Passing is key to a teams success. You must stress to your team that the team's passing is "our" top priority. If you are coaching in a typical high school conference, the team that gets aced the fewest, wins 80% of the matches.
Let's review some of the high points of serve reception & digging:
- The best passers have quick feet to get to where the ball is, strong legs to keep them stable, AND have still upper bodies. That's simple. Eliminate the extra arm movement from your passers--the bobbing, poking, praying, etc. I can't stress that enough. Expose the platform early, but don't move it - get there with your feet. From the bench we call out, "Stay still!!"
- We've all had serves and spikes hit to us that we couldn't "get behind". So the next skill that must be learned is the "swivel & dip". All the great passers that you see on TV do it. They begin with their platforms exposed, then "swivel" their shoulders to the right or left. When they swivel to their left, their right shoulder dips or drops. Likewise the swivel to the right. This maintains the platform-facing-target position.
- I expect my team to pass frees and lollipop serves to a target at the net, but I am happy if the tough attacks and serves can be popped up. Danny Miller at Averett College (Danville VA) repeats "20 & 5" to his defense constantly. It means 20 feet up and 5 feet off. Just digging the big hit or not being aced by the senior jump-server is a boost for your team, and a downer for opponents.
I'm a believer that if your players are not in this frame of mind, their passing won't ever reach its potential. Going to have trouble convincing your kids of these things. Talk it over with them. Let them TELL YOU that there are habits they need to rid themselves of. Show them video of college or pro women. THEY DO WHAT YOU'RE TELLING THE KIDS!!
Now drills are much easier to formulate.
Passers get used to the "staying still" concept.
- Pair kids up as if peppering, but they get about 20 feet away from each other. One overhand hits to the other who concentrates solely on staying still and swiveling.
Motivate your kids to improve their fundamentals by:
- Each person does so many correct & a new person comes in.
- Each person does 10 in a row correct & .............
- The team does 10 in a row correct & a new team .......
- Every time a person prays, they run 2 or whatever.
- Everyone must do the drill correctly once and then we'll.......
Let's get the "20 & 5" to be a habit.
- FIRST DRILL - Let's reinforce the "5" part. Place a kid at the "5" spot. Coach or player gets on a box and hits to kids. Have players dig the coach's hit to the target. Rotate kids occasionally.
- SECOND DRILL - Now let's reinforce the "20". At the moment the coach hits the ball, have a kid run to the spot from way off the court. She must catch the ball after it's dug.
- THIRD DRILL - repeat 2nd drill but with the setters running and setting to a target. Later, setting to a teammate who hits outside. Repeat but setter must backset. HOW ADVANCED ARE YOUR KIDS? - repeat 3rd drill but have a MB come in for a quick. Must be a jump set to count? OR repeat and set a ball to a back row player.
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