Wave pass through the hoops

Five hoops in a row, a passer at every hoop, and the ball traveling from hoop to hoop. The way back is one long ball down the whole row, and it is that single pass that shows you who uses their legs and who tries to solve it with a bigger arm swing.

11 players 8 phases ± 12 min 1 ball, 5 hoops, half court From U13 upwards

Phase 1 of 8Five hoops in a row; a passer at each hoop, the rest wait

P = eleven players; there is a passer at every hoop and the rest wait their turn Equipment 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 with hoops: players pass the ball down the row of hoops and move to the next hoop each time.

Short, accurate passes over a fixed distance from hoop to hoop.
One long pass down the whole row, which needs a completely different touch than the short ones.
Staying put until the ball arrives: the hoop is the spot where you stand still.

Coaching points

The short pass comes from your arms, the long one from your legs.

Try to reach the long ball with a bigger arm swing and you lose the direction. Extending from the knees keeps the platform still.

Stay in your hoop until the ball comes your way.

The temptation is to step toward the ball early. Then the distance between the hoops no longer holds and the drill gets easier than it was meant to be.

Play the ball above the next hoop, not into it.

The hoop marks a player, not a target on the floor. A ball aimed downwards is impossible to handle.

The last player calls their long ball.

The first hoop is a long way off and that player may have just looked away. One call prevents the most predictable breakdown in this drill.

Variations

Easier: Put the hoops closer together and let two players share the long ball back between them.
Harder: Run a ball in both directions at the same time, or demand that every pass is played overhead.
With six players: Three hoops and three players waiting; the distances get bigger, so every pass gets longer.
As a game: How many complete rounds — down the hoops and back in one go — can the group manage in four minutes?

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 · building a warm-up · passing drills with fixed distances