Volleyball drills · Match play · Teamwork · Attack

Six-on-three — overload complete game

Six complete players against three defenders: the six get ball after ball and may play everything they would play in a match, while there are only three players on the other side. For the attacking side that means a lot of repetition and almost no waiting. For the three it is the hardest defensive drill there is, so keep the turns short.

9 players 12 phases ± 25 min 8 balls, full court From U17 upwards, with nine players or more

Phase 1 of 12Six players fully lined up against three defenders; B serves

A complete six (P = passer, S = setter, M = middle, D = opposite, L = libero) Three defenders 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

Match drill with six attackers against three defenders: the full build-up with serve, serve receive, attack and defense.

Repeating a full build-up without the rally dying every time.
Choosing as a trio what you cover, and deliberately leaving the rest.
Still finishing off the counter-attack with three players.

Coaching points

Change the three defenders every three minutes.

Three players defending against a complete six are finished inside four minutes. Going on any longer only produces bad technique and an injury risk.

The three defend in a triangle, with one player deep.

Standing side by side looks logical but leaves the short ball and the deep ball open at the same time. A triangle covers the directions the ball actually takes.

The six play the rally out properly, even against three.

Teams get sloppy the moment the resistance drops. Agree that a point does not count if the ball fell because of a mistake by the defense.

Every attack comes from a different position than the last one.

With three defenders, hitting outside is always a winner, so nobody learns anything. Rotate the attacking assignment: outside, middle, back row.

Variations

Easier: The three defenders may still play the ball after one bounce and only have to get it back over the net.
Harder: Four defenders with a block, or: the six have to score three points in a row before one of them counts.
With twelve players: Six on court, three defenders and three waiting players who relieve the defense after every round.
As a game: The three defenders get three points for every rally they win, the six get one. First to fifteen wins; then the roles swap.

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: defensive posture and diving technique · covering the hitter after a block touch · drills for a large group