Volleyball Drills Practice Plan Book

VOLLEYBALL DRILLS AND PRACTICE PLANS
by Coach Larry Reid
www.VolleyballPracticePlans.com
VOLLEYBALL DRILLS AND PRACTICE PLANS 2
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CONTENTS
Introduction...How to use this guide! ....................................................... 6
Passing and Setting - Section 1 ........................................................................... 7
1.1: Table Top ....................................................................................................................... 7
1.2: Moving table top ........................................................................................................... 7
1.3: Pepper ........................................................................................................................... 8
1.4: Serve Receive ................................................................................................................ 8
1.5: Continuous Passing ...................................................................................................... 8
1.6: 3-6-9 .............................................................................................................................. 9
1.7: Pipeline Passing .......................................................................................................... 10
1.8: Set and Follow ............................................................................................................ 10
1.9: Walking Setters ........................................................................................................... 11
1.10: 3-Station Passing ...................................................................................................... 11
1.11: Around The World Passing and Setting .................................................................... 12
1.12: Dig Drill ...................................................................................................................... 12
1.13: Dig and Dash Drill ...................................................................................................... 12
1.14: Net Save Drill ............................................................................................................. 13
1.15: Butterfly passing ....................................................................................................... 13
1.16: M passing ..................................................................................................................14
1.17: Keep It Up ................................................................................................................. 14
1.18: Deep Pass Drill .......................................................................................................... 15
1.19: Passing Circle ............................................................................................................ 16
1.20: Self / Partner Passing ................................................................................................16
1.21: Harass The Passer .................................................................................................... 17
1.22: Reaction Passing ...................................................................................................... 17
Hitting and Blocking - Section 2 ........................................................................ 19
2.1: Angle Your Block ......................................................................................................... 19
2.2: Approach Drill ..............................................................................................................19
2.3: Snap The Wrist ............................................................................................................ 20
2.4: Blocking Side .............................................................................................................. 20
2.5: Slide Block .................................................................................................................. 21
2.6: Target Hitting ............................................................................................................... 21
2.7: 10 Hits Drill .................................................................................................................. 22
2.8: Corner Tip Drill ............................................................................................................ 22
2.9: Wipe Off .......................................................................................................................23
2.10: Shadow Blocking ...................................................................................................... 23
2.11: Find The Hole ............................................................................................................ 24
2.12: Pass Marathon .......................................................................................................... 24
2.13: Apex Ball Catch .........................................................................................................25
2.14: Hourglass Attack Drill ................................................................................................ 25
2.15: Back Attack ............................................................................................................... 26
2.16: Tennis Ball Throw ...................................................................................................... 26

2.17: Tip, Cross, Line .......................................................................................................... 27

2.18: Blind Blocking ........................................................................................................... 28
2.19: Overpass Drill ............................................................................................................ 28
2.20: Attack Defend Footwork ........................................................................................... 29
2.21: Attack Defend Game Situation ..................................................................................29
Offense / Defense Tactics And Serving - Section 3 ........................................ 30
3.1: Over The Net ............................................................................................................... 30
3.2: Three Hits .................................................................................................................... 30
3.3: 10 Serves In ................................................................................................................ 31
3.4: Prepare To Defend ...................................................................................................... 31
3.5: Setting Up For Attack .................................................................................................. 32
3.6: Serve Receive 2 .......................................................................................................... 32
3.7: Turn And Dig ............................................................................................................... 33
3.8: Dig And Tip Recover ....................................................................................................33
3.9: Call The Hitter ..............................................................................................................34
3.10: Team Communication ............................................................................................... 34
3.11: Serving Tape .............................................................................................................. 35
3.12: Miss The Chairs ........................................................................................................ 35
3.13: Target Service Drill .....................................................................................................36
3.14: Prone Passing ........................................................................................................... 36
3.15: Double Attack ............................................................................................................ 37
3.16: Serve Reception Drill ................................................................................................. 37
3.17: Sit And Recover .........................................................................................................38
3.18: Triangle Speed Drill ....................................................................................................38
3.19: Serving Targets ......................................................................................................... 39
3.20: Location Hitting ......................................................................................................... 40
3.21: Blind Rally ..................................................................................................................40
3.22: Three vs. The D ......................................................................................................... 40
Running a Practice – Use the Practice Plans! .................................................. 42
Beginner Practice Plan #1 .................................................................................................. 43
Beginner Practice Plan #10 ................................................................................................52
Intermediate Practice Plan #1 ............................................................................................ 53


Intermediate Practice Plan #10 .......................................................................................... 62
Advanced Practice Plan #1 ................................................................................................ 63
Advanced Practice Plan #10 .............................................................................................. 72

By separating these drills into skill levels and

Introduction...How to age groups, we have attempted to make sure that
use this guide! the drills you are instructing are appropriate for the
kids you are coaching. You will, however, find that
Volleyball is a game that has been one of the many of the drills can be used at the other skill lev-
most popular team sports in the world for some els.
time. With big hits, blocks and fast paced action,
there are few sports that can keep you on the edge In the second half of the guide…we have pro-
of your seat like a good game of volleyball. There is vided you with 35 different practice plans you can
a lot to learn about volleyball and so many good put into action. Now, instead of trying to keep your
drills, but hopefully we can narrow things down with practice moving along, you will be able to run a
this list of drills and practice plan advice. tight ship with a minute-by-minute guide to your
next practice.
Running volleyball practices and building skills
is a challenge for any coach. That’s why we created That’s how a practice should run. If you want to
this guide – to take the guesswork out of it, and to maximize your practice time, you need to go into it
make your practices more effective, so you can with a plan. Sometimes that plan is impossible to
build the skills of your players through drills and put together with everything else that is going on in
good practice techniques. your life. We have designed these practice plans so
you can print the ones you like off on your printer
In the first half of the book, we have drills for and take them to practice, ready to roll.
passing and setting, hitting and blocking and then
different drills that will illustrate a few of the com- If you want, you can take the ones that work the
mon game situations in volleyball (serving, offensive best for you and make small adjustments, to tailor
and defensive drills). These drills are separated into the practice to your team and the skills they need to
skill level, with three skill levels being used through- work on. If you want, you can have certain practice
out the book. Each skill level will be represented by plans for certain days of the week, etc – the sky is
a picture, as you will see below: the limit!
Volleyball is an intense game, and building a

- this will represent younger play- player’s skills is not always easy. Starting with the
ers (ages 10 to 12 years old) fundamentals and working your way up is the best
way to coach a team. Strong fundamentals are the
key to putting a winning team on the field – and we
- this will represent middle age lev- have put together a resource to help get you there!
els (ages 13 to 16)
Best of luck!
- this represents higher age levels

(aged 16 and up)

Passing and Setting - Section 1

These two skills are essential to learn in volley- Result – With repetition, your players will develop
ball. They are the basics that allow for a good of- the basic skill of setting up for a pass to the setter.
fensive set up, and they provide the necessary de-
fense that will be used during the game. Most plays
in volleyball start with a good pass to the setter,
who then sets up the hitters. Without these two 1.2: Moving table top
elements of the game you might have trouble gen-
erating the game you want. The ball is not always going to come right to the
player – they need to be able to react and move to
the ball.
What you need – Form two lines and have a coach

1.1: Table Top at each station. The players should be divided into
two lines.
This will begin to give younger players the funda-
mentals of a good pass. How this drill works – Working a little further on
developing the proper passing skills, this drill will
What you need – You need enough balls for each help players get into position to make a good pass.
pair of kids to pass the ball back and forth.
The coach will toss the ball up, either to the right or
How this drill works – In this drill, you want the the left, at varying heights and the player must
kids to understand the importance of creating a flat shuffle and get into position underneath the ball in
‘table top’ surface with their forearms. It should be order to execute the proper pass.
explained that this is the surface from which all of
the play starts.
Proper technique of creating the table top, bending
the knees with one foot in front of the other, and
then lifting through the ball should be taught. Play-
ers should practice this by controlled passing back
and forth between their partners.
Result – This builds upon the previous basic skill of

creating the table top. Not only will they be able to
create the flat surface, but they will learn to do it
while on the move.

