Passing gauntlet on the move

Two lines facing each other and a ball zigzagging down the lane between them. The ball comes in at an angle and has to go on at an angle, so nobody here ever passes straight ahead — and that angled pass is the one you get most often in a match.

10 players 9 phases ± 12 min 1 ball, half a court From U13 upwards

Phase 1 of 9Ten players form a gauntlet; the ball starts at the head

P = ten players; two lines facing each other form the lane 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

Passing drill: players pass the ball through a tunnel of teammates and keep rejoining at the back. Constant movement and clean contacts.

Passing on the diagonal: the ball comes in from an angle and has to go on at an angle.
Keeping the lane moving without a gap opening up anywhere.
Moving to the back as soon as you have played your ball.

Coaching points

Turn your hips toward the player you are passing to.

On a diagonal pass the angle of the platform is only right if the hips turn with it. Steering with the arms alone sends the ball out of the lane.

Stay where you are until the ball has passed you.

Walk away the moment you have played your pass and you leave a hole, and then the next ball has nobody to go to.

Always play to the player diagonally opposite you, never to the one next to you.

The zigzag is the whole point of the drill. Passing straight down the line turns it into an ordinary line drill.

Call the next player's name before you play the ball.

In a zigzag it is not obvious whose turn it is. A name makes that clear faster than a look does.

Variations

Easier: Move the lines closer together and let the ball bounce once between two passes.
Harder: Two balls in the lane at the same time, kept a fixed three players apart.
With six players: Two lines of three; the lane is shorter, so the ball comes back to the same player sooner.
As a game: How often does the ball reach the end of the lane without dropping? Three attempts, the best one counts.

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 forearm pass · more ball contacts per player · building a warm-up