Training Your Defense the Brazilian Way

• Eight times State champion and six times runner-up;
• Coached the state team for Minas Gerais in the Brazilian National Championships - Girls and Boys 16-20 years: 8-time Brazilian National Championship finalist - 3 times Brazilian champion and 5 times runner-up;
• 2011-2015 Asst. Coach for men's professional team of the Minas Tenis Clube in the Men's National Championship - Superliga Nacional de Voleibol;
• Second and third place in the South American Men's Club Championship - 2012 and 1013;
• 3rd Place in the Brazilian Cup - Men's clubs - 2014

There are few countries that have had as much success on the international volleyball stage as Brazil. The Brazilian men's and women's national teams have combined for nine Olympic medals (four gold) and have also captured nine World Championship medals (three gold) since 1982. As of October 2015, the Brazilian men were ranked #1 and the women are ranked #3 in the FIVB senior world rankings.

Teams need to communicate continually on the court in regards to their own movement and the movement patterns or strategies of the opponent. To communicate, your players must be able to perceive and read the game effectively.

By demonstrating Brazilian drills that mimic game situations, Marcelo Melado De Mesquita shows you how to create and train defensive systems based on game factors such as contact height, speed and direction of the ball.

Brazilian Defense Drills

Coach Mesquita shows numerous ways to involve all of your players in practice while enhancing their skill sets. A progressive group of drills, the series starts with a basic half court drill that builds to 6-on-6. Teams, small groups or individual players are constantly switching roles within each drill. The drills progress in difficulty by adding more players or more diverse objectives.

• Blocking Drill Using No Net - A great pepper drill that works many different volleyball skills and forces players to work separately and together. This series works on skills such as ball control, tipping, blocking hands, reading, covering hitters and communication. It also doubles as a great warm-up drill.
• Two Ball Exchange Drill - A challenging drill that will help players learn to play through chaos. This drill forces players to pay attention to what is going on on the other side of the net. It creates the sense of multitasking during a rally where players play the ball while preparing for their next play or responsibility.
• 4-on-4 Shift - A pepper drill that works on defensive positioning and movement. You'll learn to train your players to shift to proper defensive positions depending on where the attack comes from. This is the first step in getting players to understand how and where to position themselves in transition.
• 4-on-4 Covered Net Drill - A unique way to teach players to read hitters and put themselves into great defensive position. Your players will learn to read cues that will help them anticipate the angle of the hitter's approach and how hard they intend to hit the ball.

The last two drills in the video involve the same concept as the 4-on-4 covered net drill, but are run 5-on-5 and 6-on-6. The drills progress to game-like situations, and by the time your players get to 6-on-6, they'll be able to get into correct defensive position more easily.

Throughout all the drills, Coach De Mesquita emphasizes communication, movement and reading, all while keeping the ball in play. Players must communicate when to switch or rotate and all drills incorporate a certain goal or element that enhances your team's ability to read an opponent.

"As a 14-year coach I think I just found a new way to teach defense. The drills presented here in the video are perfect to help kids realize how to read, react and move to proper defensive positioning." - Customer Review

Produced at the 2015 AVCA National Convention.

52 minutes. 2016.