Clinician: Jim Stone, head coach of the US girls' youth national team
Purpose: To increase ball control and communication, and challenge players to focus on consistency in order to benefit the setters
How it Works: Put players into pairs of two and have one partner on the net with a ball and the other in the back of the court. All four tossers are cued by one player to toss the ball to their partners, who pass it back to the net at antenna-height. Here’s the catch: After the partner on the net tosses the ball, they duck under the net and switch positions with the player who is on the other side of the net. These two continue to switch for as long as the balls are alive. After the partner in the back half of the court passes their ball, they switch horizontally with the player to their side. These two players continue to switch for as long as the passing rally continues.
The second drill shown has three players on each side of the court and one setter who is responsible for setting for both teams. After the setter sets on one side, they must sprint to the other side to set for the other team. The more controlled the digging and swinging, the easier the setter’s job is!
Requirements: At least 7 players, a cart of balls and a full court
