VolleyballAdvisors.com notes that the outside hitter plays a critical role in any team because he must play both the front and back row and have superior passing ability. On the front row, these players must drill to make attacks from the left side of the net. In the back row, they must be prepared to receive attacks at the 10-foot line.
Rapid Set Drill
The outside hitter stands in the middle back position on one side of the net with a setter in front of him. A coach stands on the other side of the net in line with the outside hitter and the setter. The coach initiates the drill by tossing a ball over the net to the outside hitter. The outside hitter then passes the ball to the setter, who bounces it under the net to the coach. As the setter receives the first ball, the coach tosses a second ball to the outside hitter. The drill should be done for a set amount of time with a goal of training the outside hitter to quickly respond to passes.
Five-Star Drill
In this drill, the outside hitter takes his position in the front row and faces two blockers on the opposing side of the net. The coach stands at the right side of the net and tosses the ball to the outside hitter, who must then try to get it past the blockers. The hitter receives a star for either tooling the block, for landing the ball in either back corner or for landing it on the right side of the court within the 10-foot line. The drill continues until the outside hitter receives five stars.
Block Coverage Drill
Outside hitters often face heavy blocking pressure at the net and must learn to quickly recover if an attack is stopped. For this drill, the outside hitter starts at the net with a setter in the right-hand position on the same side. The coach stands on the other side of the net in front of the setter, and a tosser stands in front of the hitter on the same side as the coach.
The coach starts the drill by slapping the ball, and the outside hitter moves to a defensive position. The coach hits the ball to him, and he digs the ball up into position for the setter. The setter sets the ball into position at the front of the net for the outside hitter to strike. As the ball passes over the net, the tosser throws a second ball over to the outside hitter to simulate being blocked. The outside hitter then passes the ball over to the setter, who resets the ball for the outside hitter to attack again.
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