Exercises to Work on Volleyball Passing

Repetition and movement exercises improve your volleyball passing game. And on offense, the pass often leads to points. Whether you are playing a serve or digging a spike, a good forearm pass determines the flow of each play. A pass directly to the setter allows her to smoothly set up the hitter for a kill. Improve passing by completing multiple repetitions of drills that focus on footwork, positioning your body, accuracy and passing on the move.

  1. Footwork

    • During a volleyball game, you need to react and move toward the ball during each play. To move without taking your eyes off of the ball, practice shuffle steps. Grab a partner and have her toss a volleyball to either your left or right. Shuffle your feet to get in position and pass the ball back. Or, for a more difficult footwork drill, stand 2 to 3 feet away, facing your partner in the left front position on the court. Shuffle step down the sideline, across the baseline and back down the other sideline all while passing the ball back and forth without letting it fall.

    Getting into Position

    • A volleyball is rarely hit directly to you. After you move to play the ball, you have to position your body to complete a good pass. To work on getting into basic passing position, start by practicing a basic toss and catch. Starting in your base position on the court, move toward the ball, get into passing position -- knees bent, arms together, forearms creating a flat platform, feet and shoulders facing your target -- and simply catch the ball. You can also work on serve receive by catching a ball that has been served instead of tossed.

    Accuracy

    • Try placing a volleyball basket near the setter's position on the court. Have your partner toss you a volleyball and try and pass the ball into the basket as many times as possible. You can also work on passing accuracy by yourself. Mark a spot on a wall using tape. Pass the volleyball at the wall over and over trying to hit the marked spot each time.

    Run Throughs

    • Speed and footwork help you run through a pass. Have one player or a coach pass the ball, either to the right or left, toward one of the three or four players lined up along baseline. The player passes the ball back to the coach and moves to the end of the line. The coach, meanwhile, passes the ball to the next player in line.