Week 7 · Application phase · 4th grade · 60 minutes
Game-like drills
Competitive drills · Pressure situations · Serve & receive under pressure
- Net
- 6′ 6″
- Ball
- Volley-Lite
- Serve
- Underhand or overhand, from 20 ft
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Warm-up & ball control 15 min
- “Pepper” drill: player 1 passes to player 2, player 2 sets to player 1, player 1 hits back to player 2 — continuous loop.
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Serving 10 min
- Serving competition: each player gets 5 serves; score 1 point for in, 2 points for landing in the back half.
- Team total — creates low-stakes competitive pressure similar to game situations.
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Skill focus: Queen of the Court 15 min
- “Queen of the Court”: 3v3 on a half-court; winning team stays, losing team rotates off; first to 3 points wins the side.
- Emphasize communication and calling the ball — no silent contacts.
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Team play 20 min
- Full game with tournament rules (rally scoring, standard rotation, live serving).
- Coach observes and takes notes on individual player growth for end-of-season recognition.
The rule for every drill: Every player should touch the ball as many times as possible in every practice. Maximize repetitions. Minimize lines. If players are standing still for more than 60 seconds, restructure the drill.
Introduce a little competitive pressure this week — it prepares players for the tournament. Keep it fun, but let them feel what it’s like to play for something.
Coaching tip from Stephanie Abdalla
Recap for parents
Copy this into your team chat after practice.
Week 7 at CSA Volleyball practice (4th grade): we played competitive drills and a full game under tournament rules.
Ask her what “no silent contacts” means.
Week 7 for 1st–2nd grade · 3rd grade · 5th–6th grade