Combination Aerial Control Zone

Objective

• -Control balls arriving out of the air
• -Choose the right surface for the height of the ball
• -Play out cleanly after the control

Setup

1. 1A control zone with a serving line ten yards away in a 22 x 18 yards area.
2. 2Add a neutral bounce player on each side line inside a marked yard-wide channel.
3. 3A supply of balls at the serving line.

How to play

1. 1Server throws or lofts the ball into the control zone.
2. 2The receiver controls with thigh, chest or laces and sets the ball down.
3. 3The receiver then plays a firm pass back to the next server.
4. 4The first pass must go into the bounce player before the practice opens up.
5. 5A sequence only scores when three different players have touched the ball.

Progressions

• +Demand a one-touch set from the bounce player
• +Raise the demand once the group is consistently successful

Regressions

• -Allow the bounce player unlimited touches
• -Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

• -Bounce players can join the attack once per round
• -Run the practice on the opposite side of the pitch

Common mistakes

• -Reaching for the ball instead of moving feet
• -Stiff surface bouncing the ball away
• -Two players combining over and over while the third stands still