In the history of sports, offensive play always attracts a significant following. Volleyball is no exception. However, defense plays a crucial part in making a score.
A winning team should invest in a strong defensive team of players who can successfully resist most attacks, if not all, from the opposite team. Further, individual players can invest in a volleyball serve trainer to train them beyond the court.
A defensive team of players is charged with the duty of blocking the opponent’s team from scoring too easily. I’m going to take you through five fire tested volleyball drills that will help any team improve their defense.
- Blocking Defense Drill
To execute this drill, divide the players into two groups. The first group should have three hitters and the second one the defenders. Let the hitters go to one side of the volleyball court, and the defensive players go to the other side.
The hitters are supposed to hit the ball into the defense court. On the other hand, the defenders should endeavor to block the oncoming attack and hit the ball out of the court. Reaction blocking defense drill has the immediate effect of checking the readiness and ability of the volleyball players to move swiftly during the game.
- 5-5 Did or Die Drill
Just like the above drill, five to five drills need two teams for practice. Each team should have five players. Then, the coach should toss the ball to one team on the volleyball court.
Should the team begin to play the ball, the opposite team must concentrate on defense. Let the scores be counted as it happens in a normal game.
So, the notable difference is that the defense team loses all its earned points if the ball touches the ground untouched on its side.
This means that the players have to concentrate on defense during the drill. Consequently, the defenders strive to improve their defensive moves dramatically.
- Low-Ball Defense Drill
This drill is also effective while working to improve your defense play. It is performed by six players-one hitter, five defenders. The hitter and the five defenders should be positioned on either side of the volleyball court.
The hitter can assume two positions. He/she can stand on the box or a raised platform. If they choose a box, it should be positioned close to the net at the center of the court. The other five defenders should be behind the 10-foot line. They are responsible for defense.
The hitter should then pick a defensive player at random and then hit the ball towards the chosen player. The role of the defensive player is to make contact with the ball and pass it high.
The other four defenders should catch the ball mid-air before it hits the ground. However, if a defense team member cannot successfully resist the attack, he/she must leave the drill.
- Balancing the court
This drill aims to help defensive players to assume the proper positions on the volleyball court. The defensive players should learn how to swiftly cover the volleyball court’s unoccupied areas to dig the oncoming ball successfully.
Balancing the court drill is performed by four players- three on the defense and one hitter. The four defensive players should be positioned on the same side of the court. Before playing the ball, the defensive players should spread across the entire area while the hitter stands near the net.
The role of the hitter is to hit the mid-air-ball towards the unoccupied region of the court. Then, one of the defensive players should strive to counter the attack, hit and pass the ball to any of the defensive players.
Finally, the ball should be passed to the hitter standing near the net. This marks the end of a successful drill. The coach should then allow for the beginning of another round of the volleyball drill.
- The Defensive Dig Drill
This is yet another crucial drill or defensive play. It is performed by two players- one is the hitter while the other is a defense player. To begin the drill, the hitter hits the ball up the air and follows through to complete the attack.
The ball is received by the defense player who, in turn, hits it. The role of the defender is to counter an attack. A defensive player must assume the defensive position properly when tackling an attack.
To wrap it up
A coach can focus on training the team on the defense drills they find their members most wanting. Consistent training and focus on the chosen drills improve a volleyball team’s performance in a game.