What you need – You should have a few players

1.3: Pepper serving (can be used for serving practice), and then
split the rest into passers and setters.
This is a very common game that we have
included in the beginner section because How this drill works – Every play starts with a
it is a great game to learn early and to
continue on with as the players mature. serve, therefore a good serve receive is very impor-
tant in starting your offensive play. This is a basic
What you need – You run this drill with two (possi- start to developing a good base for an offense.
bly three for triangle pepper) players, paired up to-
gether with a ball. The server will serve a typical serve (so the passer
can get to it), and the passer must react to where
How this drill works – The first player tosses the
ball up in the air to their partner and that person the ball is going and get in position to bump the ball
plays a pass (bump) back to the partner, who tries to the setter. The setter is just there to catch the
to set the ball for the partner, who then executes a ball at this point of the drill.
hit back to their partner, who then must get into po-
sition to pass the ball off of the hit. To make the drill more difficult, you can move the
This is a drill that should be done at half speed at setter around the court, forcing the passer to get
first. You want to make sure the players are using their body in a position to direct the pass to a par-
the drill to perfect their skills – not to just fool ticular place for the setter to get to.
around with the ball. It can be extremely valuable in
developing skills and to give the players a little bit of
fun in the skill development area.
Result – The basis for developing your offense be-

gins with this simple drill.
Result – A good drill to develop skills and improve

movement among teammates.
Bonus drill – Try triangle pepper with three players.
1.5: Continuous Passing
This is a great way to get the players moving and

1.4: Serve Receive also develop different passing skills.
This will be one of the most essential skills to help What you need - Partner up players of similar skills
your younger players learn. for this drill and give them a ball to execute this drill.

A coach is going to tell the players what kind of play

he or she wants them to do.
How this drill works - One player will start off the 1.6: 3-6-9
passing drill by tossing the ball to his or her partner,
then the coach will shout the type of pass he or she
One more passing drill that can be used for both
wants. It could be: A high pass, a flat low pass,
bumping and setting the ball.
passing the ball to oneself then passing it to the
partner, etc.
What you need - This drill will be run using the lines
on a traditional volleyball court. You can make
This drill will once again help players learn the es-
three lines of players, starting at the attack (3 meter)
sential basics of a controlled pass. It can be made
line. Three players (or coaches) are in front of those
more complex by having the coach tell them the
lines at the net.
type of set (or face pass) they want the player to
make as well.
How this drill works - Using either coaches or
players at the net, the ball will be tossed to a player
starting at the attack line. The passer must get into
position to return the ball to the coach or player at
the net.
Once they are through the first pass (at the attack
line), then the players will move back another 3 me-
ters. They will now be 6 meters away from the net
and the same thing is done. Then again at 9 me-
ters.
Result - Increased skill passing the ball in a variety You can also do this with setters as an extra drill to
of scenarios and situations. work on skills.
Recommended Resource
The diagrams included in this ebook

were created in 3 mega-easy steps
using the incredible Volleyball Blueprint
software. To get the full story (and learn how to
create stunning animated, drills and plays in 5
minutes or less), go to:
www.VolleyballBlueprint.com
Result - Players will start to gauge the distance and
force that is required to get the ball to a target at a
specific distance.

1.8: Set and Follow

1.7: Pipeline Passing
A great setting drill that will help a setter keep their
This drill will build on previous skills learned and head up and develop good footwork
provide players with greater lateral movement and
passing combined What you need - Put players into groups of three,
each with a ball.
What you need - Make tape lines down the middle
of the court 12 feet apart. Two players will be pass- How this drill works - This is a very simple drill, but
ing with one ball inside this area. one that helps in a variety of areas for the players.
One side of the drill starts with two players, the
How this drill works - The players start in the mid- other has the lone player.
dle of the two tape lines. The drill starts with one
person tossing the ball to the other. This person One of the players from the two side will toss the
must then shuffle to their right and touch the tape ball to the single player and then follow the ball to
line before coming back to the middle. Their part- that side. The single player will then set the ball to
ner will have made a pass back to them, and they the other side and then follow his or her pass, and
must shuffle to their right to touch the line and re- so on.
turn to the center.
Players should be able to do this continuously with
This is a continuous drill for the players and they will good sets. The sets should be controlled and
move back and forth in between the lines with each coaches should be on the lookout for proper tech-
pass they make. The object is to make a good nique and quality of sets.
pass, touch the line and get back to the center by
the time the ball comes back again. If players can
make 10 consecutive passes (5 each) then they can
rotate with another pair.
Result - This drill will help players develop the set-

ting skills they will need to build up to the hitting
portion of the game. Good sets are key to a good
offensive team.
Result - Improve lateral movement and passing
skills.

1.9: Walking Setters 1.10: 3-Station Passing
This drill is great for your setters to learn good ball This is a quick drill that forces a player to get into
control and concentration as well as the focus for position in three separate places on the court
good setting.
What you need - You can divide the players into
What you need - Clear the court for the setters ( two groups, on each side of the court. Coaches will
you can have all players try this drill if you like), di- be in the middle, at the net, ready to deliver the
vide the players into two groups on each side of the balls. Once players get this drill down pat, you can
court. add a setter later on.
How this drill works - Setters will work on their How this drill works - With the coach in the mid-
setting skills while they are walking along the court dle, at the net, he or she will start the drill by tossing
– both backwards and forwards. Starting in one the ball to the player at the back right of the court,
corner, the player will go across the court forward, and then tossing a ball near the attack line, and
maintaining good control and good height on the then another to the back left of the court. See the
ball, while walking. diagram below for more detail:
Then at the other side of the court, the setter will

move over along the sideline of the court about 10
feet, then walk backwards while maintaining good
controlled sets. Once at the other side, they will
move up and then shuffle across to the other side.
See the diagram below for more detail
The coach will toss a high ball to the back right, a

short one at the attack line (simulating a tip) and
then a straight ball to the back (to simulate a deep
bump or set). The player must make a good pass at
each station – good footwork and form is a must.
Result - Players will develop greater control and

Result - Improve footwork and quickness and abil-
concentration as they try to keep their sets in the air
ity to react and get into position to make a good
while they are walking forward, backward and shuf-
pass.
fling.

1.11: Around The World Passing and Set- 1.12: Dig Drill
ting
Passing a big hit requires a little fearlessness, but
This drill will work both passing and setting, along position and technique as well.
with footwork to build skills.
What you need - Coach hitting balls – you can
What you need - You will need the entire court area have two or more groups so players can get a bit
and one line of players outside the court, between more repetition.
the back and attack line (see diagram). Three toss-
ers are needed on each side of the net for this drill. How this drill works - The coach simply puts a lit-
tle juice behind the ball and has the players get the
How this drill works - The player will move inside ball up for a good pass. Proper technique (getting
the court and receive the first pass from the first low, lifting through, not swinging arms) is very im-
tosser. Then, he or she will shuffle to the next portant to reinforce in this drill. Players should be
tosser and receive a pass, and they must set it back able to control the pass on most hits if they absorb
to them. Then to the third passer where they will the ball rather than try to meet it with contact.
bump the ball back to the tosser. This sequence
happens throughout the entire drill – as shown in
the diagram.
Result - Greater skill in controlling hit balls will

make your team better defensively. This is a basic
drill that many teams use as a game time warm up
as well.
The dotted lines represent the pass that needs to

be made back to the tosser, and the solid line indi-
cates movement by the player. 1.13: Dig and Dash Drill
Result - This works as a great skill developer, but Quick reaction for a variety of skills makes a volley-
you can also pick up the pace and make it a great ball player complete.
conditioning drill as well.
What you need - The coach will be at the net, and
there will be two lines of players, each either corner

of the court. See the diagram for further descrip-

tion. What you need - The coach will stand at mid-court,
and there will be two lines on either side of the at-
tack line. See the diagram for further information.
How this drill works - The coach will first start this
drill by hitting the ball down to one of the lines. The
player must bump the ball back up to the players How this drill works - The coach will throw a
next to the coach (who shag balls), and then sprint ball against the net to simulate how the ball will find
(blue) to the other side of the net, where the coach the net during the course of the game. The player
has flipped the ball as if it were a tip. will need to watch where the ball is going to go, and
then get into position to get under the ball in order
The coach will alternate sides with this drill, and to recover it.
each time a player digs then tips they will go to the
line next to the coach. Each time a player shagging It is important for the player to not immediately go
the ball gives to the coach, they take a place in one to where they anticipate the ball to go, but to watch
of the lines to dig the ball. the ball come off the net. Depending on how the
ball hits the net predicts how it will come off the net.
Players should be in proper position for a good dig;
they should not just be trying to get the ball up The object of this drill is to teach players to watch
quickly in order to make it to the other side of the the ball off the net, and then to be able to execute a
net for the tip. Good form on passes: coaches can solid pass to one of their teammates. With proper
penalize players that make bad passes. reaction, the player should be able to set up and get
into a good position to make this pass.
Result - This is a great quickness drill that is not
only going to work on the proper form for passes, Result - Net balls can be unpredictable, and prac-
but the quick reaction that is necessary to field er- tice recovering them is going to be able to improve
rant balls, even when they go astray. the overall skills of your team.
1.14: Net Save Drill 1.15: Butterfly passing
Saving the ball off the net is one skill that is good to This drill gets players moving, and putting together
teach and build for game situations. serving, serve reception and targeting the setter

