Volleyball Drills for Girls

Girls volleyball is a competitive sport. The girls must play as a team and know not only their roles, but each others' roles as well. Movement is an essential part of volleyball. Therefore, movement drills must be incorporated into any practice to get the girls to understand how vital it is. Drills can focus on a particular skill set, such as setting or positioning, or on a role, like setter or back court.

  1. National Team Passing Drill

    • This high-energy drill helps girls learn how to pass and shuffle the ball, emphasizing fast movement and positioning. Five girls line up side-by-side in the middle back court, with one more girl in each back corner. The coach is at the net with a cart of volleyballs. Another girl is next to the cart. The coach repeatedly rolls balls to the girls at the corner positions of the line. The girl there at that time lets it roll through her legs, then goes to the court corner. The girl at that corner retrieves the ball and passes it back to the net, then joins the middle of the lineup. After a few repetitions, the coach moves to the other side of the net. He throws balls over and the girls must move to a position where the ball can bounce cleanly through their legs without rolling.

    4 X 2 Pepper

    • Girls are paired for this drill that teaches ball control. One partner hits a ball to her partner, who has to dig the ball to herself, then make an overhead contact, set to herself and pass the ball back to the first partner in one cycle. The first girl then does these actions herself. This pattern repeats as the girls practice handling the ball using a wide variety of contacts.

    Set, Set Hit

    • A setter, middle back and outside hitter all lie face down on the end line. A target is set up somewhere on the court as well. All three get up when the coach signals as he tosses a ball over the net to the middle back. The setter and outside hitter both move to the net. The middle back hits the ball to the target. The setter has to move from the net to where the target is and set the ball to the outside hitter, who hits it over the net. This drill trains the girls how to pass and shoot as well as transitioning and position skills, especially for the setter.

    Eye Check

    • This drill teaches setters to be aware of all sides of the court. A tosser is set up in the back court, and a setter and hitter are in the front row. The tosser tosses a ball to the setter while a coach or player on the other side of the net holds up a hand signal (for example, rock, paper or scissors). The setter must see and call the sign out before setting the ball for the hitter.