One of the most exciting aspects of the volleyball game is hitting. All players love to hit the volleyball. Hitting in volleyball is the act of offensively attacking the ball so that it becomes difficult for the opponent to play the ball.
While hitting is a fun element in volleyball, learning how to hit well requires a lot of practice. All hitters must practice hitting drills to become better attackers. However, it’s worth mentioning that some drills are better than others. Players can also use volleyball machines such as the AcuSpike team trainer when training.
In this article, we discuss some of the great hitting drills that players need to add to their training sessions to improve their hitting skills. These drills are perfect for all levels of players. So whether you are a high school player or an experienced player, you will definitely benefit from these drills.
- Back row attack drills
The back row attacks are not something that players often practice. These drills can help players develop into well-rounded hitters that can attack from anywhere on the court. This drill starts with three passers and a setter on each side of the net. The coach starts with a free ball to one of the passers. They pass to the setter as they get prepared for a back-row hit. The setter then sets the players who passed them the ball. The hitter then targets one of the opponents. They need to hit their attacker with one step of one of the opponents. Failure to achieve this will see them out of the drill. The last passer on the court wins the game.
This drill’s primary purpose is to encourage scrambling from the back row to attempt a targeted attack, instead of settling for free balls. A point to note is that this drill is all about consistency and targeting from the back row attack.
- Middle Attack Drill
This drill starts with the server serving the receivers on the opposite side. The middle starts at the net and backs off once the ball is served. The passers should aim at passing the ball well enough to set the middle a quick set. Remember that high sets are not allowed in this drill. The middle must hit a hard-driven ball in a way that it doesn’t touch the tape. Since there are no blockers in this drill, the three diggers in the back row will try to make the dig.
The setter will work on both sides of the net, bowing underneath the net every time the ball crosses to the other side. If they get on top or in the middle, the serving team scores fail to get a hard-driven attack on a set.
- Spike Approach Drill
This drill offers plenty of benefits to attackers and hitters. One of the most significant benefits of this drill is that it teaches players how to choose the best moment to complete an attack. It’s always a good idea to kick off the volleyball practice with such a spike-approach warm-up. That way, players will be ready to accomplish attack hits. The players at the front-row can only perform this volleyball drill. This drill involves kicking off the spike approach from the 10-foot line.
Before they start this drill, players should stand behind the 10-foot line on the left side of the court. They need to position one after another to create a line. Once all the players have taken their positions on the playing court, they can start practicing this drill. When practicing a spike approach drill, all players are recommended to change their positions 2-3 times.
