Wave run with a toss

The group moves across the court as one wave while the ball is thrown down the line. Running and throwing at the same time sounds simple, but it forces players to look at where the player next to them is heading instead of where they just were.

10 players 6 phases ± 10 min 1 ball, the full court From mini level upwards

Phase 1 of 6Ten players in a wave line across the court; the ball starts with the first

Players in a wave line across the court 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

Warm-up: players move across the court in a wave and toss the ball on to the next one each time. Coordination and awareness.

Throwing and catching on the move: the first step toward every overhead technique.
Looking ahead and holding your distance to the player next to you while the whole line is moving.
Keeping pace together, because the wave is only as fast as its slowest player.

Coaching points

Throw to where the next player is running, not to where they are now.

Playing ahead of a moving player is exactly what a setter does with an approaching hitter. Here players learn it without any technical pressure on top of it.

Throw with two hands from above the head.

That is the same starting position as playing the ball overhead. An underhand throw is easier, but it trains a movement you have to unlearn later.

Call the name of the player who is getting the ball.

Talking while you are moving yourself is a skill of its own. This is the cheapest place to practice it, because nothing can go wrong here.

Turn the wave on your signal, not on a line.

With a fixed turning point players go on autopilot and stop looking up. A signal from the coach keeps their attention on the drill.

Variations

Easier: Start by throwing in the wave formation standing still, and only start moving once everybody knows the order.
Harder: Two balls in the wave at once, or play the ball overhead instead of throwing it.
With six players: A shorter wave across the width of the court, with the ball going back and forth instead of one way.
As a game: Two waves side by side: how often does the ball travel the whole line in two minutes without touching the floor.

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: teaching kids to play the ball overhead · a child who is afraid of the ball · the right ball size per age group