Four corners sprint

Four hoops in the corners and a sprint from corner to corner, always clockwise. Having to touch the hoop forces players to go all the way into the corner and get low — exactly the movement that still gets you to a ball in the corner during a match.

12 players 7 phases ± 10 min 4 hoops (or cones), the full court From U13 upwards

Phase 1 of 7Three players per corner ready at the hoops

Three players per corner 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

Warm-up with changes of direction: sprint from corner to corner and touch the hoop each time.

Sprinting to a clear end point: accelerate, brake, get low.
A ninety-degree turn every time, and the other way around after a few laps.
Getting to know the corners of the court as a distance instead of as a picture.

Coaching points

Bend through the knees to touch the hoop, do not stoop over with a rounded back.

Bending from the back is how players build up back trouble. Dropping through the knees is also the same movement as playing a low ball, so you are training it properly at the same time.

Sprint the second half of every leg as well.

Players start coasting toward the hoop halfway across. Running all the way through to the end point is exactly what the court asks of you on a ball that looks just out of reach.

Reverse the direction after three laps.

Always going the same way loads the same leg in every turn. Switching spreads that out, and it also shows you which side is the weaker one.

Send the three players in a corner off one after the other.

Starting together means shoving in the turns and no recovery between the sprints. Going in turns keeps the intensity high and the risk low.

Variations

Easier: A smaller circuit inside the court lines and jogging instead of sprinting.
Harder: The coach only calls the next corner as the player arrives. Or cover one of the four legs shuffling sideways.
With eight players: Two per corner and a smaller circuit, otherwise the rest between two sprints gets too long and the group cools down.
As a game: Four groups: which corner completes the most full laps in three minutes. A missed hoop means that lap does not count.

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: getting low and digging · defensive drills, low and early · libero drills with plenty of movement