Starting, Building and Finishing Points

This series of lesson plans focus on starting the point well and being a solid volleyer at the net. We even get a little fancy by introducing spin (something many players LOVE learning about).

We wrote clear descriptions of each of the activities. But for even more fun, we added a few examples below as GIFs. Enjoy!

*for full transcript of this audio, click here.

PLAN #1: Starting Strong. Teaching points and activities help instructors explain why it is so important to care about the first shot (serve or return), and to see it as a chance to do more than just get things started. Drills and games help players be more deliberate with their first shot, not to hit a winner, but to tilt the odds in their favour.

PLAN #2: Very Good Volleys. This lesson is all about developing skill and confidence at the net. Players will work on handling drives from the NVZ and sending them back effectively. Players will also work on their volley decision-making skills based on the opponent’s position on the court.

PLAN #3: All About Spin. A class favourite, this lesson plan gives players a chance to learn about backspin, sidespin and topspin. Taught in a progressive way, players get to experiment with different spins and try to use them in modified game situations.

WARM-UP MENU

In each lesson plan, we allocated time for the warm-up. We created a “warm-up menu” and recommend choosing a sample from it to start off each of your lessons.