Double decker

The block takes away the angle and deliberately leaves the line open — the line defender is already standing there. Zone 6 covers deep. The whole drill turns on one agreement: once the block chooses, the court knows where to stand. The dig is then played out, so the transition is part of it from the start.

5 players 5 phases ± 20 min 6 balls, full court with a net From U17 upwards

Phase 1 of 5The block closes the cross-court, the line is open; the hitter has the ball

The defending team (1 and 2 = the block, 3 = the line defender, 4 = zone 6) The attacker on the other side 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.

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How the drill runs

What you are training

Double decker: the block closes the cross-court, the line defender takes the line and zone 6 covers deep; the dig is played out.

Block and court as one agreement instead of two separate jobs.
Defending the line behind a block that shuts down the angle.
Keeping zone 6 deep for the ball that comes off the block.

Coaching points

The block chooses, the court follows.

Defenders can only stand in the right place once they know which ball the block is taking away. Without that agreement two players cover the same angle and half the court stays open.

The line defender stands on the line and stays there until contact.

The tendency is to drift toward the middle, because more balls come there. Then the line is open and the block closed for nothing.

Zone 6 stands deep, in the shadow of the block.

That is where the balls that just clip the block land: they lose speed and drop deep. A defender standing too far forward watches them sail overhead.

The block peels off the net the moment it lands.

A blocker who stands there watching cannot attack and is in the way of the build-up as well. The transition starts with the block, not with the setter.

Variations

Easier: The attacker stands on a box or throws the ball hard downward, and the block just holds its hands over the net without jumping.
Harder: The attacker chooses freely between line, angle and tip. Now the block really has to choose, and the court has to read that choice within half a second.
With six players: Add the second corner defender and a setter, so every dig is played out into a counter-attack instead of being caught.
As a game: Ten attacks per round. The defense scores for every dig that gets played out, the attacker for every ball that hits the floor. If the score is level, the roles switch.

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: perimeter and rotation defense · organizing the block · the front-row player who is not blocking