Hand Setting Drills
Description
In this drill the athlete will stand in the correct setting position facing the coach 1 meter (3 feet) away. The coach will gently toss the ball into the hands of the athlete, who will "flick" or snap the ball as quickly as possible directly back to the coach in a straight line. The coach's hands should be held in front of his/her face as the target for the athlete to aim for. As the athlete gains confidence the coach should slowly move his/her hands higher above the head and make the toss from farther away so that the athlete can begin putting arc on the set rather than a straight line.
The purpose of this drill is to allow the athlete to practice: (1) getting the hands up in the proper position early, (2) waiting for the ball to contact the hands before setting it, and (3) flicking the ball rather than hitting it with the hands.
Variations
As the athlete gains confidence, the coach can increase the height of the toss, make the toss from an angle rather than directly in front or even add spin to the toss.
Description
In this drill the setter (S) will begin in the front right position. The coach (C) will initiate the drill by tossing the ball to the setter, who will hand set the ball to a stationary target (T).
The focus of the drill is for the setter to move the feet to the ball as quickly as possible to allow time to stop, face the target, set the hands and body in the proper position, and deliver the ball accurately. The tosses from the coach should correspond to the ability level of the setter involved in the drill — low, gentle tosses for a beginning setter trying to gain confidence, and high spinning tosses off the net for more experienced setters.
Variations
The value of this drill is that the coach can mimic specific game conditions by varying the location of the toss (away from the setter — hence the name of the drill), the height of the toss, and the amount of spin on the toss. The starting location of the setter as well as the coach can be varied to provide an easier or harder challenge for the setter. The drill can also require the setter to periodically backset, increasing the difficulty.
While having a net is the best (most game-like) situation, this drill can also be run beside a wall. This variation has the added benefit of allowing the setter(s) and an assistant coach to practice their skills at the side of the gym while the rest of the team is using the court to work on any other skill development.
