Fun Ways to Teach Volleyball Skills

Volleyball teaching techniques vary if you are dealing with kids or adults, but what is important is that you are able to relay the most important skills of the sport, such as passing, serving, spiking, setting, blocking and hitting in a fun and strategic way. It is also important to teach students the basic violations, penalties and details about the game so they can play within the rules. Making volleyball as fun as possible reduces frustration and helps them want to stick with the game, increasing their skills over time.

  1. Mini-Volleyball

    • “Mini-volleyball” is a game designed for kids 9 to 13 years old. It involves the use of a softer ball with a diameter of 65 to 68 cm and weight of 180 to 220 grams. Assign two to four players in each team and make them play in a court 4.5 to 6 meters in width and 9 to 12 meters in length. The net is set 1.9 to 2 meters in height, which is lower than the standard height to make it easier for kids to play.

    One-on-One Volleyball Drill

    • Volleyball drills help players exercise their skills without feeling burnt out or pressured within the actual game. An example is the one-on-one warm-up drill, which involves two players positioned in the two ends of the court. The first volleyball player serves the ball and the second player receives it with the two forearms held together. The two players receive the ball in this manner to practice volleyball skills. They rally and the player who wins gets to serve and takes a point.

    Passing Drill

    • The volleyball “passing drill” has players form a ring and pass the ball from one player to another. If you are teaching several students, divide them into two groups and ask the two groups to form a ring. The ball is passed from one player to another within the group, and the group that keeps the ball the longest without committing an error wins.

    Playing Volleyball

    • In volleyball, there are six players per team positioned on the two sides of the court, with a net in the middle to separate the teams. To play the game effectively, the students need to understand the goal of the volleyball game. In “rally scoring,” a team that scores 25 points first wins the game. A team scores when a player spikes the volleyball to the floor of the opponent team's side; when the opponent team is not able to spike back the ball across the net; when the opponent team commits a “service error;” or when the opponent team spikes the ball out of court bounds. In “sideout scoring,” only the serving team scores, and “service opportunity” is given to the other team when the serving team commits any of the errors mentioned.