Serve receive in W formation

Five passers in a W with the libero in the middle at the back, three servers on the other side. What sets this apart from a regular serve receive drill is what happens on the balls you do not take: the libero moves along every single time, even when they never touch the ball. That makes it visible that serve receive moves with five players and not with one.

9 players 7 phases ± 20 min 6 balls, full court with net From U17 upwards

Phase 1 of 7Five passers in a W with the libero in the middle; three servers ready

Receiving team (P = passer, L = libero, S = setter) Servers 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

Training serving pressure: three servers hit it in, five passers cover in a W formation and play to the setter.

Moving with the ball without taking it: cover behind the player who does play it.
The libero as a second chance behind both outside passers.
Every pass to the same spot at the setter, no matter who plays it.

Coaching points

Whoever does not take the ball still steps half a step toward it.

That is not politeness but cover: on a misread float the second player is already in position. Standing still next to the passer helps nobody.

The libero stands half a meter deeper than the rest.

From there they see the whole reception in front of them and can move forward onto the ball. In line with the outside passers they are mostly an extra obstacle.

The outside passer turns their platform toward the setter, not toward the net.

Passing in the direction of the net produces a ball that runs away from the setter. The platform points at the spot the ball has to go, not at the other side.

Serve at the outside passers and vary only the depth.

In a match the vast majority of serves come at the outside positions. By changing only the depth you train exactly that, without having to rebuild the drill.

Variations

Easier: Serve from the three-meter line, gently and overhand, or have the coach toss the balls in. The reception may catch and throw as long as the footwork is right.
Harder: The setter sets the ball on to position 4 instead of catching it. A pass you cannot set anything from does not count.
With six players: Three passers, the libero and the setter against two servers. With three passers the zones get wider and there has to be a lot more calling.
As a game: Three points for a pass the setter can set without taking a step, one for a playable ball, nothing for the rest. Twenty balls, then the servers swap with the reception.

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: serve receive formations with three, four or five players · drills for the libero · reading and passing a float serve