Coaches love drills. Players love games.
The really good coaches find away to do both in their practices. Coach Thanh Pham of University of St. Thomas, 2013 NCAA D-III National Champions, uses a series of fun games that also help teach/reinforce important fundamentals. In the Championship video below, Coach Pham shows an energetic game called Bounce. The players will love it and the coach will get players pursuing the ball and communicating.
The YouTube video has sound. So make sure you have your sound on and are able to access the site.
For more information about the DVD this clip came from click the link Team Oriented Drills to Improve Your Play
The Bounce Drill can be used to teach players to pursue the ball, communicate and make controlled passes. In addition, it is a drill that the players will enjoy and have fun playing and for that reason alone would be a nice addition to your practices. This a drill you will use if you believe that “the game teaches the game”.
Here are the rules. Each team has unlimited number of hits. The may pass as many times as necessary in order to make a strong attack. Points are scored for every bounce of the ball. If the ball hits the ground on Team A’s side, Team B will get one point for every time the ball bounces before Team A puts the ball in play. Team A then may uses as many passes as possible to get the ball back to attacking position. If Team A hits the ball out on Team B’s side, then Team A will have to run to the ball on the other side of the net and control ball. They will use as many passes as needed to bring in back to their side and attack legally over the net. Team B will be awarded 1 point for every time the ball bounces before Team gets the ball under control.
In the event that the ball rolls (no longer bouncing) the other team wins the game. The game is played to 25 otherwise. The winner is the team that wins 5 games.