Pursue and Play
Effort
Legend
- player
- defender
- coach / parent
- ball
How it works
Develop relentless pursuit effort on difficult balls by rewarding the chase, not just the successful play.
What you need
- volleyball
- net
- multiple balls
Your focus
Elite defenders give every ball a chance regardless of how unlikely the dig looks. The physical and mental habit of pursuing tough balls , even expected misses , trains both the body and the mindset to make plays others won't attempt. Many game-changing defensive moments come from players who pursued a ball their teammates had mentally written off.
Coach stands on a box and hits hard spike variations: sharp angles, down-the-line, off-speed tips, and cut shots, all at game speed.
A solo defender works one-on-one against the coach's attack for 2-minute blocks; pursuit effort is the only metric that matters (getting to every ball before it hits the floor).
Coach tracks: Pursuit Percentage = balls pursued (defender moved all-out) / total balls hit. Target: 90%+ pursuit on all balls.
For the final 30 seconds of each block, coach increases feed tempo to maximum; evaluate whether pursuit percentage holds or drops under fatigue.
Goal
Success is chasing a ball that pulls you to the floor, if you got there and kept it alive, that's the drill working.
Helpful cues
- Your feet decide the play before your arms do
- Chase the impossible, sometimes you'll catch it
- 90% pursuit is the floor, not the ceiling
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Reduce the hit speed and vary placement more predictably so success (actually digging the ball up) is achievable while pursuit habit is built.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Two balls are hit in rapid succession, player must pursue and play both, demonstrating effort recovery between plays.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.