Volleyball drills are essential to build basic volleyball skills. If you’re leading a volleyball club at your middle school or simply want to support your growing volleyball professionals, check out the list below to find volleyball drills for all levels. Some of these drills can be done in a group setting and some are best taught one-on-one with your aspiring volleyball athletes.
1. Wall Ball
Using a wall is a fantastic way to work on basic skills. Simply prompt your students to line up in front of a wall before encouraging them to dig or serve the ball against the wall. It’s a great way to make use of your space on hand and can even be carried out at home.
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2. Passing Skills
Here’s another wall drill that focuses on passing skills. Your players will work on their accuracy skills as you have them bounce their ball off a wall using only passing techniques.
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3. Conditioning and Warm-Up Drills
Set your team up for a productive practice session with a thorough warm up! For instance, task them with using two hands to throw their ball in the air and then have them lie down to catch the ball before it hits the ground.
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4. Loading
Get your team comfortable with fundamental skills by carrying out this loading drill. Simply invite them to scatter around one side of the court, then have a coach toss balls at them as you prompt them to perform a correct loading position before passing the ball back.
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5. Forearm Passing
Perfect the art of forearm passing with this individual drill. Challenge your players with tossing their ball in the air and then have them pass the ball before catching it again. This drill can be repeated or timed for maximum effect.
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6. Target Practice
Step up serving drills by adding an element of accuracy. Prompt your students to line up at the service line and then task each player with serving their ball into a specific zone on the other side of the court. Each player will get a turn to serve as you call out different zones each time.
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7. Mini-Volleyball
Mini-volleyball is a great way for your younger players to practice their volleyball skills! In this game, the rules are adjusted for kids as they’ll use larger balls, a lowered net, and a smaller team. Adapting the game to meet the standards of your children while also giving them ample chance to practice their skills.
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8. Passing Circle
Encourage proper ball technique by arranging small groups in a circle before instructing one player to stand in the middle of the circle. Then, task the middle player with tossing the ball up and calling out a direction. When the direction is called out, the rest of the group will shuffle in that direction before passing the ball back to the middle.
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9. Ball Controls
Ball control is a key skill that your team will always use. Develop their skills by providing them with a sequence of passes that they’ll have to repeat in a specific order. Encourage them to repeat the sequence as many times as they can in an allocated period of time.
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10. Two Player Pepper
Simply start by pairing up your students before giving them a ball and inviting them to stand a few feet apart. One partner will hit a down ball to their partner who’ll then perform an overhead, right fist, left fist, and set before returning the ball to the partner. Once the drill has been run a few times, prompt them to switch rolls so that each player gets a chance to practice these passes.
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11. One Hand Ball Control
Your students will perfect their ball control as you have them carry out this one-hand passing drill! Challenge them with passing balls to themselves using one hand, making sure to switch hands after a few bounces.
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12. 2 on 6
Playing this 2 on 6 drill will ensure your players become masters at communication. Task them with performing scrimmages where one team has two players and the other has six. This drill will force the team with fewer members to communicate effectively in order to successfully defend their side of the court.
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13. Core Strength
Core strength plays a vital role in polishing your students’ blocking skills. Simply invite them to perform static exercises such as plank push-ups, plank rolls, or the superwoman stance to work on building this key muscle group.
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14. Off The Ground
Here’s another drill that incorporates keeping the ball off the ground. Teach your players the correct way to sprawl by tossing a ball over the net before prompting them to perform a sideways slide on the floor to keep the ball off the ground.
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15. Beat The Ball to The Setter
Customize this drill to provide your team with a diverse set of situations. Start by tossing a ball to your passer on the other side of the court. They’ll then pass the ball to the setter, who’ll set the ball up for the hitter. Play around with different sequences of play to ensure your team gets the most out of their practice sessions.
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16. Scrimmage
Running scrimmages at the end of practice is a great way to judge your team’s tactics. Simply divide your team into two groups of six players before inviting them to simulate game scenarios by treating each scrimmage like a real-life game situation.
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17. Practice Serving at Home
If you’re on a budget or don’t have volleyball equipment at home, you can still work on your serving skills! Start by sticking painter’s tape on a wall to create a target for serving. Then, practice serving balls at the target and switch up the positioning once you’ve perfected each target.
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18. Setting the Fan
This fan drill is fantastic for working on setting skills! Simply have your coach toss balls to your players who are lined up at the net. Then, prompt them to set the ball to a target before returning to the end of the line. Fan the drill out by switching up the position where your players will set the ball.
