Defense · Intermediate

Bulk Defense Drill

The objective of this drill is to give the defensive team a multitude of defensive and transition plays in a minimum amount of time.

How to run it

1
In this drill an athlete or coach drives balls at the defensive team from a box placed in a number of different positions along the net. Initially the ball should be driven at the defensive players but should progress towards short and deep balls and also balls hit to either side of the athletes. Depending on the skill and fitness level of the players you may want to stipulate a minimum number of successful transitions plays that need to be completed before attacking from a different position. If you have multiple athletes you could have them hitting from a separate boxes (if you have enough boxes) and you can also have additional players on the service line waiting to come in to replace a defensive player.
2
Coach emphasis: Remind the athletes to watch the arm of the hitter as this will give them information regarding where the

The objective of this drill is to give the defensive team a multitude of defensive and transition plays in a minimum amount of time.

Keep building

Teach defensive base position and reading the attacker's body for shot vs. swing.

Train the diagonal defensive shift — defender reads the attacker and moves to the gap before contact.

Train the blocker-to-defender peel — pull off the net, find the seam, and play defense.

High-volume cross-court digging — defender works the diagonal between two attackers continuously.

Train the blocker-to-defender transition through a fixed 6-ball sequence covering every common attack scenario.

Train defense through coach tip chase to target with a clear rep structure and game-like feedback.

Many of our drills are adapted from the coaching resources at Better at Beach and the FIVB.

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