Zone hitting

Three target areas on the other side, in zones 1, 5 and 6, and the hitter picks for himself which one he goes for. There is no point for hard, only for on target. That flips the habit from as hard as possible to as accurate as possible, and for most young hitters that is an uncomfortable switch.

2 players 9 phases ± 20 min 3 mats, 8 balls, full court with net From U17 upwards

Phase 1 of 9Three boxes on the other side; the coach has the ball and keeps score

Your own team (S = setter) Coach 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

Zone hitting: place the ball in zone 1, 5 and 6 instead of just hitting hard; score points for every zone you hit.

Aiming at a target area instead of at the floor in general.
Controlling depth: putting the ball away deep without easing off.
Choosing beforehand, so the approach already matches the intention.

Coaching points

Pick your target area before you leave.

A hitter who only starts looking once he is in the air hits wherever his body happens to be pointing. The choice belongs with the first step, not the last one.

You hit deep with a higher contact point, not with less power.

Players who want to place it in the back court slow their arm down and end up hitting flat and out. Contacting higher and getting slightly less over the ball carries it further.

Zones 1 and 5 come from your shoulders, zone 6 from your wrist.

The angles come out of the trunk rotation; the deep ball straight ahead comes from your wrist getting over the ball later.

Keep a visible tally of who goes for which area.

Hitters unconsciously pick the same angle every time. As soon as it is on paper, they start choosing the angle they avoid in matches too.

Variations

Easier: Work with two big target areas instead of three and have the hitter call his choice out loud beforehand.
Harder: The coach points out one forbidden area on every ball, so the hitter has to read instead of choose.
With six players: Two hitting lines and a real defender in every area. Now only a ball the defender cannot dig up counts.
As a game: Every area is worth a point, but you may not use the same one twice in a row. First to seven points 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: scoring with angles instead of height · what a defender is watching · calculating and improving your hitting percentage