What you need - You can run the drill on two lateral What you need - You can work this drill on both
halves of the court, but each side must have a tar- sides of the court with little trouble. Divide the
get person (at the net), passers and servers. You players into even sides and have a coach on each
can see the diagram below. side.
How this drill works - This is a continuous drill, as How this drill works - Picture an M, and how it
each person follows where they send the ball. The would look on a volleyball court. That is how the
server will serve the ball to the passer, (follow the players are going to move in this drill.
ball to the passing line), the passer will get into po-
sition and pass the ball to the target (then follow to First, they will start in the back left corner and the
the target position), and the target will catch the coach will toss them a ball, they have to make a
ball, and then return it to the serving line. good pass back to the coach and then move
straight ahead to just inside the attack line where
It should be continuous. Each line should be the coach will toss the ball to them and they need
equipped with two balls (maybe three) to ensure it to set the ball.
continues moving. See the diagram for further in-
struction: Then the player must move to the back-court mid-
dle position where they can then get a tipped ball
from the coach. Then they must get up and move
to the front right, just in front of the attack line to set
the ball back to the coach. Finally, they must back
peddle to the back right corner for another serve
reception.
It isn’t as difficult as it look in the diagram. The

dotted lines represent passes or serves. The solid
lines represent movement. Server moves to the
back of the passers line, passer to target, target to
serving.
Result - Good warm up drill that gets players Result - Good conditioning and a variety of work on
into the idea of serve reception and moving the feet. several passing skills.
1.17: Keep It Up
1.16: M passing
This drill is going to keep players on their toes and
Drill to utilize movement and proper positioning at a make them work for the extra passes
quicker pace. For both passers and setters

What you need - You can do this with as many

groups as you have coaches. It might only be one,
but you can also use one of your older team players 1.18: Deep Pass Drill
to help in this drill.
You aren’t always going to be able to hit the ball
How this drill works - One person at a time will get into the opposing court; sometimes you are going
the chance to keep the consecutive balls in the air to have to bump the ball deep.
as the coach will toss them about. The coach does
not keep hitting the balls to make it easy for the What you need - Set up three targets to typically
player – it is a combination of different things – tips, abandoned defensive areas on the court. Set up a
sets, hits, bumps, etc. defensive formation on one side of the net. See
diagram for further description.
The player must respond to where the ball is going
and the speed at which it is getting there. This is
almost like a modified game of pepper that will help
increase quickness and reaction time for the player.
Each time the coach touches the ball, the player
must keep the ball in the air, and or pass it back to
the coach.
A coach might do the following: set, (pass back),

hit (dig), tip (dive), deep set (get up and move to get
it), tip short (dive), etc. The object is for the coach
to give the player reachable balls, but to challenge
that player to move quicker and to get into position. How this drill works - Once the ball comes over
the net, the receiving team will execute typical three
This can be an exciting and motivational game for hits – except that the last hit will be a deep forearm
the entire team, as they see who can keep the most pass, or even a face pass to one of the targets.
consecutive balls in the air.
Players need to focus on making the third hit pass
as deep as possible. And to put the players in the
right mindset of hitting the ball deep, the targets are
there to help.
Each receiving team will have 10 points to work

with. If they miss a target when they pass, then
they lose two points. If they hit the targets they
don’t lose any points. Each time the team hits a
target they rotate. If they can get through the entire
rotation with at least two point intact, then they
don’t have to do lines.
Result - Greater control and quickness moving to
the ball.

of communication and a team’s ability to work as a

For each two points they are in the negative the en- unit.
tire team will do a set of lines.
Result - Another skill that can be put to very good

use during a game. Deep balls are much harder
than short ones to try and field, and they can catch
an opponent napping in their own court.
1.19: Passing Circle

Result - Work on control and communication, while
This helps players keep their concentration while they are moving around the circle.
moving their feet
What you need - You can put four or five players Recommended Resource
together in a group. The player that starts with the
ball is the leader for this drill. They should be in a The diagrams included in this ebook
circle, or something that resembles a circle.
How this drill works - This drill is meant for good create stunning animated, drills and plays in 5
control, and will help players with their footwork, minutes or less), go to:
awareness of where others are, and quality passes.
The leader will call out the direction the circle is go-
ing to rotate and then tosses the ball about 10 to 15
feet in the air. The circle will begin to move around
in the direction the leader called to begin with. The
ball must stay in the same general place while the
players move around in the circle.
1.20: Self / Partner Passing
As the players move around and get under the ball,
they must be aware of where the other players are Once again good for control and making sure that
so they don’t run into them trying to get to the ball. the right technique is being used in the passing
This develops court awareness. Controlled passes drills.
helps the next player to get under the ball. The ball
is always passed straight up – never to another What you need - Pair players up of like skills and
player. give them each a ball to use.
At any time just before the next player passes the How this drill works - This is a simple drill in de-
ball (straight up), the leader can call out a direction
sign, but it teaches focus and control on the pass-
change and the entire circle must move rotate in
that direction. The direction change is a good test

ing. passer – but never to touch them. They are trying

to break the concentration of the passer as they try
to get the ball to the target players.
The first player will toss the ball to the second. The
second player then passes the ball directly up, and Result - Focus and awareness are increased with
to themselves, and then makes the pass to his or this drill.
her partner. Then the partner receives it, passes the
ball to him or herself, and then passes it to the part-
ner.
1.22: Reaction Passing
This drill goes on and on to try and maintain focus
and concentration with the players. This is a drill aimed at helping the player react to
where the ball is going.
Result - Greater focus and control on the passes.
What you need - Have two or three servers on
each side, and also have a line of passers at each
side.
1.21: Harass The Passer
How this drill works - The coach will blow the
Sometimes dealing with outside distraction can whistle to signal to the players that the play has be-
cause a player to foul up on a play. gun. The server will serve the ball and the passer
will have his or her back to the play. Once the pas-
What you need - You can have two or three servers ser hears the ball being stuck, they can turn around
on the other side of the net and a target player in and react to where the ball is being served. The
the middle. You will also have two passers splitting object is to get to the ball and make a good pass
the court down the vertical middle. Each of these using their quick reaction skills.
passers will have a harasser.
This simulates the reaction needed defend against
How this drill works - The servers will serve the quick attacks on defense. Players must get into
ball and the passers need to execute a good pass. position to defend quickly. This drill can also be
It sounds quite simple on the surface, but there is a used against attacks instead of serves.
little bit of a twist to this drill.
Each passer has the harasser in their back pocket.

This person is to yell, scream, stomp, and feint the

Result - Improved awareness and quick reaction.


Hitting and Blocking - Section 2

Result - Players will have a much better under-
Two areas that need special attention are hitting standing of how to set up a proper block.
and blocking. Both are essential to winning teams
and they have specific techniques that are crucial to
gain an early understanding for success. At the net
is where many points are won and lost, and your
2.2: Approach Drill
team can have the upper hand by working on the
skills in these drills.
One of the toughest things for young players to nail
down is the approach to hitting
What you need - You can set up many stations for

this drill as all you need is room to do a three-step
2.1: Angle Your Block
approach to the net.
One of the first things to teach a young player is the How this drill works - At first, when players are
importance of angling their blocks to the inside of first learning to hit the ball, you need to emphasize
the court. the proper approach. Players learning early on
might not have all of the coordination necessary to
What you need - Three blockers in their blocking execute this perfectly, but working on the drill is go-
ready positions and a coach on the opposite side of ing to help them out.
the net with a steady supply of balls.
The first times this drill is done, it is done without
How this drill works - After the coach has in- the ball – the ball has a tendency to distract the
structed the proper way to block balls back into the player from learning the proper approach technique.
court, he will stand in the middle of the opposite Once a player masters the approach, then he or she
court and toss balls to the different sides of the net can learn to contact the ball.
where the players will have to execute the block.
The balls will go to the left, the right and the middle,
and the players must angle their hands the appro-
priate way so when the ball deflects off of them, it
lands back in the court.
Result - Once a player can approach the net prop-

erly, it increases their success rate when they hit.
Plus, a proper approach now will pay huge divi-
dends down the road.

player has the two tools they need to become good

hitters, the approach and the proper ‘loading’ of the
arm.
2.3: Snap The Wrist
The wrist snap is what sends the ball at a sharp an-

gle to the floor. 2.4: Blocking Side
What you need – Each player should have a ball This will help blockers identify which side they
they can use to learn this drill. Each player should should be blocking on
be lined up about 10 to 15 feet from the wall to be-
gin. What you need - Three blockers; one on the left,
one in the middle and one on the right. The coach
How this drill works - To start, the player will toss should be on the other side of the net, along with
the ball up and hit it using the proper hitting reach three hitters.
back, strike and follow through. The ball should
land a couple of feet in front of the wall and bounce How this drill works - The coach will huddle with
up, deflect off the wall and up, so they can ap- his or her hitters and decide on which one of the
proach the wall again. hitters is going to attack.
This drill can be done continuously as long as the Once this is decided, then the coach will shout out,
player keeps using their wrist to snap the ball down BUMP, SET, and then the appropriate player will
to the floor in front of the wall. If the player cannot approach the net. At this point, the blockers must
get the ball to the floor before it hits the wall, then get into position to defend the phantom hit.
they are not contacting with the proper wrist snap.
Once hitters and blockers are comfortable with the
Conversely, if they have too much wrist snap, the drill, the coach can stand at the net with a ball and
ball will go straight down to the floor and not hit the they can toss the ball to the side that is going to hit
wall with enough force to come back so it can be hit – just to make the drill more real.
again.
Coaches need to watch for proper penetration (if
the younger players can reach significantly over the
net), and the right angle and timing of the hit, and
subsequent block.
Result - By learning the appropriate wrist snap, the

