Joust

Two players, one ball, right above the top of the net. The joust is the only situation in which two players hold the ball at the same time without it being a fault. The winner is usually not the stronger player but the one who gets another hand's width higher at the very last moment — and the rest of the drill is about what you do when you lose.

2 players 6 phases ± 12 min 4 balls, half court with a net From U17 upwards

Phase 1 of 6The ball hangs above the top of the net, both ready for the joust

Player on your own side Player on the other side 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

Jousting: stabilize a 50/50 ball on top of the net, press through and play out the landing until the ball is dead.

Holding the ball steady above the top of the net without grabbing it.
Pushing through from the torso instead of from the wrists.
The play after the joust: whoever loses has to drop straight back for the ball coming down.

Coaching points

Two hands, fingers firm, wrists behind the ball.

With one hand you lose every joust. And a hand that gives way lets the ball drop back onto your own court instead of theirs.

Push through with your torso, not with your fingers.

Pushing from the wrists is weak and often turns into a caught ball, and that the referee will whistle. The power comes from your core and your shoulders.

A joust is not a double contact and not a net fault.

The referee lets it play out as long as nobody touches the net. Players who think they are committing a fault stop pushing halfway through, and lose the ball because of it.

If you lose it, drop back a meter right away.

A lost joust falls almost straight down just behind the net. Stand there watching and it lands on your feet; drop back and you can still dig it out.

Variations

Easier: One player holds the ball still on top of the net and the other slowly pushes it over, so the hand position gets sorted out first.
Harder: The coach throws the ball randomly left or right above the top of the net, so both players have to move before they can jump.
With six players: Three pairs at once spread across the width of the net, or two pairs jousting in turn while the rest cover behind them.
As a game: Winning the joust is one point, and getting the ball that drops through back up is another. First to ten.

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: why a joust is not a double contact · when touching the net actually is a fault · reaching over the net on the block