Volleyball is a physically demanding sport that involves two teams hitting a ball over a net and attempting to score points by grounding the ball on the opponent's side. A good volleyball player has likely trained for years in a combination of individual strength training; plyometrics; and a variety of drills, including agility drills, speed drills, hitting drills, serving drills, bumping drills, setting drills and teamwork drills.
Serve-Receive Drill
In the serve-receive drill, servers attempt to serve the volleyball over the net to a specific target. The server can perform the drill alone by having designated serving spots and counting how many she correctly makes. The drill can also be performed using partners, with the server on one end of the court and the receiver moving around to the designated spots and attempting to receive the serves. The drill can be fashioned into a competition between servers and receivers.
Hitting Drill Line
This hitting drill is designed to help players practice proper hitting form and their approach to the net. The drill may be performed with or without volleyballs. If you do the drill with volleyballs, you will need players to serve the hits and retrieve balls. Begin by having the team line up along a sideline. The first player in line takes an approach to the net and follows through with the correct steps, body position and arm form as if going up for the spike. After the approach and pretend hit, the player quickly backpedals to the middle of the court and makes another approach to the net. The player finishes with a third approach to the net on the opposite side of the court from where he started. Players simultaneously rotate through.
Tip Drill
The tip drill helps players rebound balls tipped off the net or another player's fingertips. To perform the drill, one player assumes a low defensive position a few feet back from the net. Another player on the same side of the net tips the ball off the net and toward the head of the first teammate. The first teammate must dig the tipped ball and bump it up high, back to the second teammate. Continue a few times through before switching places.
Conditioning and Agility Drills
In addition to practicing volleyball skills and techniques, players must condition themselves for the game of volleyball, and this conditioning may involve strength training, general conditioning, speed drills and movement drills. Some basic agility drills include side shuffles, lunges, backpedaling and jumps. Plyometrics exercises that involve explosive movements also help develop jumping skills for servers and players at the net.
References
- "Volleyball Skills and Drills"; The American Volleyball Coaches Association; 2006
- "Complete Conditioning for Volleyball"; Allen E. Scates, Al Scates, Mike Linn, Vince Kowalick; 2003
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