Volleyball involves swift, coordinated movement about the court to keep the ball from hitting the ground and to set up the ball for teammates to score a point. Correct footwork is the foundation to success in positioning, blocks and sets, making footwork drills key for your volleyball training program.
Dot Drills
Set up a mat with five dots on it, arranged in the same pattern as the five side of a die. Move your feet in a variety of patterns over the dots as rapidly as possible for 10 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest.
Speed Ladder Drills
Speed ladder drills, a favorite among sport coaches, improve foot speed and agility and can be used as a warm-up. Sports Fitness Advisor, a website that provides scientific information regarding sport training, recommends pushing off the front of your feet, using your arms and moving your upper body as little as possible. Perform hopscotch, in-and-out drills and shuffle drills in the ladder to improve your footwork. Hopscotch drills can be done by jumping from one foot to two feet, then to the other foot. In-and-out-drills require you to step into one square with both feet, then outside of the square with both feet, then into the next square with both feet. Place both feet in a square, one foot out of the square, then both feet in the next square for the shuffle drill.
Cone Drills
Minnesota volleyball coach Sarah Wiley uses cone drills to improve the agility of her volleyball players, Stack magazine reports. In the fan drill, a player runs out to a first cone and back to a central starting place and repeats the process with two more cones. In the thunder foot drill, a partner provides hand cues for the direction that the player is to move in.
Shuffling
Shuffling is the most basic volleyball footwork drill, according to VolleyballAdvisors.com. The athlete moves her feet in tiny steps in any direction, without crossing her feet. This kind of foot movement makes it easy to make adjustments while an athlete is reacting to the position of the ball.
Blocking Drills
Working on blocking form can improve volleyball specific footwork. The online site Strength and Power for Volleyball.com recommends block jumps, where the athlete jumps up to mimic a volleyball block and concentrates on foot placement upon landing. In mirror drills, the athlete mimics a partner while performing a blocking movement and moving about the net.
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