Volleyball is a sport beloved by all, from kids to the elderly. Start with the basics by using these volleyball drills to get you started.
Volleyball is the perfect blend of athleticism, sport-specific skills, and fun! However, “fun” doesn’t mean you don’t need to practice! Once you decide to start taking the sport more seriously, you’ll need to develop some basic skills first. Like any other sport, volleyball has a few sport-specific skills that you must master to be an effective player.
In this article, we will equip you with the best drills to equip you with exactly what you need to jumpstart your career playing volleyball. You’re going to find the 9 best beginner volleyball drills that will cover;
These 9 beginner volleyball drills will instill the skill you need for success on the volleyball court!
“Over The Net” is a variation of “pepper drills”. Pepper drills simply refer to players hitting the ball back and forth to each other following a cycle of the 3 steps of hitting a ball;
This drill will utilize 3 players who will rotate positions while they deliver the ball back and forth over the net. Therefore, not only will you get to practice each of these hitting elements, you’ll get in a bit of conditioning and footwork as well. Aim to move quickly so that the drill can run through several cycles without stopping.
In order for the other team to score, they must be able to hit the volleyball to your side of the court. Therefore, it’s best to not let that happen. The “Blocking Form” drill will improve your ability to block the attack from the opposing team at the net. This drill is extremely simple and merely comprises 4-5 players lining up at the net. They will then jump to mimic blocking a shot. The key is to focus on form and fundamentals of the movement.
Volleyball can be a quick and unpredictable game. You can never be sure where the opposing team will hit the ball or where the ball will go after a dig. This means that you need to be quick with high levels of agility and change-of-direction skills. “Side-To-Sides” are an exceptional drill to improve your footwork so you can move anywhere. While not volleyball-specific, there are some great alterations you can do to simulate actual play.
Down Ups is another drill that uses a box to improve the agility and footwork of volleyball players. Further, Down Ups can also be used as a simple conditioning drill at the same time. While the Side-To-Side drill trained footwork laterally, “Down Ups” will train footwork moving forward and back.
Watch these athletes using VertiMax with different box drills!
The Around The World drill in volleyball is an intensive drill with quite a few moving parts. It comprises having one player work around the court in a circle while receiving passes from 6 other players positioned on the court. The main player will receive 8 tosses, which they will return with either a bump or set. The Around The World volleyball drill is a great beginner volleyball drill to train receiving and passing multiple balls while shuffling and maintaining a good athletic position.
A “” rally” in a volleyball game is when they play the ball continuously back and forth. During a game, rally’s can sometimes last a while until the winning team results from an error by the other team. The Rally Scoring game takes this concept and trains players to be consistent with their skills, decrease errors, and improve their ability to play at maximal levels for extended periods of time.
Earlier, we emphasized the importance of improving your ability to block a shot. Now we’re going to drill the importance of improving your attack skills so that the opposing team can’t block your shot. An effective attack shot starts before you even hit the ball. It actually begins as the setter sets the ball and you begin your approach to the ball. This is a crucial step as your approach to the attack can either place you in a good position to kill it or place you in the completely wrong spot. Similar to the blocking drill, you can perform this the “Approach Step Drill” with 4-5 players running through the motions with no-ball.
Look at how VertiMax can take the Approach Step drill to another level! See how this player is using VertiMax with a partner, setting a ball to spike it.
As you can guess, this drill is all about defense. Specifically, it’s going to train you to successfully dig a spike. This drill requires teams of two and can be played either with or without the net. Regardless of including a net, the attacker will simply serve to themself and then spike the ball. The defensive player will then defend the court and dig the ball. Drill this routinely, and you’ll be able to stop any spike the other ball delivers.
Pepper volleyball drill is the simplest variation of “pepper” drills. It will improve abilities in these areas:
To perform this drill, you need two players and a ball. One player will pass and set to themself and then hit the ball to the other player. They must receive the ball and pass and set to themself and then hit back to the other player. Another version is simply passing, setting, and hitting each other rather than passing and setting to yourself.
We just went over the 9 best volleyball drills for beginners. When performed together, the drills will provide a strong foundational base. Practice makes perfect, especially for the foundational skills.
For more ways to see how VertiMax can improve athletic performance and volleyball skills, check out the VertiMax Volleyball Instagram page and VertiMax Youtube channel.