Power Block and Attack Complex
Strength & Power
Legend
- player
- defender
- movement path
How it works
Train explosive peak power output by combining maximal effort blocking jumps and attacking swings in a contrast-training complex.
What you need
- volleyball
- net
- resistance bands
- jump box
Your focus
Contrast training , pairing a heavy resistance movement with an explosive movement , activates the central nervous system to fire at higher rates, increasing power output. This method has been shown to improve vertical jump and arm swing velocity more rapidly than isolated strength or plyometric training alone. It is used by elite volleyball programs nationally.
Set A, Squat with resistance band (3 x 5 at maximum manageable resistance): slow down, explosive up. Rest 15 seconds.
Immediately complete Set B, 5 maximal blocking jumps at the net (reach as high as possible over the net). Rest 2 minutes.
Set C, Band-resisted arm swing: anchor resistance band behind player, complete 5 maximum overhead swing reps. Rest 15 seconds.
Immediately complete Set D, 5 maximum approach hits into the court, focusing on contact velocity. Rest 3 minutes. Repeat complex 3 times total.
Goal
It's real when your blocking jump is just as explosive after the attacking complex, the contrast shows you've built genuine peak power.
Helpful cues
- After the heavy set, your nervous system is primed, go absolute maximum on the explosive set
- Blocking jump: two feet, two hands over the net, reach through
- The rest period matters, respect the time to let the nervous system reset
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Replace banded squats with body-weight squat jumps and reduce complex to 2 rounds to limit neural fatigue.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Add a reactive blocking element, setter tosses the ball to a random attack zone and blocker must read and jump to the correct position for each blocking rep.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.