In the 5 v 5 drill you’ll see here, teams can only score points by putting the ball down in Zones 4 and 5. This emphasizes line hits and forces attackers to be creative since their target area is narrowed.

As you’ll see, it takes a good shot by the hitter to get the ball to the floor when the defense knows the plan, so it challenges the offensive team.

The drill, introduced by Los Angeles Volleyball Director Nabil Mardini, can be scored any way you like – short game to 5, start at 15 and go to 25, full game, etc.

Since many attackers at the club and high school level default to cross-court as their go-to hit, this drill is a great way to switch things up and get players working on the less predictable line shot.