Volleyball Team Drills for Offense and Defense

If you want a better offense, practice offense. If you want a better defense, practice defense. Specific drills can help your team practice both.

Team Offense Drills

In the 7 Before 4 First Ball Attack (FBA) Drill, the offense must side-out at a 70 percent rate to win the drill. This places a premium on passing perfectly and instills the mindset in the passers that they must run the offense. The Serve Receive (SR) Wash Drill forces the team to do things "in a row." If your team is very skilled, the drill can be amended to require three or four things in a row to score a point.

7 Before 4 FBA Drill

Purpose: To focus on first ball attack.
Athletes: Two teams.
Sequence: One team receives serve for the entire game.
Tempo: Normal game pace.
Scoring: Winner of each rally gets a point. Receiving team must get to seven to earn a big point while the serving team must get to four to earn a big point. Both sides rotate and sub after every big point. The first to six big points wins. Switch serving and receiving teams after each game.

SR Wash Drill

Purpose: To focus on first ball attack and transition.
Athletes: Two teams.
Sequence: Side A receives a serve from Side B. Play point out. Winner of rally gets a snapped ball. Play point out. If one side wins both rallies, it earns a big point. If rallies are split, no one scores a point.
Tempo: Normal game pace.
Scoring: Wash scoring. Rotate and sub every three points. Serve alternates to each side. Play to 15 big points.

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Team Defense Drills

Defense is about team attitude and the ability to read the hitter. These two drills put a premium on digging and make playing defense fun and exciting for your team. Both drills are played with five players per side. This allows your hitters to hit very aggressively and forces the defense to dig hard-driven balls in 1-on-1 situations.

5 vs. 5 Dig or Die Drill

Purpose: To teach digging in 1-on-1 situations and to develop an aggressive mentality when playing defense.
Athletes: Two teams of five.
Sequence: One team receives free balls or down balls from a coach for entire game.
Tempo: Normal game pace.
Scoring: Rally-scoring scrimmage. If the ball hits the ground without being touched by the block or digger, that team losses all points. Thus, the score can be 7-1 and if the ball lands untouched on the side with seven points, the new score is now 0-2. Play games to eight points and then rotate and sub.

Vortex +4 Drill

Purpose: Offensive and defensive transitions.
Athletes: Two teams.
Sequence: Side A receives a free ball from a coach. Play point out. Winner of rally gets the next free ball. Continue until one team wins four rallies in a row.
Tempo: Fast pace. Don't wait for team to be ready to put ball in play.
Scoring: First team to win four rallies in a row scores a big point. Both teams rotate and sub with each big point. Play to 15 points.

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