Result - Your players will be provided with better

reaction skills and will recognize blocking situations 2.6: Target Hitting
much easier.
This is a more advanced drill for those players that
are definitely going to be good hitters.
2.5: Slide Block What you need - Set up three chairs – one mid-
court left, right and center. There will be two lines
This will help players learn the proper place to set for hitters, on the right and in the middle.
up blocks when a player approaches to hit
How this drill works - The coach will toss the ball
What you need – Once again, you are going to have up at the net and the hitters will approach and try to
three blockers on one side, and you are going to execute three different hits: cross-court, middle
have three hitters on another. court and sideline hits. You can do this from each
of the two hitting positions.
How this drill works – You will have the three block-
ers set up in their blocking positions. The coach You might also consider having some of your more
will stand at the net with his or her face to the hit- adept hitters going from the left side of the court.
ters and back to the blockers. Also, another way to start building a little bit of
teamwork and timing among your players is to have
He or she will then point to the hitter that is to ap- the setter set for the hitters.
proach the net for a hit. This is a quick drill, and the
purpose of it is to help the blockers learn to slide Proper approach, proper reach and contact points,
together along the net in order to make the right and angling the body in the direction of the hit are
block. If they are supposed to go to the left, they essential teaching points for this drill.
shuffle to the left. Then if the hitter on the right is
approaching the net, they must slide and shuffle to
get into blocking position over there.
Result - Players will gain a little more variety in their

hits
Result - Proper movement and footwork to get into

position for the block.

ters and help them on specific coaching points.
2.7: 10 Hits Drill

This is a great repetition drill for your hitters The diagrams included in this ebook
What you need - Include a passer and setter on using the incredible Volleyball Blueprint
each side of the net for this hitting drill, and divide software. To get the full story (and learn how to
the rest of the team into two sides for hitting. create stunning animated, drills and plays in 5
How this drill works - The coaches will toss the
ball to the passers, who will pass to the setters,
who will then set the ball up for the hitters. Sounds
like a typical play, right? So far.
Each hitter will be required to contact the ball with 3

different things:
- no contact of the net tape by: the arm, the 2.8: Corner Tip Drill
ball, or anything else
- the ball must hit the opposition court This is a drill that will help the players learn to tip
- must hit the ball – it cannot be bumped the ball to certain uncovered areas of the court.
(tipping is OK, but no more than 3 can be tipped
across) What you need - Place baskets (clothes baskets
work fine here) inside the attack line on both sides
of the court and on both halves. Attackers should
be lined up in two groups (on either side of the net).
How this drill works - The coach will be in the

middle of the net, tossing balls up to the attackers.
The hitters must decide where they want to tip the
ball – to the far side, or just to the near basket.
Players that get the ball in the basket receive one

point – and the one with the most points at the end
of the drill has one less set of lines to do. This
makes it a great competitive drill for the players to
engage in.
Once a player has done this successfully 10 times,
then they are finished the drill. The last one to finish You can do two things to make this drill more effec-
the drill does an extra set of lines! tive. First, you can add a ‘blocker’ in to the fray, so
the attacker has to react to where the block is set
Result - The increased repetition is great for hitters. up and then decide where to tip. Second, you can
This is a great time for coaches to watch their hit- add the option of hitting the ball (with or without the

blocker), or deciding to tip it.

It is important to make sure the player understand
the concept of a wipe, instead of just hitting the ball
right into the block.
Result – The tip is an important skill to learn, as it

throws the defense into a spin when they are
guessing what is coming at them.
Result - Wiping the ball off the block successfully
will gain the offensive side several side out points, if
they are able to execute it successfully.
2.9: Wipe Off
Hitters need to learn to try and wipe their hits off of

well-placed blocks 2.10: Shadow Blocking
What you need - To start, you can use a device This drill will help a player to watch the attacker and
(homemade or not) that you can place above the his or her approach to be able to set the appropri-
net (or hold above the net) to simulate a blocker. ate block.
Later on, you can use actual blockers if you like.
Each side of the court has attackers ready to hit the What you need - You can pair players up of similar
ball and tossers to put the ball in play. skill and have them work together on this drill. This
drill is done without balls.
How this drill works - Either a coach or a player
can hold the ‘blocker’ up to simulate where the How this drill works - One pair will start off, and
block is the attacker will make an approach from the left
going to be set up, and from there the tosser tosses side of the offensive court. The blocker will set up a
the ball up and the attacker approaches. At this block on the other side of the net. Although there
point the attacker must decide how he or she is go- are no balls, the purpose of this drill is for the
ing to hit the ball. blocker to watch the approach, so they can discern
the angle and the timing of the attacker to set up
Depending on the angle and position of the block, the right block.
this drill is intended to help players learn to hit the
ball off the blockers hands and into the defensive Once the approach is done on the left, then the two
court. Coaches should instruct the players on how players shuffle to the middle and the attacker ap-
to read the blocks and how to know which way to proaches on the middle, and then the right, etc.
wipe the ball off the block. Each pair behind them will follow in succession to

make this a continuous drill. Once through, the need to try and hit areas where the defenders are
players will switch sides. not. This is an accuracy drill. You can switch the
defensive formations up to make this drill more dif-
It is important that players watch the attacker to ficult.
know and understand where they are going to set
up blocks. Once they can read the attacker, their
blocks will be more successful.
Result - The players will be able to read different

defenses and they will be much more adept at find-
Result - A better understanding of how the attacker ing holes in the defense.
is going to approach, and setting up the appropriate
block for the hit.

2.11: Find The Hole software. To get the full story (and learn how to
Each defense is set up differently, and this drill will
help attackers read and recognize where to hit the www.VolleyballBlueprint.com
ball.
What you need - Set up a defense in a standard

formation for attack defense. Their job is not to re-
turn the ball, but to act as a deterrent for the hitter.
The players not on defense should be attacking.
2.12: Pass Marathon
How this drill works - With the defense set up, the
attackers now have to make a decision as they are
This is a great warm up drill for the shoulders and
approaching the net of where to hit the ball. This
also to work on proper form for players when they
decision will be based on a couple of things: where
are passing.
the block is set up, and where the players are posi-
tioned.
What you need - Each player should have a ball; all
players will participate in this drill at the same time.
When the player approaches and hits the ball, they

the middle. (Coaches can be on both sides for

How this drill works - On the coaches whistle the greater repetition). Players are lined up at the at-
player will toss the ball in the air and then pass it to tack line.
themselves. They must continue to pass the ball to
themselves, under control. How this drill works - The object of this drill is to
get players used to reaching and capturing the ball
The player should focus on good body position, at the height of their approach and jump. This is
good control (not too high), lifting with the legs, a the best place to hit the ball on an attack.
flat ‘table top’ and focus on proper contact with the
arms. Those who need to work on passing will find The coach will slap the ball to signal for the player
this drill extremely valuable. If you have good pass- to get ready to approach. The coach will toss the
ers, this drill could last a while. ball (like a set), and the player will time the ball and
use their standard approach. With proper timing,
Each time a person loses control of the ball, or the player will catch the ball at the height of their
catches the ball, or it hits the ground, they are out jump – not when still rising, nor when falling from
of the marathon. The last person to be able to con- the peak of their jump.
tinue passing the ball to themselves is line-free at
the end of practice. This drill works on getting the right timing for an at-
tack, and can be utilized as a warm up drill for prac-
tices or games.
Result - Passing with control is essential for any

good offensive team. Increase the skill level of the Result - Hitting the ball at the attackers apex, in-
drill by forcing pairs to pass back and forth under creases the angle of descent of the ball. This im-
control. proves hitting consistency.
2.14: Hourglass Attack Drill

2.13: Apex Ball Catch
This is another, more difficult accuracy drill for hit-
Contact with the ball at the height of an at- ters
tackers jump is important.
What you need – Divide your team into four three-
What you need - The coach can stand at the net, in man teams (if you have the numbers) and they will

compete against each other in this drill. Each team

should have a power, offside hitter and middle hit-
ter. A taped hourglass should be made in the court
(as seen below).
How this drill works - See diagram
How this drill works - Ready for the hit or the

serve the receiving team is going to field the ball
and set up for a back row attack. The play should
be called prior to the ball being served, and the set-
ter should know which back row player is going to
hit.
Once the taped hourglass is in place, each side
must place their hits to the outside of the hourglass. Coaches should watch for proper back row ap-
The power hitter and offside hitters must each hit proach and hit, along with a set of the right height.
three times – one sideline hit, one cross-court hit
and one deep middle hit. The middle hitters must A back row attack is a great way to change the
hit sharp right and sharp left to the sidelines. pace of the game, and to add a few different tricks
to a team’s strategy. In this drill, rotate the players
Each time a player hits outside the hourglass, they each time two consecutive points are scored.
get a point – inside the hourglass, they lose a point.
The winning team gets to run one less set of lines This drill can be started by either service return, or
than the other teams. by digging an attack. Teams should practice both.
Result – Your players will be building their accuracy Result - Improving the back row attack game is go-
skills through this drill, along with the pressure of ing to help you round out the attack capabilities of
beating their teammates in this competitive game. your team.
2.15: Back Attack

2.16: Tennis Ball Throw
Works on attacks from the back row
This is a good drill to continue to work on the tech-
What you need - Field a full side of players, and nique of hitting the ball down.
have them in their regular serve or attack receive
positions. (See diagram) One server or attacker on What you need - Set up several different stations
the other side of the net. Other players can rotate across the net for attackers to work on their ap-
in. proach technique.

