Forearm pass into the hoop

The target is on the floor: a hoop the ball has to land in. That makes passing measurable all at once, because there is nothing left to argue about over whether a ball was good — it is either in or it is not.

9 players 9 phases ± 12 min 2 balls, 1 hoop, half a court From U13 upwards

Phase 1 of 9Coach with two balls, two lines of passers and the hoop as target

P = the passers in two lines; one player catches at the hoop and the coach tosses the balls in 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

Technique drill: pass forearm toward the hoop on the floor so the ball lands right in it; nine players alternate in two lines.

Aiming at a small, fixed target instead of somewhere forward.
Controlling height and distance together: a ball that lands in the hoop was high enough.
Stepping out of the line quickly and going back around the outside, so both lines keep moving.

Coaching points

Aim with your platform, not with a push.

The direction comes from the angle of your forearms. Push, and you are correcting with power, and that is not repeatable.

Ask for height, not for distance.

A ball that shoots just past the hoop was usually too flat, not too hard. Height makes the landing spot far more predictable.

Step into the ball and stay low until it is gone.

The line pushes players to rush. Standing up during contact is the most common reason a ball sails over the hoop here.

Run back around your own line, not through the middle of it.

Two lines crossing through each other is the reason this drill grinds to a halt after three minutes.

Variations

Easier: Put the hoop closer and toss the ball in high, so there is time to aim.
Harder: Lay down two hoops, and the coach only calls which of the two counts during the toss.
With six players: One line of five and one catcher; the coach tosses in quicker succession so the waiting stays short.
As a game: Ten balls per line. A ball in the hoop scores two points, a ball that touches the rim one. Highest line wins.

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: steering the ball without swinging your arms · passing drills with a clear target · structuring a youth practice