Doing volleyball drills may not be your favorite way to spend your afternoons, but the volleyball training will make you a much better player! Volleyball is one of the most enjoyable sports, especially for those who like to hit the beach. Playing indoor or beach volleyball can be fun, though many people take it seriously and spend a lot of time practicing. If you want to improve your skills and become a great volleyball player, it is important to spend time doing volleyball drills and getting volleyball training.
Volleyball Drills: Drills for Beginners
For those looking to improve their skills as beginners, there are many volleyball drills you can try. Here are a few of the best volleyball training drills for beginners picking up a volleyball for the first time:
Wall Hitting
For those who have yet to develop their skills with passing the balls with their hands, hitting a specific spot on the wall is going to be a challenge. You can draw a circle, hang a cloth, or mentally picture a spot on the wall to hit, and bounce the ball off the wall. This drill will help you to not only work on hitting the ball with your fingers, but will help you get just the right angle as well.
Toss and Pass
This drill needs two people standing face to face. One person throws the ball to the other person, and they pass it back and forth. Practice passing with your hands and fingers, as well as hitting the ball with the forearms. This will help to improve both accuracy and the ability to gauge the power needed to set or pass the ball.
Wall Blocks
Many beginners have a hard time blocking the ball without hitting the net. This drill basically involves you jumping straight up and touching a spot on the wall with your hands, but without any part of your arms touching the wall. Make sure to use good form for your block, and it will help to improve your ability to block without hitting the net.
Line Passing
This volleyball drill requires a lot of people, at least 4 to a side. Have all the players line up in two lines facing each other, and have the first person pass the ball to the first person of the other line. Once the ball is passed, the passer runs to the back of the line. Continue this drill for at least 10 minutes to get all the players accustomed to quickly hitting the ball and moving.
Volleyball Drills: Three Types of Volleyball Drills
Now that you have gotten some of the beginner volleyball training out of the way, it is important that you understand the three types of volleyball drills for the more advanced players:
1: Strategic, Tactical, and Systematic
These volleyball training exercises focus on working together as a team, using tactics and strategy to outthink the players on the other team. The drills usually involve a combination of skills used during the game, and they use each player’s individual skills to improve the team as a whole. Try these drills:
Two vs Six
Sounds unfair, but pitting two players against six will help the players to learn about playing defensively as well as working together effectively.
One vs One
Have one player take each side of the net, and have them volley off against each other in a limited space. They can only hit the ball once with their forearms, and this will help them to work on their stamina, running speed, and ball placement.
Two on Two
Divide the team into smaller teams of two players, and pit them against each other. The team that wins stays playing until they lose, and the teams change after each loss. All of these drills will help your team work together and understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
2: Movement and Skill Specific
These volleyball training drills work on specific skills and movements that each player needs to develop, such as serving, diving, blocking, setting, and spiking. All of these drills just go through the motions of developing the skills, and they are usually the beginner exercises (see above). A few more movement and skill specific drills to try include:
Progressive Serving
Line up all the players in two lines at the back of the court, and have them serve to each other. The person who serves the ball runs to the back of the line on the opposite side of the court.
Setting Drills
Place a player on each side of the net, and have them set the ball to each other over the net. This helps improve accuracy and height estimation.
Spiking Practice
Have two players on each side of the net, and have them take turns setting up and spiking the ball over the net.
3: Volleyball Conditioning
These volleyball drills are designed to improve your overall physical condition, thus helping to provide you with the strength and stamina for volleyball training. Here are a few drills for volleyball conditioning:
Consecutive Attacks
This drill helps to teach players how to attack the ball at every hit, no matter how tired they are. One person is placed to set the ball, and the hitter spikes as many balls as necessary until he has placed 10 spikes within the court boundaries.
Rotating Triangle
Set three players in a rough triangle on the court, and have them pass the ball to each other. Once the third player hits the ball, they all have to rotate to the next position without letting the ball touch the floor.
Pop Ups
Have each player lie on their belly on the floor, and make them jump to their feet and pass the ball when the whistle blows. This helps to improve the speed they can recover from a dive. These will focus more on speed, reflexes, strength, and stamina, all of which are needed in a game of volleyball.
Volleyball Drills: Volleyball Practice Tips
Are you getting into volleyball training doing volleyball drills? Here are some tips for you:
- Warm Up – Failing to warm up causes sore and tired muscles the next day.
- Practice Daily – Spend at least an hour practicing every day to see your skills improve greatly.
- Repeat, Repeat – Repeating a drill helps your muscles to store the movement in the muscle memory, making it easier to perform without having to think about it.
- Perfection Matters – Only by practicing the perfect movements will “practice make perfect”.
- Study – Learn as much as you can about the mechanics of the human body, how you move, and how you have to think when playing the game.