Hands over the net

Hands only. No movement, no choice, no ball to read — the coach stands at the net and hits straight into whatever you put up there. The difference between a block the ball ricochets off and a block that scores is fifteen centimeters of reach over the top of the net.

1 player 6 phases ± 12 min 6 balls, half court with a net From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 6Coach with the ball at the net, blocker on his base spot

Blocker 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

Penetration: seal and press over the net so the block deflects the ball straight down, then recover to base.

Reaching over the top of the net instead of going up alongside it.
The angle of the wrists: tilting the hands toward the other court so the ball goes down.
Taking off close to the net without touching it.

Coaching points

Shoulders up to the top of the net, hands over it, wrists tilted down.

Straight, upright hands send the ball back the way it came: up and over your head. Tilted wrists send it to the floor.

Reach with your arms, not with your head.

A player who pushes his chin over the net drops his chest and touches the net with his stomach or his shirt. Reach comes from your shoulders.

You are allowed to reach over the net as long as you do not interfere with their attack.

A lot of youth players stay on their own side because they think it is a fault. The moment the opponents send the ball over, your hands may go across, and that is exactly where the difference between deflecting and scoring sits.

Take off with half a foot length of space between you and the net.

If your toes are up against it, your body drifts into it during the jump. That little bit of space prevents most net faults.

Variations

Easier: The coach holds the ball above the top of the net; the blocker jumps and pushes it over with both hands. No swing yet.
Harder: The coach alternates between hitting straight into the hands and just past one hand, so the blocker has to turn the ball back in with a single hand.
With six players: Three blockers side by side and three feeders on the other side. Swap the lines after ten balls.
As a game: Five balls per player. A ball that lands on the floor inside the opponents' attack zone is two points, a ball that rebounds back into your own court is zero.

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: exactly what is allowed when you reach over the net · how hitters use the blockers' hands · the three-contact rule after a block touch