Great Volleyball Drills

There are literally hundreds of volleyball drills. Coaches use specific drills to help players with speed, agility or general skill level and technique. Volleyball drills can make practices more fun as well as help coaches assess each player's strengths and weaknesses. A few drills are common among coaches to improve offensive and defensive skills.

  1. Pepper

    • Pepper is a digging drill. The coach, or a player with an excellent overhand serve, stands a few feet away from another player. The server hits the ball as hard as possible down toward the hitter's feet. The hitter must get low and dig for the ball. The players repeat this drill for a specified number of repetitions or for a predetermined time limit.

    Off the Floor

    • The coach chooses a player to lie on the floor. As the coach blows the whistle, she also throws a ball near where the player was lying down. The player must get up off the floor and hit the ball over the net. This drill increases the speed at which a player must recover from falling down. It also increases agility.

    2 on 6

    • In 2 on 6, two players stand on one side of the net, and six players play on the other. The six players rotate normally and play their regular positions. The side with two players takes turns serving and must cover the entire court. This is an advanced skills drill. It focuses on speed and agility.

    Cake for Serves

    • This is an offensive, basic-skills drill, usually done on a specific day of the week. Each player takes a turn at the serving line. The goal is to get 15 consecutive serves over the net that would be legally playable. Prior to the drill, the coach agrees to make or buy a cake for any player who meets the goal. This can be scaled down to using cupcakes, or any other substitution can be used. Cake for Serves is a motivational drill that increases the number of playable serves.

    3 vs. 3 Transition Drill

    • Courtesy of the University of Southern California website, in 3 vs. 3, a team of three players is needed on both sides. One team of three transitions off the net, using cones to make sure hitters transition off the net far enough. The coach tosses a ball to the setting position. The setter sets one of the hitters. This drill also focuses on ball control.