Kitchen rules walk-through

Setup

1. Players line up behind the kitchen line on one side; the coach feeds gently from the far kitchen line.
2. Show the kitchen (the non-volley zone): the area between the net and the kitchen line. The line itself is part of the kitchen.

How it runs

1. Step 1: volley with both feet behind the line. Legal.
2. Step 2: the same volley with a toe touching the line. Fault: no volleying while touching the kitchen or its line.
3. Step 3: volley, then let the swing carry a step forward into the kitchen. Fault, even if the ball is already dead.
4. Step 4: the coach feeds a short ball that bounces in the kitchen. Players may step in to play it, then step back out behind the line before volleying again.
5. Finish with mixed feeds. Players call 'volley' or 'bounce' before each shot, and the group judges legal or fault.

Coaching points

• Toes just behind the line, never on it, when ready to volley.
• After a volley, freeze and check the feet: balance first, then move.
• Standing in the kitchen is never a fault on its own; volleying from it is.
• After playing a bounced ball in the kitchen, get back out quickly.

Common mistakes

• Believing players may never enter the kitchen.
• Leaning for a wide volley and stepping onto the line to keep balance.
• Lunging after a volley and stumbling forward into the kitchen.