The McKibbin Brothers
How to play defense feat. Taylor Crabb
Reading and reacting from one of the best defenders alive.
Adult training · Week of November 16
Defense night
Mondays and Thursdays, 6:30 – 7:30 pm at Elevate in Bonita Springs. Same plan both nights — come to one or both.
Week of November 16 · one-hour session
Defense night
Monday and Thursday this week we train defense: three drills, then Queen & King of the Court. All levels welcome.
Sessions
Monday, November 16
Thursday, November 19
Time
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Where
Sports Challenge America (Elevate), 28120 Race Track Road, Bonita Springs
0:00 – 0:05
Skill explanation
Defense is reading and pursuit before it is athleticism. Tonight we get stopped and balanced before contact, dig hard-driven balls high and inside, and chase everything that drops.
- Stop and get balanced before the attacker contacts
- Read the attacker's shoulder and hand, not the ball
- Dig high and inside the court
- Chase every ball — the point is not over until it lands
The hour
Session plan
No warm-up — we start on the ball. Three drills, fifteen minutes each, then we compete.
- 6:30 pm – 6:35 pm5 min
Defense — coach explanation
Defense is reading and pursuit before it is athleticism. Tonight we get stopped and balanced before contact, dig hard-driven balls high and inside, and chase everything that drops.
- 6:35 pm – 6:50 pm15 min
4 Steps to Paradise
Intermediate · Cart of balls, Full court
Why: Train the diagonal defensive shift — defender reads the attacker and moves to the gap before contact.
- 1-minute rounds, continuous attacks. Defender shifts on every approach, gets the dig, recovers to base, repeats. 3–4 rounds with rest between.
- Coach emphasis: 4 steps before contact. If you're still moving when the ball is hit, you're late.
- 6:50 pm – 7:05 pm15 min
Peel and Play Stations
Intermediate · Cart of balls, Full court
Why: Train the blocker-to-defender peel — pull off the net, find the seam, and play defense.
- Three stations: (1) coach calls 'peel' before the attack — blocker peels and digs, (2) coach varies attack vs. tip — blocker reads, (3) live rally after the dig. Run each station for 4 minutes.
- Coach emphasis: Peel is a controlled retreat. Eyes never leave the hitter.
- 7:05 pm – 7:20 pm15 min
Two-Person Defense Drill
Intermediate · Cart of balls, Full court or half court, Target marker
Why: The objective of this drill is to allow 2 athletes who have no other individuals to train with the opportunity to get defense and transition play practice.
- In this drill an athlete attacks the ball over the net off their own throw towards their training partner who is positioned in defense on the other side of the net. After spiking the ball at their training partner the attacking player sprints under the net and sets up the transition play off their training partners dig. For intermediate players a spike directly at their training partner may be appropriate. More advanced athletes may want to attempt this drill with attacks to all area of the court.
- Coach emphasis: The defender must focus on digging the ball up in front of them at such a height that it gives their
- 7:20 pm – 7:30 pm10 min
Queen & King of the Court
Every session ends the same way: continuous Queen & King of the Court. Challengers serve in, winners hold the King/Queen side, losers rotate off. Competitive reps that put the night's skill under real pressure.
- Challenger side serves; winner of the rally moves toward the King/Queen side
- Lose on the King/Queen side and you rotate off to the back of the challenger line
- Points only count when you win on the King/Queen side
- Play until time — highest score wins the night
Watch before you play
Defense videos
Two minutes of video before practice makes the drills click faster. Press play right here.
Better at Beach
Footwork for digging the line shot
Get stopped and balanced before contact.
The McKibbin Brothers
Hop step defense
The movement pattern that covers the most court.
Other weeks