Middle attack — quick ball at position 3

Almost the same ball as a regular quick attack, but here it goes deep: the middle does not hit the first tempo down but past the block into the court. That asks for a set sitting slightly further off the net, and a middle who dares to swing through instead of tipping.

9 players 8 phases ± 20 min 6 balls, full court with net Advanced, from U19 upwards

Phase 1 of 8Set-up: the opponent has the ball, the middle waits behind the three-meter line and the libero has a spare ball ready

Your own team (S = setter, M = middle, P = passer, L = libero, D = opposite) The opposition: block and defense 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

Timing between setter and middle blocker: a quick ball at position 3 while the outside hitters fake their approach.

The first tempo as a full attack, not a tap over the net.
The setter's contact point: short, flat and just in front of the middle.
A pass tight enough to make the tempo possible at all.

Coaching points

Swing through the first tempo, do not push it over.

Middles often learn the quick ball as a tap. The moment a block is up, that is a free ball. Full arm swing, even though the ball is short.

The set sits just in front of the middle, not above them.

A ball straight above the head forces them backwards, and then the attack goes up. Half a meter forward keeps the arm above the ball.

The middle runs straight at the net, not in a curve.

On a first tempo there is no room for an arc. Running in straight keeps the shoulders parallel to the net and stops them shooting underneath it.

If the pass is off, the setter says so.

One word stops the middle jumping for nothing. On top of that, without it you hand the block free information about how your system works.

Variations

Easier: Work without a block and let the middle learn to swing through on a quick ball first.
Harder: The middle blocker always jumps with the middle. The setter then has to go outside deliberately now and then.
With six players: Libero, setter and middle on our side; two blockers and one defender digging behind the block.
As a game: The middle gets ten balls. A ball that lands behind the defense is two points, any other ball in the court one.

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: the timing between setter and hitter · the role of the middle blocker · attack tempos explained