How this drill works - Each group should have a

coach prepared to give them a ball as they are ap-
proaching the net. When the drill begins, the play-
ers drops to the attack line, has the tennis ball 2.17: Tip, Cross, Line
handed to them, and then starts their standard ap-
proach to the net. This gets a player into a game-like mentality when
they might need to hit, recover and then hit again.
Once the player is in the air, they must use the
same action they would to hit the volleyball, when What you need - You can set the drill up on both
they throw the tennis ball. They need to bring the sides of the net. A coach or setter can be used to
ball back, keep their elbows high, and on the follow deliver the ball to the attacker.
through, they need to snap the wrist and drive the
ball down.
How this drill works - The attacker will line up in
their typical attack position and then the drill will
Players should pick their spots in order to make this
begin. Each attacker will have three types of attack
drill as close to a hitting simulation as possible.
to execute in succession – A cross-court hit, a side-
line hit and then a corner tip.
Once the first hit is done, the player must land, then
retreat to their proper defensive position, and then
when the coach signals, move back into their attack
position to do the next attack. This drill is done
continuously, and each attack, retreat, attack
should be done consecutively.
Result - This drill will help a player continue to de-

velop their approach and contact technique for hit-
ting.

were created in 3 mega-easy steps Result - Players will get their first taste of making
using the incredible Volleyball Blueprint an attack and then retreating off the net for tip cov-
software. To get the full story (and learn how to erage or other defensive responsibilities.


2.18: Blind Blocking 2.19: Overpass Drill
This teaches the player to read the attacker rather Sometimes the ball is set tight to the net and block-
than watch the ball during a game. ers and attackers need to be able to get up and
make a play on that ball despite the closeness to
What you need - Each of the players will be paired the net.
up with a player of similar skill, the coach will stand
at the net to toss the ball to the attackers. What you need – A set of attackers and a set of
blocker at the net. The coach will toss the balls up
How this drill works - Younger players have a ten- tight to the net.
dency to watch the ball during the game, and thus,
it makes them unprepared to set up an appropriate How this drill works – Once the ball has been
block. This drill will assist the player in focusing on tossed up, the attackers and the blockers need to
the attacker to set up a good block. react to where the ball is on the net. A ball that is
set tight to the net so either side can make a play
The attacker prepares to approach, and the blocker on it is called an overpass. The attacker needs to
is focused on that player in their attack position. decide if they need to make a defensive play
Based on the angle of approach and how the at- (block), tip, or if they can hit the ball down to the
tacker’s body is positioned, the blocker can read floor. The blocker needs to decide if they must do
and react to where the block should be set up. the same. Coaches should be teaching the differ-
Watch for shoulder angle, the angle of approach ent tactics to players for dealing with overpasses,
(straight ahead, 45 degree, etc). so their players can react accordingly.
Instead of watching the ball and anticipating the

block, the blocker will be watching the attacker and
then setting up the block based on body language.
You can add two blockers to this drill if you like.
Result - This is a fairly common occurrence in vol-

leyball, so the more time spent on this drill, the bet-
ter players will be prepared to handle it.
Result - Improved blocking because of the ability to

read the player’s body rather than the ball.

2.20: Attack Defend Footwork

2.21: Attack Defend Game Situation
The footwork to make the transition from attack to
defend is crucial. It can mean the difference be- This expands on the drill above by adding the ele-
tween a point won or lost. ment of the ball
What you need - You can do this drill with players What you need - The drill prior run with both sides
on both sides of the net. Once the drill begins, working off of one another, this one can be run with
when the attackers set up on one side, the other is the team divided on each side of the net.
defending, etc.
How this drill works - The coach(es) will be in the
How this drill works - This is a constant movement middle of the court at the net, and they will have
drill. When one side is executing one thing, the two balls – three attackers are on each side of the
other side should be doing the other. net. The first ball is the attack ball, and the second
ball is the defending ball. The coach will toss the
The coach will stand on the referee’s podium with a ball up to one of the attackers to hit, and then the
ball. He or she will put the ball on one side or the next ball will simulate a block or a tip. So the transi-
other. With the ball on one side, the players get tion from offense to defense is immediate.
ready to attack – and the side without the ball gets
ready to defend.
The ball is moved to the other side, and the defend-

ers get in their attack position. This goes back and
forth, and an emphasis should be placed on sound
footwork to transition from the attack position to the
defense position and vice versa.
Each side will alternate so they are not going

against each other.
Result - This drill adds on to the previous drill of

working with the footwork of offense, defense tran-
sition, only this time putting the ball into play.
Result - Players will develop more sound funda-

mental footwork to help them make the transition
from offense to defense.

Offense / Defense Tactics And Serving

Result - Serving consistency is one of the hallmarks
- Section 3
of a good team. This will dramatically increase the
In this section we are going to get into some of the number of wins your team has during the season.
basic tactics of volleyball and we are also going to
put in some basic serving drills. Learning the flow Recommended Resource
and tactic of volleyball increases with the level of
play, and the drills in this section will reflect those The diagrams included in this ebook
differences. were created in 3 mega-easy steps
3.1: Over The Net
Service can be one of the most challenging aspects

for younger players. Consistency is a must.
What you need - Line up the players on the service

line each with a number of balls per side. The
coach will be watching the technique and offering
3.2: Three Hits
assistance to players that are struggling.
How this drill works - This is a basic serving drill Getting three hits is something that should be
that will provide players with repetition in serving. worked on at the younger levels
This type of drill is something that you might want
to run every practice. What you need - Divide the team into groups of
three players each. The coach will begin the play.
Coaches need to reinforce to players that getting a
serve over the net is more important than hitting the How this drill works - Although at the earlier levels
ball hard. Showing the player the proper technique of volleyball getting the ball consistently over the
(overhand or underhand) is key, and then repetition net to the other side is sometimes a challenge,
is the next step. Players should understand that teams should work on getting the ball over using
their side cannot score a point unless the ball goes three hits.
over the net.
The coach will toss the ball to his or her players and
they will bump the ball up to the setter and the set-
ter will set the ball to the attacker. There are three
players per team and one will be the passer, an-
other the setter and the other the attacker. With
each attempt, the players will rotate positions.
The object of the drill is to get players familiar with

getting three hits on each side. Although they may

not always get this, they will become accustomed
to using three hits and may surprise you during a
game when they are able to execute it.
Result - This drill continues to reinforce the proper

serving techniques and the importance of getting
the serve in.
Result - A better grasp of getting three hits from

start to finish.
3.4: Prepare To Defend
This drill will help your players implement the defen-

3.3: 10 Serves In sive formation that you want
Serve consistency is essential to learn at the What you need - Have an entire team on each side
younger levels of the net. The coach will be in the middle of the
court at the net.
What you need - Divide the team into groups of
four. Line them up on the service line at each end How this drill works - Each side will start in an at-
of the court. tack set up. Upon the coach’s signal, they will re-
treat into their defensive formation based on where
How this drill works - Each team has the respon- the coach is standing. The area the coach is stand-
sibility to serve the ball to the other side, and the ing is where the attack is coming from. This defen-
first one to ten serves in wins. This is a king of the sive formation is based upon the type of defense
court game – so the winner stays on the court. the coach wants to run. The defensive formation on
each side of the net should mirror each other.
Each team will have one player serve at each time,
and then rotate between players and alternate with The coach will move to another area along the net,
the other side. The first team to 10 serves in stays and in the meantime the players will get back into
on the court. The team that is on the court at the the attack position. Then, once the coach stops, he
end of the game doesn’t have to run a set of lines. or she will signal the players to defend, and they
should prepare to defend based on where the
coach is stopped.

