Four-corner ball control

Four hoops mark the corners and two balls are travelling at the same time. Because the second ball trails half a lap behind the first, everybody has to know where both balls are before playing their own.

10 players 6 phases ± 12 min 2 balls, 4 hoops, full court From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 6Ten players around four hoops; two balls are ready

Ten players spread across four hoops 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

Passing drill: the ball travels around four hoops while the players keep rotating. Ball control on the move and rejoining.

Keeping an eye on two balls at once without losing track of your own.
Aiming from a fixed spot: the hoop is where you stand when the ball arrives.
Moving on to the next hoop without breaking the rhythm.

Coaching points

Check where the other ball is before you play.

Two balls arriving at the same hoop at the same moment is the standard mistake here, and one glance ahead prevents it.

Both feet inside your hoop until the ball comes.

The hoop forces you to stop moving. Step out early and you are passing on the move, and then the ball starts wandering.

Always play the same way around.

One agreed direction of travel keeps the two balls apart. Switch direction and they run into each other within half a lap.

Move on the moment your ball has left, not when it arrives.

Wait until the ball reaches the next hoop and you are permanently a beat behind, and the second ball catches you up.

Variations

Easier: One ball instead of two, so the drill finds its rhythm first.
Harder: Send the two balls in opposite directions, or add a third ball.
With six players: Four hoops with one or two players each; the distances stay the same, so every pass gets longer.
As a game: How many laps do the two balls manage together in three minutes without one of them hitting the floor?

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: aiming your platform · warm-up drills with a ball · passing drills for the whole group