Hoop defense diving

The hoop gives the dive a target: that is where your hand has to go, so you get low without being told. Two defenders work in turns and the libero in the middle takes every save. For players who still find the floor scary, a fixed spot to dive toward is the easiest first step.

8 players 7 phases ± 15 min 6 balls, 2 hoops, half a court From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 7Coach with the ball at the net; two defenders at base, hoops on the floor

D1 and D2 = the diving defenders, L = the libero in the middle, 1 to 5 = the waiting line 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

Defensive drill: defenders dive to a hoop to control the ball low and then recover their base position.

Getting low with a concrete target for your hand instead of 'as low as you can'.
Playing the ball up off the floor under control, to one fixed player.
Back to base position before the next ball comes.

Coaching points

The hoop is where your hand goes, not where your knee lands.

Players aim their body at the hoop and then play the ball next to it with a stretched arm. The hoop marks the contact point; the body follows the ball.

Play the ball up to the libero, even from the floor.

A save that only goes up but nowhere in particular is a lost ball in a match. By always playing to the same player, defenders learn to give direction in an emergency.

Scared to dive? Move the hoop closer and let the player start from a squat.

Fear sits in the height of the fall, not in the distance. From a low start the fall is only twenty centimeters, and the barrier disappears within a few repetitions.

Get up and move back to base before the next ball.

Staying down is harmless in the gym and fatal in a match. Getting up is part of the skill, so train it as part of the movement.

Variations

Easier: The coach throws the ball right above the hoop, so the player only has to work on getting low without having to hunt for the ball.
Harder: The hoops go further apart and the coach does not announce which side the ball goes to; two balls in quick succession to the same side.
With six players: Two divers, one libero and three players feeding and collecting balls; swap roles every two minutes, so nobody stands around getting cold.
As a game: Eight balls per diver; one point for every ball the libero can take without stepping to the side.

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: building up your diving technique · defensive drills with a build-up · drills for your libero