“Right-back-at-you” drill to train mental toughness

Clinician: Christy Johnson-Lynch, head women’s volleyball coach at Iowa State University

Purpose: To anticipate the next contact regardless of whether a player just had a kill or an error

How it Works: In this six-on-six drill, play starts with a serve and teams play until one team wins two consecutive rallies. This drill gets interesting when a coach immediately tosses the next ball into play after a kill or hitting error because the set goes “right back at you” to that player. Coach Johnson-Lynch likes how this drill forces the player to respond immediately, pushing to perform against a defense that already knows where the next set is going. Any team that gets two rallies in a row earns a big point.

Requirements: 12 players, a cart of balls, a coach and a full court