Mirror blocking

One player chooses, the other follows. Because the leader does not announce where he is going, the follower has to react to what he sees instead of to an agreement. That is exactly what a blocker does against a real hitter, only without a ball demanding his attention.

2 players 7 phases ± 10 min Half court with a net, no balls From U13 upwards

Phase 1 of 7Facing each other at the net at position 3

Player who chooses the movement Player on the other side who mirrors it 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

Mirror blocking: A moves freely, B mirrors every move including a simultaneous block jump.

Reacting to a movement instead of to an agreement: the follower never knows in advance where he has to go.
Jumping in unison with someone you cannot hear — your timing comes entirely from what you see.
Staying in blocking posture while the tempo keeps changing.

Coaching points

Watch the other player's hips, not his head.

A head turns without anything happening behind it. The hips only go when someone is really going there — which is why in a match a blocker watches the hitter's torso as well.

Jump when the leader takes off, not when he is already in the air.

Waiting until you see the other player rising is by definition too late. You leave on his downward dip.

Leader: change your tempo, not just your direction.

Two moves at the same speed and the follower starts guessing. A fake trains him; a change of speed trains him better.

Hands at chest height or higher for the whole drill.

As soon as it gets demanding the arms drop. That shows up immediately here, and it is the same habit that costs half a second in a long rally.

Variations

Easier: The leader only moves along the net, without changing tempo, and announces the jump with a hand signal.
Harder: The leader may fake a jump. Anyone who falls for it and jumps anyway loses the turn.
With six players: Three pairs at a time, each on their own stretch of the net. After thirty seconds leader and follower swap roles.
As a game: Thirty seconds per turn. Every jump that is not in unison, and every time the follower is more than a meter behind, is a point for the leader. Then swap around.

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: reading a hitter's torso · building a warm-up with the RAMP method · blocking drills for your middles