Tactical Problems

The category that I have chosen for a tactical problem is the Net/Wall category, focusing on volleyball. One of the main tactical problems for these types of games, such as volleyball, tennis, and badminton, is where to place the ball in the opponents court. Placement of the ball is strategically important because it improves your chances of scoring points and makes it more difficult for the opposing team to recieve the ball. Not only is it important to know where to place the ball, but also to know how to place the ball in the desired areas. Here are two games that will help students learn and practice the concept of how to place a ball as well as where to place it on the opponents court.

Target Practice:

This game is a great way to practice aim when sending the volleyball over the net, and has many variations. On one side of the court set up different objects such as mats, hula-hoops, and/or cones, depending on the age group or skill level (Obviously mats would be the easiest and cones would be the hardest). On the other side of the court will be the players, each with a ball. First have them practice serving. Specify that this game is to practice aim, not power, so that they won’t focus on how hard they are hitting the ball but more so focus on where they are hitting it. This great practice drill can be made into a game in many different ways, such as the first person to hit 3 targets wins. Knowing and practicing how to place the ball when serving is important because it makes receiving the ball more difficult for the other team.

Next, put players into groups of three. Each team comes out onto the court and you toss the ball in. One person bumps to the setter, the setter will send it to the power, who will then spike or set it over the net, trying to place it to one of the targets. Players can rotate each time it is their turn. This is a great practice drill and can be made into a game but keeping score of what team hits the most targets.

Cross-court:

In this game players can work on their ability to control ball projection. Divide the court with a line down the middle, then tell players that they can only score points if they place the ball in the crosscourt. Because players will not be able to have the easiness of placing the ball in a large court, they will learn that they have to slow down and focus on ball placement skills. Even though the other team will know where the ball is going, they too will have to slow things down in order to receive the ball in the specified area. Depending on the skill level of the players, the coach or teacher can change the rules, such as prohibiting overhand serves and spikes. To increase difficulty, you can also divide the court into 4 sections, and specify which quarter the ball must be placed, changing it every so often.