Doubles Drills
In this set of exercises the Mini Champ replaces the receiver. The server is allowed up to three serves to hit the Mini Champ or it is counted as a double fault for that point. When the ball rebounds over the net, the three players play out the point with just one adjustment. The side with two players must hit into the doubles half court where the live opponent is playing.
Play each game with regular scoring in each service box, except starting the serving team down love 30 in each game. At the end of each game have the players rotate around one position. Each person keep score individually and the first to win six games wins the set.
Some other variations include giving the serving team an immediate point if the server volleys the rebound off the Mini Champ. In this drill sequence I also suggest not allowing the server's partner to poach on the initial rebound.
There are several ways to help you improve your poaching skills using the Mini Champ. The first is to set it up to rebound the serve. In this sequence the server's partner is poaching on the rebound from the Mini Champ Portable Backboard. Points are then played out into the half court of the server's partner.
Another variation is a cooperative drill, where we place the Mini Champ in the position of the receiver's partner. This time the rules are that the receiver must set up the poacher. The point only starts when the serve is in the box, the receiver sets up the poacher, and the poacher volleys into the Mini Champ. After the rebound comes back over the net, then the point is played out competitively.
Rotate players from position to position. With two players you can also work on poaching. Just serve into the Mini Champ and then volley away the poach to a target area that you can create and that becomes a winning shot.
We included this portion called parallel doubles since it is widely understood that players who move up and back as a team are not vulnerable to the opposing team angling shots between them. In this first variation the Mini Champ Portable Backboard is placed in the middle of the court inside the service line. The receiving team sets up in a parallel defensive position on or near the baseline.
The rules are simple. No drop shots are allowed from the serving team. The receiving team must stay in a defensive court position and cannot cross in front of the service line. If the serve hits the Mini Champ it counts as a fault, and if the serving team hits the Mini Champ out of the air once the ball is in play, the point is won by them immediately. But in order to get this advantage the player on the serving team who hit the ball must have both feet inside the service line when striking their offensive shots. The only exception in this rule is, if they lob and hit the Mini Champ with an overhead.
An additional variation adds even more excitement and allows the serving team to win a bonus point as well. It goes like this. If the serving team volleys into the Mini Champ and the ball rebounds over the net, they can try to hit the Mini Champ again. If they succeed, it counts as two points in their favor. The purpose is to get the serving team to focus on penetrating their shots through the middle of their opponents.
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