Fun Volleyball Drills for Children

Volleyball is a sport that requires coordination and teamwork. Although most team sports require these skills, it can be difficult to teach children these lessons with the same repetitive drills. The best way to combat boredom and a stale lesson is with fun, exciting drills that include competition and gamelike elements. These will keep practices lively and exciting, and create memorable lessons for the entire team.

  1. The Name Game

    • The Name Game requires the entire team to participate with one another. This game is essential when you need your teammates to familiarize themselves with one another. The game starts by picking one child to perform a forearm pass to another player of his choosing. With forearms extended outward and hands clenched, the passing player must yell out the name of the person he wants to hit the ball to. If that other player can hit the ball, she must yell "mine." If not, she must yell "not mine" and the player closest to the ball must yell "mine." When the volleyball is successfully hit again, that player must yell out another name. The game does not end until every player's name has been shouted out without the ball bouncing on the floor.

    Rapid Fire Music Drills

    • Rapid Fire Music Drills incorporates the music that players listen to. Have the children pick three songs they want to perform drills to. Place the songs on a CD or tape so you can play them during drills. Next, pick two drills for the children to perform. The two most popular are the forearm pass and the overhand set. Signal the beginning of the first drill by playing the first song. Switch to the next song after one minute. This will alert the children to start running laps around the volleyball court. Switch to the third song after another minute. This will alert the children to begin the second drill you chose. Stop the entire drill after the third minute or continue the song cycle as long as you wish.

    One-on-One Serve-Hit Competition

    • The One-on-One Hit-Serve Competition pits two players against each other. One child will serve to the other, who must return the serve over the net with a forearm pass. The serving child receives one point for every serve that is not successfully returned with a forearm pass (the ball must hit both forearms to be considered a successful forearm pass). If a forearm pass is successfully performed, the children switch sides and take turns serving. The player who reaches 10 points first wins.