Zone serving at targets

Six mats lie on the six positions, and the catcher moves onto whichever mat is up next. That gives the server a live target instead of a spot on the floor. You are not serving 'as hard as I can', you are serving to an address.

2 players 7 phases ± 15 min 6 mats, 6 balls, full court with net From U15 upwards, as soon as the serve reliably clears the net

Phase 1 of 7Six zones laid out with mats; server ready with two balls, catcher in zone 5

Server and catcher; the catcher stands by the mat that is up next 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

Six zones marked with mats; serve on purpose, count the hits and work through the zones.

Aiming at a box two meters by two meters instead of at 'somewhere in the court'.
Feeling the difference between a deep zone (1, 6, 5) and a short zone (2, 3, 4) — that is in the toss, not in the power.
Choose first, then hit: name the zone before the ball leaves your hand.

Coaching points

Call out loud which zone you are taking before you toss.

A serve that happens to land well teaches nothing. Only when the player commits in advance do they know afterwards whether they hit their own ball.

For a short zone you toss lower, not softer.

Hitting softer costs speed and leaves the ball hanging in the air — and then it is easy to read. A lower toss and a flatter trajectory keep the ball both fast and short.

Point your feet in the direction of your target.

Almost every server aims with the arm and corrects with the wrist. The hip and the front foot set the direction; the arm only follows.

Do the deep zones first and the short ones after.

Serving deep asks for a full arm swing. Start with short balls and that short swing sticks for the rest of the series; the other way round it takes care of itself.

Variations

Easier: Work with three mats instead of six: only 1, 6 and 5. Servers who cannot make the distance yet start on the three-meter line.
Harder: The coach only calls the zone once the ball is already in the air. The server then has to switch targets during the toss.
With eight players: Two servers per side and four catchers each covering two mats. The servers switch sides after every round, so they aim from both corners behind the line.
As a game: Every mat is one point, but you only score each mat once. The first to hit all six zones is finished; the rest keep serving.

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: where you serve and why · the court lines and zones at a glance · building serving pressure zone by zone