Fun Volleyball Games & Drills

Since it was first played in 1895 at a YMCA in Massachusetts, volleyball has been a popular sport with children and adults alike. Volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1964 and, according to the Volleyball World Wide website, as of the 2000s more than 46 million Americans played the sport. Beach volleyball, two- and four-person games, walleyball played with a beach ball, volleyball for the hearing-impaired and water volleyball are just a few of volleyball's variations.

Getting Ready

Working on strength and endurance is crucial for any sport. Begin each practice session with some cardiovascular and strength training and encourage your players to maintain their fitness levels on their own during off periods. Use interval training for cardio, with short bursts of high-energy sprints to build stamina and strength. Include, too, dynamic or plyometric exercises, such as quick hops, jumps and throws, which, the American College on Sports Medicine explains, reduce injuries and condition an athlete's body to move with greater speed and power.

Hitting Drills

Repeat hitting drills frequently until the mechanics are second nature to your players. Stress the basics of good hitting, such as using a two-foot jump, swinging both arms forward, and snapping the wrist. Have players observe each other for the no-no's of one-foot jumps, fist hitting and the tennis serve with only one arm forward. To practice hitting, divide the players into pairs, with one on each side of the net. Players use a two-hand toss and spike the ball to their partner, jumping before spiking, Volleyball World Wide instructs.

Serving Drills

As with hitting drills, repeat serving drills frequently. For both underhand and overhand serves, have one player in a threesome keep scores on the other two players as they serve back and forth across the net. Volleyball World Wide suggests that the scorer tally how many serves each player can make in one minute, how many good serves each executes in a row and how many serves each hits on target. Rotate the players after five minutes so the server becomes the scorer.

Teamwork Game

The best teams are those with plenty of communication and camaraderie. To encourage those skills, play Queen of the Court during practice sessions. The LifeTips website suggests using two to four players and playing until one team scores a point. Rotate teams around the court, with the team scoring a point staying put, while other teams cheer on their teammates or rotate in themselves.

Sitting Game

For a class or a team with players of mixed abilities or disabilities, playing while sitting, on a smaller court with a low net, allows everyone to get in on the game. The rules, according to the United Cerebral Palsy website, require that players remain seated on the floor when serving, but that players can reach and stretch during play as long as they don't stand or kneel.