Defense · Intermediate

Rainbow Chase Drill

The objective of this drill is to give a defender practice turning and digging a ball that has been hit behind them.

How to run it

1
In this drill the athletes starts in the centre of the court with the 'trainer' who has a ball between them and the net. The 'trainer' throws the ball over the head of the defender into the corner of the court. As the ball is in the air the defender turns, in the direction that allows the defender to see the ball crossing their shoulder and proceeds to dig the ball back over their head to the middle of the court. The trainer either catches the ball to discuss the quality of the dig or sets up the ball for the defender to attack. Initially the defender should know what corner the ball is to be thrown to but the drill can progress to the point where the trainer throws to either one of the deep corners.
2
Coach emphasis: The athletes should have permission to bend the elbows slightly during this movement to assist in

The objective of this drill is to give a defender practice turning and digging a ball that has been hit behind them.

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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