Middle finds the ball

Two attacks back to back for the middle blocker: first a tossed ball he can swing at calmly, then straight away a real first-tempo quick from the setter. The contrast makes visible what a first tempo actually demands, namely that he is already hanging in the air before the ball is set.

2 players 8 phases ± 15 min 8 balls, half court with a net From U17 upwards

Phase 1 of 8The coach stands on the other side with the ball; the middle waits behind the attack line

Your team (M = middle, S = setter) 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

The middle blocker first hits a tossed ball, steps back and attacks a first-tempo ball right away.

The first tempo: taking off before the set contact instead of after it.
Two approaches back to back with a short step back in between.
A short, fast swing right at the net.

Coaching points

On the second ball you jump before the set, not after it.

That is the whole difference with the first ball. The middle should be hanging in the air with his arm ready, and the setter then places the ball right up against it.

Swing short, don't take a full wind-up.

Right at the net there is no time for a full arm swing. Elbow high and driving through from the shoulder is faster and goes over more often.

Step back in two steps, not five.

In a match the middle has to get back for the next approach at top speed after every ball. Small, fast steps backwards with your face toward the ball.

Call your approach.

The setter decides in a split second whether the middle is there. One short word as you leave is, for him, the difference between setting the quick and not setting it.

Variations

Easier: The first ball only: the coach tosses high above the net and the middle swings it down. Add the first tempo only once the approach is right.
Harder: The setter decides for himself whether he gives the quick or lets it go; the middle runs a full approach on every ball.
With six players: Two middles and two setters alternating. The waiting middle blocks on the other side, so there is pressure right away.
As a game: Five rounds of two balls per player. A round only counts if both balls land in the court.

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 role of the middle blocker · what a first-tempo quick actually is · the timing between setter and middle