Learn to Anticipate where the Ball is Going

Well...it seems everyone is looking for that "magic drill" ;-)
And I have to say there really is no 'magic' drill that will
make players better at anticipating where the ball will go,

The Good news is that doesn't mean the skill can't be learned
or honed. The KEY (like many other aspects of volleyball) is practice,
practice, practice. ;-)

I've found that f'ree-ball drills with penalties for letting the
ball hit the floor, such as making the whole team run suicides whenever a f'ree ball
hits the floor without first being touched by a player, are
beneficial in 'practice, but sometimes don't carry over into game action!

That's a big problem 'cause it just wastes your valuable
training time.

However - This Drill seems to get reasonably good results on
the court!



Two outside hitters stand at about the 10-foot line ready to hit
the ball over as a f'ree ball.

The defending player is on the other side of the net in the
middle-back position.

A setter sets the hitters off the net...

...and the hitters are instructed to only hit the ball in the
direction their bodies are facing, so the defender has ample
opportunity to read the hitters' body positions and react by
covering the line or angle shots.

Each defender is given the opportunity to defend against
four hits, then the players rotate positions.

Players keep rotating until all the players have had a chance
to defend against 12 hits, with points scored for successful
passes up to the target.

This helps players learn to read opponents' body languages
and, because the balls are not coming right to them, they
learn to scramble and reach balls that are more than a few
feet to either side of them.

If you're a Coach -

Try to teach your players to be as aggressive as possible on
defense and never to let a ball touch the floor.

With positive reinforcement, players will quickly learn to
take pride in anticipating and reacting to balls to keep points
alive.

Special Thanks to Hayley of Volleyball-Magic.com. She has several instructional papers as well as videos to help you and your team take their game to the next level.
Volleyball-Magic.com