Volleyball Drills You Won’t Totally Hate This Season

Bump, set, spike—we all know the drill. As repetitive as this drill is, it can seem daunting and boring. Try out these three fun volleyball drills this fall. Whether you’re in a competitive league, community league, men’s volleyball team or women’s volleyball team, these drills will get you ready for the game without boring you to tears.

2 on 6

This may be intuitive, but let’s set the court really quick. On one side, arrange players in a normal six-player formation. On the other, have two players share the court. This will force the two-player side to effectively use teamwork, learn defensive skills like reading setters and hitters, improve team communication and actually pass the ball.

This drill is perfect for competitive volleyball players on the two-player side and new players on the six-player side. Not only will this drill help with competitiveness, it will also create confidence in players on the two-player side with the refinement of their abilities and skills.

1 on 1

This drill is great for players who need practice with bumping the ball. On each side of the court is one player only. Each player has just one chance to hit the ball back to the other side of the court. No spiking is allowed. The players must hit the ball with their forearms while their hands are held together.

To start the match, the first players serve the ball underhand. From there, the back and forth bumping of the ball will help improve the players’ bumping skills as well as their ability to track the ball across the court.

This drill is not only great for beginners who need the initial help in building up their skills, but it is also a great warm-up for even the most talented players. It gets them moving across the court, loosens up their joints and muscles, and gives their body a quick jolt of energy.

Team Block, Set and Spike

For those needing to improve their ability to set up a hitter or those needing to work on getting the ball past blockers, this drill is perfect. Four to five blockers will be lined up just behind the net on one side of the court. On the other side are two players – a setter and a hitter. The goal of this is for the setter to practice ball placement for the hitter and for the hitter to learn ball placement to bypass blockers.

For an even more intense drill, line six players up on the blocking side of the net. The extra challenge will teach both the setter and the hitter to look for small gaps and opportunities at the net to get the points they need to win.