Defense · Intermediate
Moving Together Defense
The objective of this drill is for athletes to develop an understanding of the idea that partners move together to cover the court, and that it is important that you are aware of where your partner is at all times. Sometimes it is beneficial initially to place elastic around the waists of the athletes to highlight this concept of 'moving together'
How to run it
- 1
The athlete or coach stands in the middle of the court at the net on the same side as the athletes who are in passing position. The 'trainer' who is running the drill then points to any one of the 4 corners of the court or middle back or middle front. The pair move together to towards the spots indicated by the 'trainer' a certain number of times (perhaps 4 or 5) before a free ball is introduced for them to play out. Some athletes will be tired after 4-5 movements and will require a easy free ball, for fitter or more experienced athletes the bal introduced could be more difficult. It is recommended that this drill is run 3 times - each athlete receiving one free ball with the third ball being thrown between the two athletes forcing them to communicate as to who has the ball.
- 2
Coach emphasis: Movements need to be performed with 100% intensity and speed.
Why we run it
The objective of this drill is for athletes to develop an understanding of the idea that partners move together to cover the court, and that it is important that you are aware of where your partner is at all times. Sometimes it is beneficial initially to place elastic around the waists of the athletes to highlight this concept of 'moving together'
Keep building
More defense drills
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View drill4 Steps to Paradise
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View drill3 Man Cross Court
High-volume cross-court digging — defender works the diagonal between two attackers continuously.
View drill6 Ball Block Defense
Train the blocker-to-defender transition through a fixed 6-ball sequence covering every common attack scenario.
View drillCoach Tip Chase to Target
Train defense through coach tip chase to target with a clear rep structure and game-like feedback.
View drillMany of our drills are adapted from the coaching resources at Better at Beach and the FIVB.
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