Exercise: defending against an attack

In this video, you will practice defend against an attack.

We will see two types of situations: long defense and blind defense.

Firstly, long defense.

Position yourself just in front of the baseline and in the middle of the court.

Your partner stands facing you in front of the net and stands on a bench or an equivalent stand.

Check that the bench or chosen stand is stable.

Your partner will send you a 3 balls, hit with relatively gently but placed around 3 metres from you: the first to your left, the second in front and the third to your right.

Run to defend the ball.

Send it back to your partner in one hit, by bumping or with one hand.

Repeat this series 3 times, trying to return the ball as cleanly as possible.

Secondly, blind defense.

Position yourself as before.

This time, turn your back to the net.

Your partner will send you a series of 6 balls, near or far from you, announcing their landing zone before hitting them.

These balls will be targeted but not very powerful.

Turn around and if necessary run or jump to block the ball, by bumping or with one hand.

Depending on the distance to be traveled and your reaction time, return the ball in one hit to the inside of the court, as close to your partner as possible.

Over to you!