Focused, repetitive drills can help volleyball players improve skills such as passing, setting, hitting and serving. When your team reaches the intermediate level, you can move beyond simple drills that focus on only one skill at a time. Look for skill drills that incorporate footwork, movement and conditioning while still giving players repeated opportunities to contact the ball.
Three-Player Weave
The three-player weave drill allows players to practice their passing, setting and movement in one drill. Divide your team into groups of three and give each group a ball. Each group should form a triangle, with two players standing only a few feet away and a third player standing about 10 feet away. The player standing 10 feet away occupies position B, and the other two players occupy positions A and C. Player A tosses the ball to Player B, who sets the ball to Player C, who passes the ball to Player A. Each time a player contacts the ball, he must follow the ball to a new position in the triangle. For example, Player A runs to position B after tossing the ball to Player B, and Player B runs to position C after setting the ball to Player C. Thus, the drill requires players to move continuously while working on different skills as they rotate positions.
Dead Fish
The dead fish drill requires players to work on the accuracy of their serve placement. Divide your players into two equal teams and have the groups line up on the end lines on opposite sides of the court. Give each player a ball and have stores of extra balls near each end line. Announce a time limit for the game and then blow the whistle to start the time. All players then serve at the same time. Players continue serving until they hit a serve in the net or out of bounds. If a player makes such an error, she becomes a “dead fish.” She must run to the other side of the court and sit down somewhere between the end line and the net. The servers on her team can bring her back to life by hitting a serve directly to her so that she can catch the ball without getting up. As soon as a dead fish catches a serve, she can return to her side of the court to keep serving with the team. As soon as time runs out, blow the whistle and determine a winner by counting the number of players left standing on each team.
Consecutive Attacking
In the consecutive attacking drill, players build endurance and consistency by practicing the approach to the net and the hitting motion over and over. Have your players form a line behind one end line. Stand on one side of the court with a store of balls. Players take turns approaching the net and attacking with a complete arm swing while you toss them balls. Each player must make 10 attack hits that fall in bounds before he can return to the back of the line. For an added challenge, require that players make 10 consecutive attack hits that fall in bounds. For greater efficiency, you can run this drill with one line of players on each side of the court if you have an assistant.
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