Volleyball Footwork Drills

The game of volleyball moves very quickly and in order to be successful, a team must be able to work in harmony with each other on the court. Footwork is a big part of the volleyball training routine as players need to work on getting to the right place on the court at the right time to make the correct play on the ball. The timing element is especially critical as it must be coordinated with teammates.

  1. Volleyball Squat Shuffle

    • The legs and the ability to have strong footwork are critical to a volleyball player, regardless what position she plays. One simple drill that can be done during a training session to work both leg strength and footwork is a squat drill. The players assume the low position as though they are about to receive serve, with knees bent and butt towards the ground. On command they shuffle left, right, front or back, staying in motion until the whistle blows. At that point, they take a short break and then get back at it. This could be done is eight to 10 sets at about 30-45 seconds each.

    Blocking Drills

    • An area of the game in which footwork takes on vital importance is in blocking. Two players need to jump simultaneously in order to get their hands in front of an opponent that is about to hit the ball. The blockers need to get quickly to the right position and elevate together to create the best block. One way to work on the footwork of the block is to have two players start at the net poles with a coach on the opposite side of the net. The coach moves to a position at the net, and as he does so, blows the whistle. On the whistle, the two players get to the blocking spot and jump together. Another option is to have a set and block on the other side of the net and follow the same formula adding a live ball.

    Move and Pass

    • One way to work on getting the feet moving while incorporating the skills of the game is to run a moving and passing drill. This can be done at multiple stations all around the court to keep everyone involved. The coach sets up three or four cones at different points where a ball might be received. Players are designated to deliver the balls to the player running the drill, and then the first player runs to the first cone, receives a ball and passes it back. He would then move to the second cone and do the same. The next player in line would start just before her teammate finishes the drill.

      A variation on this drill is to number the cones and have the player react to a coach calling out a number and, rather than moving through the cones in sequence, move through them randomly on command.