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19. Amoeba Serving
Here’s a fun serving drill that’s also great for tryouts! Gather your students at the serving line and challenge them to accurately serve the ball to you at a designated position on the opposite side of the court. If the player gets their serve on target they’ll stay on the serving line, but if they miss the target they’ll join you on the opposite side of the court.
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20. Watch Demonstrations
Watching demonstrations of volleyball skills can be helpful when introducing your team to new skills. Encourage them to watch players perform the move before tasking them with mimicking the move as accurately as possible.
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21. Serving Progression
Break down the steps of service to allow your players to fine-tune each position. Simply start by prompting them to toss the ball up and letting it fall at the same position, before progressing to the service line as they perform all these steps together.
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22. Partner Drills
Working with partners can be customized to allow your students to practice a variety of skills. From simple passing to more complicated ball-rolling drills – your team is sure to improve their basic skills in leaps and bounds.
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23. Shadow Drills
Gather your students into a corner of the court and then prompt them to move to different zones throughout the court. Encourage them to mimic different movements and passes as they go, to engage them in an effective warm up drill.
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24. Defensive Positioning
Defensive positionings are an important part of any volleyball game. Have your players work on their defensive tactics by splitting them into groups before assigning them different defensive roles. After setting out their positions, toss a ball onto the court before prompting them to utilize tactics like the “down and ready stance” or “diving”.
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25. Hit The Cone
For this drill, start by placing cones at various spots on the volleyball court. Then, instruct each learner to serve the ball with the aim of knocking down a cone. Ensure that you rotate the servers after each try to give each player a chance to practice their target hitting.
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26. Set And Spike
Pair up your students for this set and spike drill. Simply allocate one person as the “setter” and the other as the “spiker”. Once paired up, task the setter with lofting the ball into the air before prompting the spiker to execute a mid-air strike.
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27. Rotation Drills
Introduce your players to basic strategies of volleyball with a rotation drill. Establish a starting formation before calling out “rotate” at intervals to instruct them to move to their next position in a clockwise manner.
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28. Setters Round Robin
Familiarize your team with a variety of setting experiences. Start by positioning a setter at a fixed spot on one side of the court while the rest of the team is positioned on the other side of the court. Then, call out different types of sets before each rotation to get them comfortable with different strategies of play.
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29. Bump Catch
Perfect your players’ basic skills by having them carry out this bump and catch drill. Form pairs of students and provide each pair with a ball before prompting one person to bump the ball in the air toward their partner. Their partner will then catch the ball and repeat the process back to their teammate.
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30. Fast Feet Drill
Develop fast feet in your team with these agility ladder drills! Begin by laying down the ladder before challenging them to run through the ladder as fast as possible – while focusing on high knee lifts, side shuffles, and more.
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31. Serving Relay Race
Invite your learners to a competitive serving race! Start by dividing your team into two groups before prompting them to line up on the serving line. The first player in each group will serve the ball over the net and then return to the end of the line. The group that makes the most successful serves over the net wins!
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32. Pepper Drill Variation
Here’s a dynamic drill that will get your players working as a team! Simply organize them into trios made up of a passer, setter, and hitter. Start the drill by passing a ball to the passer – they will then bump the ball to the setter, who will then set the ball up for the hitter, before spiking it over the net to another team. Once the ball makes it over the net, prompt the team on the opposite side to repeat the same sequence of passes.
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33. Lie and Set
Have your players pair up to work on their setting skills. One player in each pair will lie on their back while the other player drops a ball into their hands. The player on the floor must then accurately set the ball upwards for their partner to catch and then repeat the process.
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34. Net Blocking
Combine spiking and blocking in this dynamic drill! Split your team up into two groups to be positioned on either side of the net. Then, allow one group to spike the ball over the net while the other group focuses solely on blocking the incoming ball. Rotate roles after a set number of attempts to ensure each player practices both their spiking and blocking.
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35. Digging Line
Digging is a basic skill that your players will perfect with this drill. Begin by inviting your students to form a line on one side of the net before a coach tosses a ball over the net to the first player. You’ll then prompt that player to dig the ball in order to keep it in play, before having them move to the end of the line.
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36. Serving Under Pressure
Your team will face many distractions in a game, so give them the upper hand by practicing drills with distractions! Designate one player who’ll be the server and have the rest of your team stand on the opposite side of the net. Proceed by prompting them to distract the player on the opposite side while they attempt to successfully serve the ball.
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37. Queen of the Court
To carry out this fun-filled drill, divide your students into small teams before prompting them to start a rally. The team that wins the point will stay on the court, while the losing team is replaced with a new team.
