball down the line and the short tip that can only be saved with a pancake. The defender gets no time to think about which technique to pick, and that is exactly the point.

2 players 8 phases ± 15 min 3 balls per round, half court From U15 upwards; add the pancake only once the base posture is solid

Phase 1 of 8Coach with three balls at the net, defender in base, target in the middle

1 = the defender, S = the target in the middle Coach 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

Three key situations in a row: hard cross-court, line ball and a short ball with a pancake, each dug to the middle.

Three different movement patterns straight after one another: sideways, backwards along the line and forward.
Recovering between two balls while the next one is already on its way.
The pancake as a last resort, not as a first choice.

Coaching points

Push off with the foot that is farthest from the ball.

That gets your body behind the ball instead of beside it. Push off with the leg that is closest and you have to play the ball sideways, which costs you control over the direction.

On the line ball, keep your shoulders turned toward the middle.

The ball goes where your platform points. If your shoulders face the sideline, the dig goes out of the court no matter how well you contact it.

On the pancake the hand goes to the floor first.

Players throw themselves down first and only then stick out a hand — by then the hand is too late and the ball bounces next to it. Hand flat on the floor, the body follows by itself.

Recover to base first, and only then look at the coach.

If you stay where you saved the previous ball, you are already out of position for the second one. Returning to the same starting spot is what makes the next situation recognizable.

Variations

Easier: The coach throws the three balls instead of hitting them, and the short ball may be saved after one bounce.
Harder: The coach varies the order and the number of balls per round, so the defender does not know whether the third ball comes short or deep.
With six players: Three defenders rotate ball by ball and two players stand as targets in the middle; the sixth shags the balls and keeps the coach supplied.
As a game: Three balls per round, one point for every dig the target catches without taking a step. Ten rounds, and the pancake counts double.

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: low, early and back off the floor · diving technique in defense · the short ball and the roll shot