When the coach signals, (and sends the ball over

the net) the players must correspondingly get into
their places. The hitters need to get to the attack
line to prepare to hit, the setter needs to get to the
net, and the back row players need to get into posi-
tion.
Result - Players will learn their responsibilities on

the court, and recognize where they are supposed
to be, based on the attack.

were created in 3 mega-easy steps Result - Going from defense to offense may be
using the incredible Volleyball Blueprint more difficult than even going from offense back to
software. To get the full story (and learn how to defense. Practicing this should be a must.
3.6: Serve Receive 2
This drill will help both the servers and the serve
receivers.
What you need - Divide the team into two equal

3.5: Setting Up For Attack sides and have one side put together a serve re-
ceive formation.
Going from defense position immediately into at-
tack formation can be a difficult and confusing tran- How this drill works - Well, this drill will work on
sition. service and serve receive – two essential areas for
team success.
What you need - Start with the same two teams
on either side of the court, but now they will start in
the defensive position.
How this drill works - Each team will start in their

defensive side of the ball, and they will then need to
get into the offensive or attack position.

fore they are complete.
The servers will serve the ball to the serve receivers,

and they must field the ball and try to make a play
back to the other side of the net. Right now, the Result - Great reaction and awareness drill for
emphasis is on two things – getting the ball over players.
the net on the serve, and making a good pass to
the setter on serve reception.
Results - This will help both sides work on essential

3.8: Dig And Tip Recover
skills of serving and serve reception.
This expands on the above drill, but adds an extra

element.
3.7: Turn And Dig

What you need - Have the same set up as above.
This is a great deal to help the reaction skills of

How this drill works - It will work the same as the
players
above drill, only we are going to add an extra step
before the tip dig. Now, players will have to dig a
What you need - You can set up four stations (us-
hit, and then recover to dig a tipped ball.
ing player help) with the team divided into four
equal groups with one ball in each station.
Digging the ball takes a different reaction than dig-
ging a tipped ball. One puts you back on your heels
How this drill works - You will have four players at and the other one puts you on your toes. This is a
the net, standing on opposite sides, on each side of very common type of play in volleyball – you have
the court. The players will be in their groups lined to dig a spike and then recover to get to a ball that
up at the back of the court on the service line.
has been blocked back down on to your side.
The player that is at the net will be tipping the ball

so the player at the back court can dig that ball.
But, there is a catch. The player on the service line
will have his or her back to the player at the net.
When the player slaps the ball, the player on the
service line will turn around and have to locate the
ball that is being tipped or tossed to a certain place.
A player must dig the ball successfully 10 times be-

blockers by reading where the blockers are leaning

to set their block.
After 10 double digs a player is done this drill.
Result - This is an essential drill for good transition Result - The communication between team mem-
and for good reaction to some of the situations that bers is crucial.
occur during the game.
3.10: Team Communication
3.9: Call The Hitter Seeing the ball hit a hole in the defense is frustrat-
ing for the coach. This drill will help to tighten that
This is a communication drill for setters and hitters up.
What you need - Set up a front line of attackers, What you need - The coach will be on the referee’s
along with a setter at the net. After the first part of platform and the player will be set up in a serve re-
this drill is mastered, you can add blockers so the ceive or a defensive formation.
setter has to read the defense to set up the right
attack. How this drill works - Team communication can
avoid so many lost points. Having players stare at
How this drill works - The pass will come up to the each other after a ball goes between them (because
setter and he or she will call out to the hitters prior each thought the other was getting it), is frustrating.
to the set so they know which player is going to get
the ball. This works on communication for the The coach will throw the ball into areas where the
players. responsibility for getting the ball might be in ques-
tion. The players must communicate amongst each
Although most offenses at higher levels will pre- other to cover that area and get the ball. Active
determine the hit the team is going to go for during communication should be encouraged among
the play, sometimes a change of plan is necessary teammates.
and your players will have to react to the situations
on the floor. This is where the setter will benefit
from good communication with the attackers.
Once the communication is down pat, you can add

blockers and the attackers can try to out duel the

Result - Your players will continue to develop their

Later you can do this drill with serves, and with hits.
serving skills, setting the stage for the next drill.
Results - Better performance on the court for your

team with good communication.
3.12: Miss The Chairs
3.11: Serving Tape Serving to certain areas is a good way to make the
defense struggle to get the ball back for a good at-
This will help players make their serves more con- tack.
sistent over the net.
What you need - Set up three chairs in the back
What you need - You can line players up on each court of each side of the entire court. They should
of the service lines. Have a tape line from antenna be in a position where a team might have a stan-
to antenna, about 3 feet off the top tape of the net. dard service reception. You can also put a tape cir-
cle in a 2 foot radius around the chair.
How this drill works - The object of this drill is to
encourage players to serve the ball overhand and to How this drill works - In simple terms, your players
get the ball in between the top piece of tape on the cannot hit the chair or the circle area with their
net, and the tape line on the antenna. serves. The object is to try and hit the lanes be-
tween the players with the serves.
Each time a player goes over the net, or hits the
tape (upper or lower), they must do two finger tip If you can do this, you will create confusion among
push ups (good for hand strength). the defense and maybe win a few points from a
team that does not have the communication skills
Coaches should still be watching form proper form that your team does.
and that the players are under control when they
serve. Although this is a consistency drill, tech-
nique is still important, and at this age, there are
some players that need to work on their basic serv-
ing skills.

See diagram for further explanation.
Players that hit the tape circle area or the chair are
required to do two finger tip push ups.
How this drill works - Each server will have 10
Result - Greater serving accuracy and the players serves to hit the targets. Each target has to be hit
will begin to learn to pick the weak areas of a de- during the 10 serves. For each target that is
fense to serve to. missed, the player will do one set of lines. For each
time the ball does not go over the net, the player
will do two sets of lines.
The diagrams included in this ebook Serving is one area that any team can improve on.
were created in 3 mega-easy steps With a rally point system, missed serves give up
using the incredible Volleyball Blueprint crucial points and coaches need to emphasize the
software. To get the full story (and learn how to importance in this area.
minutes or less), go to: Coaches should focus on building the fundamentals
of serving in this drill. Work on good contact, good
www.VolleyballBlueprint.com trajectory and good toss and follow through.
Result - Any time you can improve the consistency

of your serves, you are going to make your team
better.
3.13: Target Service Drill

3.14: Prone Passing
Improving the accuracy and consistency of serves
is going to instantly make your team better. Getting the ball low on defense and
making a good pass is key to good defense.
What you need - Have three targets on the oppo-
site side of the court: one along the line, one What you need - Have three players line up on the
crosscourt and one short middle. Servers in groups service line on their stomachs. The coach and a
of six can line up along the service line to take turns target player will be up at the net.
serving.
How this drill works - The players will be on their

stomachs and the coach will slap the ball to get the
drill underway. The players do not know where the Both hitting players will approach the net and go
coach is going to toss the ball, so they all need to through the standard approach and hit motions on
be ready to play the ball to the target. this play. The key to this is for the setter and the
hitters to be able to communicate and deceive the
The key for players is to stay low and to be ready to defense. The setter should try and mix the play up
play the ball low. The coach is going to bounce the and change up who is hitting. You can add a third
ball so it stays low, rather than toss the ball to the player into the (offside hitter) mix to make the drill
players. The players will need to try and get the ball more difficult.
to the target in this drill.
Result - This is a good experience for the attackers

Result - This is going to help your players on plays
to learn, as this is a standard play at the high school
when they need to scoop the ball from mishits, tips
and college level.
and back-court pushes.
3.15: Double Attack

3.16: Serve Reception Drill
This is a basic play on offense that will add a little
bit of confusion for defenses. What you need – You The first place to start a good attack
can set up two different attackers on the court, a is with the proper and accurate pass from your
setter will be at the net. You can also have a pas- serve receivers
ser, with the coach tossing the ball to the passer to
start the play. What you need - Set up a serve receive team,
along with a setter at the net. Others on the team
How this drill works - This is going to be the first can be serving the ball to the other side. See the
demonstration of a tandem hit for players at this diagram for further description.
level.
The coach will toss the ball to the passer, who must
get the ball cleanly to the setter. The setter will then
call out the player he or she is setting to, and they
will hit the ball.

How this drill works - The players serving will vary

the types of serves that they send over the net and How this drill works - Each of the players will take
the serve receive team is going to have to practice up their normal defensive position on the court.
returning the serves with either a typical forearm They will be sitting down on their bottoms with their
pass, or an overhead face pass to their intended backs to the coach (yellow).
target.
Once the coach says “UP”, the players will get to
Servers should also try to serve the ball to different their feet as quickly as possible to read where the
areas of the court, in order to make the serve re- play is going and to respond to it. Coaches can tip
ceive team also have to move to get to the ball. the ball to certain areas, they can try to hit the ball
to certain area, or they can simulate the ball being
Coaches should watch for the proper technique in passed or set deep.
getting to the ball, and they should watch to make
sure that players are making the right decision to The object for the players is to react to where the
either forearm pass or to make a face pass. ball is going and then make a 3-hit play.
Result - Getting the right service reception is going At first, coaches may want to focus on just making
to help your players control the ball a lot easier the first pass to the setter. Once all players improve
when they are on the court. Proper service recep- at this skill, then you can go to a pass and a set.
tion sets up the best possible attack. Then finally, players will graduate to a full three-hit
drill.
Result - Players develop read and recognition

skills, along with the ability to still make plays when
they are forced to react quickly.
3.17: Sit And Recover
What you need – Include all six players on the floor.

