Pepper series (build-up)

Pepper with three instead of two: hit, dig, set and back to the hitter again. That third player puts a real second contact into the sequence, and that is exactly what ordinary two-person pepper always leaves out. The cycle comes full circle, so the rhythm keeps itself going.

3 players 5 phases ± 12 min 1 ball per group of three From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 5Set-up: the hitter has the ball, defender opposite, setter to the side

Group of three: hitter, defender and setter 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

Pepper with rising complexity: dig, set and a controlled hit, played out until the ball is back.

Three roles in one ball: digging, setting and hitting under control.
Playing the dig to a spot instead of straight up.
Swing control: hard enough to be real, controlled enough to keep the ball in play.

Coaching points

The defender digs to the setter, not to the ceiling.

Digging straight up is the comfortable choice and always leaves you a playable ball for yourself. In a match that ball has to go to somebody, and that is a different skill.

Hit with a full arm swing, even at half power.

Players who want to hit softly shorten their movement and end up training a swing they never make in a match. Sixty percent power with the whole technique is the idea.

The setter takes the ball overhand for as long as possible.

While warming up, players quickly go for the forearms because it feels safer. But it is precisely the hands that need reps at the start of a session.

Start again straight away after a lost ball.

Pepper falls apart the moment every single ball gets talked over. The rhythm is the entire value of the drill; correct between the sets, not between two balls.

Variations

Easier: The hitter tosses instead of hits, and the defender may catch if the ball comes above shoulder height.
Harder: Rotate roles after every rally. Or the hitter chooses between a hit and a roll shot without announcing it.
With four players: Two defenders side by side; the hitter picks the side and calling is compulsory, even though there is nobody else on the court.
As a game: Count how often the ball goes through the full cycle without an error. The longest streak within five minutes wins.

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: what pepper is and where it stops being useful · defending low and early · still delivering a hittable ball after a bad pass