Volleyball players must be able to quickly move to the position of the ball on the court if they are to set plays effectively and score points. Often a player will have to watch the ball in the air while she moves, and cannot observe her feet in motion. This is why it is important to repetitively drill footwork until the movements become second nature on the court.
Shuffle Warm-Up
Shuffle movement is a frequently used type of footwork in volleyball and must be drilled often. University of Florida strength coach Matt DeLancey advocates having players shuffle 40 yards as a warm-up to every practice. At the start of the drill, players stand facing one direction in a half-squat position. When the whistle blows, they must shuffle 10 yards with their heads up and eyes forward. The players then rotate 180 degrees and shuffle back to the starting point. The drill is repeated for another set before practice begins.
Reactive X-Box
This drill challenges a player to receive a stimulus from the coach and then quickly react with the appropriate footwork. A player stands in the middle of four cones that are set up in a square, with each side of the square measuring roughly 15 feet. When the coach points to a cone, the player must quickly push off of the appropriate foot and sprint to the cone. After reaching the cone, the player sets up in her stance and then shuffles back to the center to await the next direction from the coach.
Get Out of the Hole
Front row blockers have very little time to react and must be able to quickly find the right position so that they can jump to stop the ball. For this drill, a blocker stands facing one side of the net, while a pair of hitters stands on the other side of the net on platforms so that they are above the net. The hitters should be on the left and right of the blocker. When the coach points to one hitter, she strikes her ball and the blocker must use quick footwork to jump and block it. After landing, the blocker must quickly reset and prepare for the next strike to block.
Serve-Receive Transition
A team must be able to move as a unit as the match progresses. To practice a team transition from serving to receiving, a squad of three back row hitters, a front row setter and a server stand on each side of the net at the start of this drill. The first server serves the ball to one of the hitters on the other side, who then tips the ball to the setter. The serving team meanwhile transitions into a receiving position on their side of the court. The setter hits the ball up and the first hitter moves into position to strike it over the net to a hitter on the receiving team. The receiving team returns the ball to end the drill.
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