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Volleyball drill · Attacking fundamentals

Approach Footwork, No Ball

Why this drill works

The spike approach is a dance step, and dance steps are learned without music before they are performed with it. Adding a ball too early means every rep gets graded on the hit, so the feet never get coached and kids improvise approaches that cap their hitting forever. Eight minutes of no-ball choreography per week builds the pattern at the speed feet actually learn, and the arm cycle and broad-to-vertical conversion, the two pieces that decide jump height, get taught explicitly instead of hoped for. When the ball finally arrives, it lands on a rhythm that already exists.

How to coach it

Chant with them for weeks; shared rhythm is the teaching mechanism, and the chant dying out on its own is the graduation signal. Watch the plant and the landing spot, the two frames that reveal everything, and use the restart-cone at the net to make broad-jumping self-correcting. Keep jump volume honest, since young knees bank every rep. And close with the synchronized team approach whenever the mood needs lifting, because a line of kids landing one jump together, loudly, is the moment this unglamorous drill pays its dividend in team identity.
Ages
9–14
Skill levels
beginner, developing, intermediate
Players
4–20 (ideal 12)
Time
8 min
Setting
indoor
Space
20 feet of runway per line, net optional
Approach Footwork setup Approach lines running the three-step pattern from the starting cones to takeoff spots an arm's reach off the net. NET 1 2 3
Approach lines running the three-step pattern from the starting cones to takeoff spots an arm's reach off the net.

Equipment

  • 4 cones or floor spots
  • Net optional

Setup

Lines of three to five players face the net (or a wall, or open space; the approach needs no target yet), each line with a starting cone about 12 feet back and a takeoff spot marked a full arm's reach off the net. Teach the right-hander's approach as three beats spoken aloud, LEFT, RIGHT-LEFT: a directional first step with the left foot (slow, reading the set that does not exist yet), then the explosive RIGHT-LEFT close where the right foot plants long and slightly turned, the left foot snaps in beside it, and both arms, which swung back hard during the plant, drive forward and UP into a two-foot jump. Lefties mirror it: RIGHT, LEFT-RIGHT. Demonstrate three times: full speed once so they see the shape, then piece by piece. Name what the arms do, because kids leave them out: back on the plant like starting a lawnmower with both hands, then thrown to the ceiling, and the throw is worth inches of jump.

How to run it

  1. Stage 1, walking beats: lines walk the pattern chanting LEFT, RIGHT-LEFT, stepping to the marks, no jump yet. Three trips each; the feet learn the order before speed hides it.
  2. Stage 2, add the arms: same walking pace with the full arm cycle, back on the plant, up on the (still imaginary) jump. Arms and feet coordinating at walking speed is genuinely hard for a week and worth the patience.
  3. Stage 3, jog and jump: the approach at a jog finishing with a real two-foot takeoff and a reach for the ceiling with the hitting arm, landing on two soft feet. Five reps each, coach watching only the plant: right foot long and angled, left snapping in, hips loading down before exploding up.
  4. Stage 4, full speed with the broad-to-vertical check: the approach's secret is converting forward speed into upward jump, so the last two steps get LONGER and LOWER while the jump goes straight UP. Players finishing a foot past their takeoff spot are broad-jumping; the landing-near-takeoff standard is the audit.
  5. Stage 5, rhythm variance: the coach calls the tempo the first step must wait for (SLOW start, or GO immediately), simulating reading sets of different heights. The approach must survive starting at different moments while keeping its final two beats explosive.
  6. Finish with the group approach: the whole team lines along the net and performs three synchronized approaches on the coach's count, chanting the beats, jumping together. It looks like a team, sounds like a team, and grooves the rhythm one more time.

What success looks like

The step order runs without the chant, arms cycle back-and-up automatically rather than dangling, takeoffs leave from two feet with landings near the takeoff spot rather than drifting into the imaginary net, the last two steps visibly lengthen and lower, and jump heights rise as the arm throw and the plant conversion do their work.

Coaching cues

  • "Left, right-left"
  • "Arms back on the plant"
  • "Throw your hands to the ceiling"
  • "Land where you launched"

Common mistakes

  • Broad-jumping into the net, carrying forward speed through the takeoff. The land-near-your-launch standard plus a cone at the net line (touch it and the rep restarts) converts the habit within sessions.
  • One-foot takeoffs borrowed from basketball layups, which drift the body sideways into (future) blockers and referees' whistles. The two-foot plant is non-negotiable; slow reps rebuild it.
  • Dead arms, the approach performed feet-only with hands at the sides, spending the free inches the arm swing buys. Stage 2 exists for this, and the lawnmower image plus one exaggerated coach demonstration usually installs it.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: Shorten to a two-step approach (RIGHT-LEFT close only) for the youngest, chant everything at walking speed for full sessions, and skip jump landings for players still building leg control by finishing in a low loaded freeze instead.

Harder: Add a coach-tossed ball to reach and catch at the jump's peak (catching before hitting keeps the focus on timing), approach from the left-side, middle, and right-side angles, or finish with a full armswing at a held ball.

Adapt it to your team

Small roster: Four players run one line with double the reps and individual video on a parent's phone, which this drill benefits from more than almost any other, since players cannot see their own feet.

Large roster: Twenty players run four lines across the net's width simultaneously on a shared count, coach walking the plant line; the synchronized finale scales up gloriously.

Limited space: A 15-foot stretch of any floor holds a line; no net is needed for weeks, and a hallway at home fits the walking stages, making this a legitimate homework assignment.

Limited equipment: Nothing but floor marks, which can be tape, spots, or shirts; the entire drill is equipment-free by design.

Safety

Jumping and landing is the load: soft two-foot landings with bent knees get taught as part of the skill, reps stay modest (jumping volume adds up invisibly), and the landing area stays clear of balls and cones. Players with heel or knee complaints do the walking stages only. If a net is used, the restart-cone rule keeps bodies off the net cable and posts. See the safety page for general guidance.