"Short Court" is a widely-used and very fun warm-up game that is also very good for introducing and stabilizing three contact play. The extremely small court means the ball moves slowly which aids novice players in controlling each contact so they can more easily learn the rhythms and timings of the game as well as reading and responding to ball…
"Small sided games" are a great way to get players lots of quality repetitions in a fun and competitive environment. Fewer players means each athlete gets almost twice the ball contacts when compared to 6 vs 6 play. This particular game challenges the side with fewer players to "overcome the odds" and the team with more players to effectively utilize…
Learning to dig the ball effectively to the the center of the court is very important if a team wants to transition well. This drill encourages players to dig accurately by putting the setter under a lot of movement pressure. Defenders will be encouraged to defend accurately because inaccurately defended balls will be very difficult for setters to keep in…
Learning to rally effectively, as well as keep a rally going, is one of the primary objectives of volleyball. In this simple drill players on both sides of the net cooperate to control the ball and keep the ball in play - using a pass (dig), set, spike sequence for as long as possible. It helps players to focus on…
This cooperative "pepper" type progressive exercise helps players to improve their basic ball handling skills in several ways. It gives defenders plenty of medium paced ball contacts and helps them learn the angles needed to redirect a medium paced attack to a setter. It also helps setters improve their front and back setting skills. Sequence 2 builds on the initial…
This simple drill helps new players improve their lateral movement to the ball and their ability to receive the ball from one location and re-direct the ball to a different target.
This fours game puts players into a variety of different situations to improve their overall game play and ball control. In particular, defending against medium paced attacks, attacking "out-of-system," and in trouble situations.
A key feature of defense in volleyball is the ability to quickly back-up, yet keep your body weight forward once you have repositioned. This high volume drill helps the player to improve their ability to quickly back-up in a low defensive posture while keeping their body in the preferred weight forward position.
This is a fun drill to use with younger players, in a camp or clinic setting or as a bit of a ball warm-up drill. It's great for encouraging players to communicate, adapt, and get organized during a rally.
