A serve that just goes over the net is a free ball for the receivers. A serve to a specific zone (the seam between two players, or the back corner where no one’s standing) is a weapon. This drill teaches the kid to aim, not just hit.
What you need: A volleyball, a net, cones marking zones.
Setup: Set 6 zones on the opposing court (1-6 like a real volleyball rotation). Server at the back line.
How to run it:
- Coach calls a zone number before each serve.
- Server has to serve to that zone.
- Track makes and misses for each zone.
- Do 12 serves total (2 to each zone).
- Goal: 8 of 12 land in the correct zone.
What to watch: Body alignment. Serving to zone 5 (back left) requires a different body angle than zone 1 (back right). Are they adjusting their feet to aim?
If they’re struggling: Use only 3 zones (left, middle, right). Or move closer to the net.
If they’ve got it: Add scoring: easy zones (middle) = 1 point, hard zones (corners and seams) = 3 points. Score to 21.