9-person pepper progression

 

Clinician: Mark Barnard, head volleyball coach at Oregon State University

Purpose: To actively practice ball control and communication as a warm-up

How it Works: Have players group into three groups of three. Two of those groups are on one side of the net, around the ten-foot line. The other group is on the opposite side of the net. The sequence for each group is bump-set-set, and the final set is pushed over the net to the opposite side. The first rally will go straight across the net, and the second rally will go diagonally. However, it’s not quite as simple as pepper. Every time your team finishes their final set, they rotate to the next quadrant of the small court that the drill is occupying. The first team will move into the position where they just set their ball before crossing under the net. Every time a team sets their third and final ball, they move into the next position and play out their rally, feeding their final set to the team that did not previously feed them the ball. These three clusters of players will rotate around the court until the ball dies.

Variations: Once players have mastered the pass-set-set sequence, advance the drill by incorporating a controlled hit as the third touch.

Requirements: At least 9 players, a cart of balls and a full court