Varsity volleyball drills use repetition to build a solid set of skills to apply to game situations. Coaches should not forget to factor in conditioning drills, which are an important aspect of volleyball training at the varsity level. Players should make sure to work on skills, movements, strategy and conditioning.
Skills
Coaching varsity volleyball skills requires the obvious drills that emphasize development in hitting, blocking and passing. A part of that training focuses on proper footwork, which is the foundation of all volleyball skills. According to the Strength and Power for Volleyball website, coaches must emphasize repetition to make sure players are consistently performing tasks correctly, and they should make sure that drills reflect the players' stage in the developmental process. An example is a drill that has half the varsity players on each side of the net, with one side working on attacking and the other on blocking. The coach tosses a ball up to the attacker and she must try to hit the ball through her teammate, who is trying to execute a block correctly.
Strategy
Varsity volleyball is a high level, one that commonly sees teams run set plays to take advantage of the opposition's weakness, and also has teams run specific defensive formations to counteract another team's top player. The Volleyball Advisors website features a drill that requires hitters to recognize the holes in the defense and alter their attacks to take advantage of those holes. The offensive team rotates two hitters on one side of the floor and they take sets from the setter as two blockers on the other side of the net leap. The hitter's job is to try and get through the block, while the setter and hitters on the offensive side need to know where to position themselves to keep the blocked ball from hitting the floor.
Conditioning
Coaches need to make sure their players maintain cardiovascular endurance and also muscular endurance. Sprinting drills can take care of the cardiovascular aspect while leaping and diving drills will aid in muscular development and maintenance. Common sprinting drills include "suicides," in which the coach marks five lines on the court. Players start at the baseline and sprint to the first line, then back to the baseline before sprinting to the second line and back. The drill continues until players finish all five sets. For muscular endurance, coaches can simply have all their players line up horizontally along the net. Every time the whistle blows, players have to jump like they are trying to make a block. Another muscular development drill has players dive like they are trying to get a ball and then get up as fast as possible to be ready for another hit.
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