Coach will be at the net with balls.
See diagram for set up.
3.18: Triangle Speed Drill

offside hits or power hits before having to make the

This simulates the quick action a player may have tip recover.
during the course of any game.
What you need - You can run this drill in two

groups, one on each side of the net. Each side will
need a coach (or a player) to work the balls from the
net. See the diagram for further instruction. 3.19: Serving Targets
This is going to help your players find the range on

the court when you are serving.
What you need - You should tape off three areas

for players to try and hit – back left corner, back
right corner and right in the center of the court.
Each box should be about 3 feet by 3 feet.
How this drill works - This is a simple accuracy

How this drill works - This drill starts with the drill that your servers can work on.
coach spiking the ball towards the player in the
corner, then the player runs up to make a middle hit, First, players should try to hit the left corner, then
then shuffles over to the power side and goes up to the right and then the middle. Each player must hit
make a block, then turns 180 degrees and dives to each of the targets completely before they can stop
make a save on a tipped ball. serving. Each time they serve the ball out of
bounds, or hit the net, they have to go back to the
The coach will spike the ball, then toss up the mid- last target they hit and hit that target again.
dle hit, then toss out the tipped ball to the sideline.
Players that make an accurate pass, contact on the
hit, make the block and then save the tip will be
done the drill. All others must continue until they
are able to succeed at each of the stations of the
triangle.
This drill simulates the type of game play a player

might expect: pass the ball, prepare to hit, make a
block and then have to dive to recover a tip. This
would be a common set of circumstances in volley- Result - Serving accuracy and consistency will give
ball, so it is wise to practice this. your team an advantage over teams that do not
spend an ordinate amount of time on their serving
Result - This drill will definitely build the quickness skills.
and agility of your players. You can increase the
difficulty by making the triangle bigger and having

This is a great drill to help your players with their

defensive anticipation
3.20: Location Hitting
What you need - Divide the team into two equal
This is a great drill for offenses to build their skills of sides. Place a large bed sheet or tarp over half or a
hitting certain areas of the floor quarter of the net (middle).
What you need - On each side of the court you can How this drill works - Does it have you stirring in-
tape three areas (about 3 feet by 3 feet) in places side with anticipation? This is a great drill. Many
that are left open by traditional defenses. Divide the players watch the ball and react too late to what the
team into two sides and they will compete against other team is doing. With a little bit of anticipation,
one another. they may be in better position to make plays.
How this drill works - The areas that are taped off By watching the play and where the ball is headed,
are given a point value based on the difficult in get- and seeing the attackers get into position, the de-
ting the ball to those areas. Each offense is tasked fensive players need to ‘guess’ where the ball might
with getting the ball into these areas with a planned go from the position and direction of the players
hit. The hit must come as a result of a standard involved.
three hit attack.
Run this drill as a game to 25 points. The winning
The team that gets the most points after 10 at- team will not have to do lines at the end of practice.
tempts will be deemed the winner and will run one
less set of lines when conditioning is done.
Result - Your players will be able to build their an-

Result - This is an excellent drill to have your play- ticipation skills and give themselves an edge over
ers learn to hit certain areas of the court on offense. their opponents.
The areas they are trying to hit are common areas
that are difficult to cover with traditional defenses.
3.22: Three vs. The D
This is a great defensive drill that pits three hitters

3.21: Blind Rally (and a setter) versus a full defense

What you need - Field a full defense on one side

and three hitters with a setter on the other side.
How this drill works - This is a challenging drill for

the defending team, because they have to defend
against a free hit by the offense. The coach will
start the drill by tossing the ball to the setter and
then he or she will set the ball to one of the hitters.
The defense must read where the setter is posi-

tioned, and anticipate through the attack position
where the ball is going to go.
Offense is pitted against the defense and the loser

does lines.
Result - Your defense will build their defensive tac-

tics and their ability to read opposing offensive sets.


Running a Practice – Use the Practice the belief that players are being given instruction
during this time as well. It takes only doing some-
Plans! thing twice to develop a bad habit, but seven
This is the section where we have constructed 25 times to develop a good habit – instruct properly
general practice plans that you can follow. They are first!
a minute-by-minute structured practice that you can
take to run your practices. But, before we begin, • Give ample rest times and water times. Don’t
overlook these in the practice plan. Good rest
here are a few tips on using the practice plans, and
practices in general. time and replenishing fluids is going to help the
body rejuvenate and prevent long-term injuries.
• The practice plans are a guide for your prac-
tices – you don’t have to use them all, and you • Keep the practices fun! You don’t want play-
ers to lose interest because things are too intense.
can substitute other drills in to each plan if you
want. Make sure – especially at younger ages that the
children are having fun. That is what keeps them
in volleyball programs for the years to come.
• While we provide one drill in the practice plans
per time slot, you can add drills as you see fit to
work with your team. Following are practice plans for you to use in
your practices!
• It is important for repetition and skill develop-
ment to keep players moving – so if you can have
several stations of the same drill at one time.
Running a good practice!
Keeping players moving while having the right

amount of instruction is key. That’s why we have
helped you running the practices by including these
plans.
More practice tips
• Have enough conditioning time included in all

of your practices. Volleyball is a game that is
constantly on the go and you need to make sure
your players are in great shape. They won’t like
the extra time included in the practice plans for
conditioning, but it will improve their game per-
formance.
• Take enough time during the practice to make

sure that proper instruction is given. While our
drills keep the practice going, they are placed with

Beginner Practice Plan #1
TIME DRILL SEC. # COACHING TIPS
Warming up shoulders and light

00 to :10 - Must warm up shoulders
stretch
Shoulders, legs, groin, and lower
:10 to :15 Full body stretch -
back
Jog around the court, maybe some Limbering up and preparing for
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:25 to :35 10 serves 3.3 Get them in the court
:35 to :38 Water break - -
:38 to :45 Table top 1.1 Good form for passes
:45 to 1:00 Moving table top 1.2 Good footwork is key
Understanding distances
1:00 to 1:10 3-6-9 1.6
for passing
Make sure hands are in
1:10 to 1:20 Angle block 2.1
right position
Good footwork and watching the
1:20 to 1:30 Slide block 2.5
attacker
1:30 to 1:35 Water break - -
1:35 to 1:45 Snap the wrist 2.3 Bounce before the wall
1:45 to 1:55 Continuous passing 1.5 Vary the pass types
1:55 to 2:00 Cool down - Ease out the shoulders


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 3-6-9 1.6
for passing
:45 to 1:00 Approach drill 2.2 3 steps and good reach
Watch technique for

1:00 to 1:10 Target hitting 2.6
good angles
Make sure hands are in right po-
1:10 to 1:20 Angle block 2.1
sition
1:20 to 1:30 Slide block 2.5
attacker
1:35 to 1:45 Table top 1.1 Good form for passes
1:45 to 1:55 Moving table top 1.2 Good footwork is key


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Table top 1.1 Good form for passes
:45 to 1:00 Moving table top 1.2 Good footwork is key
1:00 to 1:10 3-6-9 1.6
for passing
1:10 to 1:20 Continuous passing 1.5 Vary the pass types
1:20 to 1:30 Snap the wrist 2.3 Bounce before the wall
1:35 to 1:45 Serve receive 2 3.6 Good position is important
1:45 to 1:55 Pepper 1.3 Who can last to the end?


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Approach drill 2.2 3 steps and good reach
Watch technique for

:45 to 1:00 Target hitting 2.6
good angles
Watch to see where the
1:00 to 1:10 Blocking side 2.4
players go
1:10 to 1:20 Over the net 3.1 Get the ball over!
1:20 to 1:30 Three hits 3.2 This is key at this level
Understanding distances for

1:35 to 1:45 3-6-9 1.6
passing
1:45 to 1:55 Pepper 1.3 Who can last to the end?


