Block & defence

VOLLEYBALL TRAINING Reading time : 7 min Updated October 1, 2026
Contents
The block and the floor defense are one relationship: the diggers align to the block, not to the hitter. The block is footwork, penetration and reading; defence is a low posture, a dig played up and to the middle. And the above-net block is introduced late, around u17, because the net is too high for a child before that.

The block

The block (le contre / le bloc, der Block) is built from four parts:

  • Footwork: shuffle or crossover to the ball along the net.
  • Penetration: press the hands over the net toward the ball, jump straight up, not into the net.
  • Reading: watch the setter's hands, then the hitter's approach and arm.
  • The joust: keep pushing with firm hands when the ball is pinned on the net.

Back-row players and the libero may not block (Rules 14.6 and 19).

Floor defence

Floor defence (la défense, die Feldabwehr) is a read and a scramble: a low balanced posture, stop before the ball is played, then play it up and toward the middle. The sprawl and the pancake are the emergency digs. Defenders line up behind the block — the block decides the shape of the defence. Drills: the floor-defence reaction game (u9/u13), the block-placement introduction (u13/u17), the reading block with dig-behind (u17/sen) and the team block-and-defence system (sen).

Why the block waits until ~u17

At u9 and u13 this is floor defence at a low net: a child cannot block above a senior net, and the federations introduce the above-net reading block only around u17 (the DVV emphasises the block from about U16). Jumping straight up at the net is also an injury message, not only a technique: 86 % of ankle sprains happen at the net (see Physical preparation & prevention), most on blocking landings, so landing balanced and not under the net matters.

Frequently asked

When do you teach the above-net block?
Around u17. Before that the young bands do floor defence at a low net; the above-net reading block comes once the net height and the players make it realistic (the DVV emphasises it from about U16).
Can the libero block?
No. The libero may not block or attempt to block (Rule 19), and back-row players may not block either (Rule 14.6).
Why floor defence before the block?
Because at a low net, with a child, the above-net block is not realistic — and floor defence is the skill that actually keeps the rally alive. The block is layered on once it becomes reachable.

Sources

  • FIVB, Official Volleyball Rules 2025-2028 (Rules 14.6 and 19, who may block).
  • OFSPO/BASPO mobilesport, volleyball technique pages (Bloc, Défense), mobilesport.ch.
  • Paak volleyball corpus, files 03 (technique), 05 (ankle at the net) and 01 (rules), verified September 2026.
Last updated: October 1, 2026
In Paak

After “Block & defence”, plan the session

The generator is right on the session: plan by the players’ age band and the duration, pick a theme. Paak builds a minuted five-block outline — warm-up, two work blocks, a game and a cool-down — from this same library of 30 drills.

Planning, editing and saving the session is free.

Create my club What can Paak do for my club?

You coach, but you don’t run the club? Send this guide to your president