Queen of the court
Team drill for 6 to 12 players. Focus: win the rally; play every ball; talk.
What you need
- Players
- 6 to 12 players
- Time
- 10 to 15 min
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Balls, Ball cart
- Ball fed by
- The coach
- Space
- A full court
Setup
- Teams of three. One team on the near side, the queen side, spread across the court.
- The challenger team on the far side in a three-person receive: the setter starts deep on the right and releases to the net.
- The next team waits behind the far end line, and the coach stands beside the far court with a ball cart.
How it runs
A fast game for three or more small teams. One team holds the queen side of the net. The coach feeds a ball to the challengers, and the two teams play out the rally. A challenger team that wins the rally runs around to take over the queen side, the old queens leave to the back of the waiting line, and the next team steps onto the challenger court. Only the team on the queen side scores.
Time and reps: Play to a time limit; the team holding the queen side at the end wins.
Coaching points
- Play every ball as if it were match point.
- Talk on every ball: call it, call the set, call the free ball.
- Run on and off quickly so the game keeps its pace.
- Stay composed after losing the court; the next turn comes fast.
Ways to change it
- Queens must win two rallies in a row before they score.
- Play 4 v 4 or 6 v 6 when the group is bigger.
- Allow only two contacts per side to make rallies quicker.
Make it easier or harder
Make it easier
- Allow one catch and throw per rally, or let the first ball be a gentle toss.
Make it harder
- Make it three contacts with no catches, or have the coach feed harder balls.
Terms on this page
- Free ball
- An easy ball the other team sends over without attacking it, usually a pass or a set. It gives you time to set up your own attack.
- Setter
- The player who usually takes the second contact and sets the ball to a hitter.