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
Make sure hands are in

:38 to :45 Angle block 2.1
right position
:45 to 1:00 Slide block 2.5
attacker
Players need to be ready to re-
1:00 to 1:10 Prepare to defend 3.4
ceive the ball
1:10 to 1:20 Approach drill 2.2 3 steps and good reach
Watch technique for

1:20 to 1:30 Target hitting 2.6
good angles
1:35 to 1:45 Table top 1.1 Good form for passes
1:45 to 1:55 Moving table top 1.2 Good footwork is key


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:25 to :35 10 serves 3.3 Good start for older players
:38 to :45 Turn and dig 3.7 Good, quick reaction
:45 to 1:00 Dig and tip 3.8 Build on last drill
Good drill for footwork

1:00 to 1:10 Around the world passing 1.11
and control
Players must get into
1:10 to 1:20 Butterfly passing 1.15
position quickly
Watch concentration
1:20 to 1:30 Walking setters 1.9
for setters
Work on basic attack and

1:35 to 1:45 Scrimmage
defense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Pipeline passing 1.7 Good lateral movement is key
Good form and controlled pass-

:45 to 1:00 3 station passing 1.10
ing
1:00 to 1:10 Blind rally 3.21 Anticipation is essential
1:10 to 1:20 Location hitting 3.20 Healthy competition is excellent
1:20 to 1:30 Harass the passer 1.21 Focus is essential
Work on basic attack and de-

fense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
Watch concentration
:25 to :35 Walking setters 1.9
for setters
:38 to :45 Harass the passer 1.21 Focus is essential
:45 to 1:00 Serving tape 3.11 Under the top, above the net
1:00 to 1:10 Miss the chairs 3.12 Serve to where players aren’t
Good drill for footwork

and control
position quickly
1:35 to 1:45 Turn and dig 3.7 Good, quick reaction
1:45 to 1:55 Dig and tip 3.8 Build on last drill


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
Watch concentration
for setters
:38 to :45 M passing 1.16 Reaction to hit and then tip
The ball needs to stay

:45 to 1:00 Keep it up 1.17
in the air
Rotate the people,
1:00 to 1:10 Passing circle 1.19
not the ball
Good lateral movement

1:35 to 1:45 Pipeline passing 1.7
is key
Good form and
1:45 to 1:55 3 station passing 1.10
controlled passing


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 10 hits 2.7 Good form and get 10 hits
:45 to 1:00 Wipe off 2.9 Keep the ball in the court
Healthy competition
1:10 to 1:20 Location hitting 3.20
is excellent

defense skills
1:45 to 1:55

Intermediate Practice Plan #1

stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:25 to :35 Three vs. D 3.22 Get the competition going
:38 to :45 Serving tape 3.11 Under the top, above the net
:45 to 1:00 Miss the chairs 3.12 Serve to where players aren’t
1:00 to 1:10 Tip, cross, line 2.17 Must hit each of the areas
1:10 to 1:20 Call the hitter 3.9 Good for communication
1:20 to 1:30 Team communication 3.10 More communication skills


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
Watch concentration
for setters
Good form and

controlled passing
1:00 to 1:10 Blind blocking 2.18 Watch the player, not the ball
Healthy competition
1:20 to 1:30 Location hitting 3.20
is excellent

defense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
1:10 to 1:20 A/D footwork 2.20 The footwork is essential
1:20 to 1:30 A/D game sit 2.21 Add the ball in now
1:35 to 1:45 Hourglass attack 2.14 Get the ball to the outside
1:45 to 1:55 Double attack 3.15 Good diversion is important


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:45 to 1:00 Keep it up 1.17 The ball needs to stay in the air
1:00 to 1:10 Passing circle 1.19 Rotate the people, not the ball
Good drill for footwork and con-

trol
Players must get into position
quickly


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
Read the defense and hit the

:38 to :45 Find the hole 2.11
open spots
:45 to 1:00 A/D footwork 2.20 The footwork is essential

fense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills

ing
1:00 to 1:10 M passing 1.16 Reaction to hit and then tip

fense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:25 to :35 Walking setters 1.9 Watch concentration for setters
:38 to :45 Tip, cross, line 2.17 Must hit each of the areas
Read the defense and hit the

:45 to 1:00 Find the hole 2.11
open spots
1:00 to 1:10 Blind blocking 2.18 Watch the player, not the ball

trol
quickly


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills

trol
quickly


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Hourglass attack 2.14 Get the ball to the outside
:45 to 1:00 Double attack 3.15 Good diversion is important
1:35 to 1:45 Scrimmage Work on communication
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
1:10 to 1:20 Keep it up 1.17 The ball needs to stay in the air
1:35 to 1:45 Pipeline passing 1.7 Good lateral movement is key

ing

Advanced Practice Plan #1

stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
Watch concentration for
setters
:38 to :45 Blind rally 3.21 Anticipation is essential
Healthy competition
:45 to 1:00 Location hitting 3.20
is excellent

trol
position quickly


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills

fense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Blind blocking 2.18 Watch the player, not the ball

ing


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
1:35 to 1:45 10 hits 2.7 Good form and get 10 hits
1:45 to 1:55 Wipe off 2.9 Keep the ball in the court


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Hourglass attack 2.14 Get the ball to the outside
:45 to 1:00 Double attack 3.15 Good diversion is important
1:00 to 1:10 Three vs. D 3.22 Get the competition going

fense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Net Save 1.14 Watch ball then react
:45 to 1:00 Deep pass 1.18 Hit the targets deep

trol
1:10 to 1:20 Apex ball catch 2.13 Catch at top of approach
1:20 to 1:30 Back attack 2.15 Practice solid back row attacks

fense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
Choose forearm pass or face

:45 to 1:00 Serve reception 3.16
pass
1:10 to 1:20 Target Service 3.13 Now hit the targets
1:20 to 1:30 Pass marathon 2.12 Control is the key to winning
1:35 to 1:45 Net Save 1.14 Watch ball then react
1:45 to 1:55 Deep pass 1.18 Hit the targets deep


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:45 to 1:00 Sit and recover 3.17 Quick read and reaction
1:00 to 1:10 Dig and Dash 1.13 Tip on opposite side of the net

1:20 to 1:30 Serve reception 3.16
pass

ing


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:25 to :35 Target Service 3.13 Now hit the targets
1:10 to 1:20 A/D footwork 2.20 The footwork is essential


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Apex ball catch 2.13 Catch at top of approach

pass


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:25 to :35 Target Service 3.13 Now hit the targets
:38 to :45 Turn and dig 3.7 Good, quick reaction
:45 to 1:00 Net Save 1.14 Watch ball then react

trol

fense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:38 to :45 Sit and recover 3.17 Quick read and reaction
:45 to 1:00 Dig and Dash 1.13 Tip on opposite side of the net

quickly

fense skills
1:45 to 1:55


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills

:38 to :45 Serve reception 3.16
pass
1:10 to 1:20 Sit and recover 3.17 Quick read and reaction


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
:25 to :35 Serve reception 3.16
pass
:45 to 1:00 Sit and recover 3.17 Quick read and reaction


stretch
back
:15 to :25 -
sprints drills
1:00 to 1:10 Sit and recover 3.17 Quick read and reaction

pass

Volleyball Drills Practice Plan Book

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VOLLEYBALL DRILLS AND PRACTICE PLANS

by Coach Larry Reid

Copyright 2008 www.VolleyballPracticePlans.com All rights reserved.

Consult Your Physician

2.17: Tip, Cross, Line .......................................................................................................... 27

Intermediate Practice Plan #6 ............................................................................................ 58

By separating these drills into skill levels and

Volleyball is an intense game, and building a

- this represents higher age levels

Passing and Setting - Section 1

What you need – Form two lines and have a coach

Result – This builds upon the previous basic skill of

What you need – You should have a few players

Result – The basis for developing your offense be-

Result – A good drill to develop skills and improve

This is a great way to get the players moving and

A coach is going to tell the players what kind of play

The diagrams included in this ebook

1.8: Set and Follow

Result - This drill will help players develop the set-

1.9: Walking Setters 1.10: 3-Station Passing

Then at the other side of the court, the setter will

The coach will toss a high ball to the back right, a

Result - Players will develop greater control and

Result - Greater skill in controlling hit balls will

The dotted lines represent the pass that needs to

of the court. See the diagram for further descrip-

1.14: Net Save Drill 1.15: Butterfly passing

It isn’t as difficult as it look in the diagram. The

What you need - You can do this with as many

A coach might do the following: set, (pass back),

Each receiving team will have 10 points to work

of communication and a team’s ability to work as a

Result - Another skill that can be put to very good

1.19: Passing Circle

ing. passer – but never to touch them. They are trying

Each passer has the harasser in their back pocket.

Result - Improved awareness and quick reaction.

The diagrams included in this ebook

Hitting and Blocking - Section 2

What you need - You can set up many stations for

Result - Once a player can approach the net prop-

player has the two tools they need to become good

The wrist snap is what sends the ball at a sharp an-

Result - By learning the appropriate wrist snap, the

Result - Your players will be provided with better

Result - Players will gain a little more variety in their

Result - Proper movement and footwork to get into

ters and help them on specific coaching points.

2.7: 10 Hits Drill

Each hitter will be required to contact the ball with 3

How this drill works - The coach will be in the

Players that get the ball in the basket receive one

blocker), or deciding to tip it.

Result – The tip is an important skill to learn, as it

Hitters need to learn to try and wipe their hits off of

Result - The players will be able to read different

The diagrams included in this ebook

What you need - Set up a defense in a standard