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38. Deep Digs
Work on your players’ digging skills with this energetic activity! Assign a coach or designated player to hit balls deep into the court and then task each player with running to dig the ball before it hits the ground.
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39. Net Skimming Drill
Rectify common net-hitting mistakes with this drill. Begin by setting a target slightly higher than the net’s height. Then, direct each player to serve the ball – aiming to barely pass over the net. It’s a great way to work on serving precision as your learners get multiple attempts to rectify any mistakes.
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40. Digging out of the Net Drill
Invite your players to work on their digging skills. Simply position a player near the net and then have a coach or designated player lightly hit a ball into the net. You’ll then prompt the player to dig the ball out from the net to keep it in play. Conduct multiple rounds of this thorough drill to ensure everyone gets a turn.
41. Sit and Set
Develop your students’ fitness and agility in one drill! Challenge them with setting the ball while sitting before prompting them to quickly stand up and spike the ball over the net. Perform multiple rounds to monitor their progress while also recording the number of successful sets.
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42. Overhead Passing Drills
Work on your players’ overhead passing by pairing them up and inviting them to stand a few feet apart. Proceed by encouraging them to perform overhead passes to each other to perfect their basic skills.
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43. Rapid Fire Passing
Turn up the heat in practice with this fast-paced drill! Scatter your players on one side of the court and then have a coach or designated players toss multiple balls rapidly toward them. Task each player with passing the ball back quickly before the next ball is tossed their way.
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44. Double Blocking Drills
Pair up your students as they work on their double-blocking skills. Start by positioning each pair at the net and then prompt them to shuffle sideways before jumping and blocking the ball in unison.
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45. Zig-Zag Passing
Start by setting your learners in a zig-zag pattern across each side of the net. Then, challenge them with passing the ball in the zig-zag from one end of the court to the other. Once the ball reaches the end of the line, have the last player pass the ball back to the beginning to repeat the drill.
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46. Serve and Chase
Explosive power is a key part of every volleyball game. To carry out this drill, task each player with serving the ball and then have them immediately run to the other side of the net to catch it. You can repeat the drill to track improvement or time each player to add a competitive element.
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47. Shuffle Warm Up
Here’s a warm up that’s sure to loosen up your players! Simply guide them in taking up a squat position before prompting them to shuffle to different positions on the court. Once they’ve warmed up, spice up the drill by tossing balls for them to pass back to you or another player.
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48. Pancake Drills
Simulate scenarios where players will have to dive and slide! Have a coach toss balls to them before prompting them to slide onto the floor to perform a pancake, while simultaneously keeping the ball off the ground.
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49. 3-Minute Drill
Test your students’ basics with this intense drill. Start by pairing them up and providing each pair with a ball. Then, start a timer for three minutes and challenge each pair to see how many volleys they can make to each other before the time runs out.
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50. Toss and Pass Drill
Polish your learners’ forearm pass by having them work in pairs. Task one player with tossing the ball to their partner who’ll then pass the ball back using a forearm pass. Once a few passes have been made, invite your learners to swap rolls before repeating the process.
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51. Dig or Dive
Get your players used to making decisions under pressure. Simply line them up on one side of the court and then have a coach spike or toss the balls to each player, calling out “dig” or “dive” before each pass. The objective of this drill is for each player to correctly execute a dig or dive based on the incoming call.
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52. Setter Dump Practice
Introduce your team to the “dump” move. Start by assigning one or more setters to a side of the net and divide the remaining players into two teams. Then, while carrying out scrimmages, allow only the setters to execute a dump to tip the ball over the net when least expected.
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53. Coverage Drill
Work on your teams’ coverage skills by dividing them into two groups. Then, challenge one group with spiking the ball over the net. When the ball is blocked by the opposing team, encourage the other team to practice covering their hitter by making sure the returned ball doesn’t hit the ground.
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54. Dig and Dash
This dig-and-dash drill is perfect for elevating basic skills! Simply start by passing balls to players at each corner of the court who’ll then dig the ball back to a player standing by the net. The net player will then toss the ball over the net and the player who’s dug the ball must sprint to the other side to play the ball before it touches the ground.
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55. Touch the Sky
Here’s another drill that’s all about developing your students’ explosive power. Mark a point on a high wall before challenging them to jump and touch the target. Ensure that you measure each jump to track your players’ progress.
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56. Shuffle and Block
Work on your teams’ individual skills with this shuffle and block drill. Invite them to line up in front of the net. Then, prompt each player to individually shuffle sideways along the net before tossing a ball and prompting them to perform a block.
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18 End of School Year Reflection Activity