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Volleyball drills

Purpose of the exercise:

  • To allow players to experience what it feels like to 'leave' later for the attack


Exercise Explanation:

  • If volleyball players feel they are starting the attack pass too early,
  • or the coach feels that the attackers are coming too early,
  • this is a good exercise.


  • The playmaker is put down with a ball carrier.
  • He gets the assignment to play 5 or less times for himself.
  • The attackers do not know how many times this will happen, so they can only leave when the set-up is given, not before.
  • The attackers will have to come in more aggressively and will build up more speed and thus more height, provided they have a good brake pass.
  • If this goes well, the trainer can decide to move the playmaker closer to the attackers, so that the distance the set-upper has to travel is shortened.
  • This should make the attackers even more alert.

Goal of the exercise:

  • Defending,
  • set up,
  • attacks


Exercise Explanation:

  • You defend,
  • give a set-up
  • and attack.
  • Chase your own action around the pawns.
  • Start the exercise by
    • Play overhand over the net
    • and extend to hitting
    • and then to jump and hit.
  • Two teams one throws the ball up to the other
  • who picks it up underhand does one time for himself abovehand
  • and then a quiet smash hit so that the other picks it up underhand
  • and does the same.
  • This exercise is done in pairs, standing about 4 meters apart.
  • One player rolls the ball to the other.
  • The latter must stop the ball with two hands behind his/her back.
  • In this way, the player can only stop the ball in a low forward position: shoulders in front of the knee, knee in front of the feet.
  • Make sure you understand that the exercise is for learning to adopt a low posture when passing / defending.
  • Physically, this exercise is very taxing on the legs, so don't do it for 5 minutes, but play three series of 10 balls.
  • 2 rows behind the back line.
  • First 2 stand in the field.
  • Trainer brings in ball.
  • Pass left player towards position 2/3 then setup of right player.
  • The passer goes to attack on own side of the court.
  • The setupper does attack coverage.
  • Team rotates through new team.
  • 4 or more players.
  • Divide them left side and right side.
  • The left side calls or indicates with their finger number 1 or 2.
  • At 1 the right side must pass underarms and at 1 they must pass overhand.
  • To play the ball behind you.
  • Variation is to call short or deep.
  • At deep play above hands and at short play forearms
  • Couple 1 ball facing each other, sit on the ground and pass to each other overhead.
  • Later also try it lying on your belly
  • Ball toss in pairs
  • hitting back with one arm.
    • Start with your good arm.


  • 3 players are lying on the ground
  • trainer hits the ball on the ground and
  • then they get up
  • and they play the ball in three over the net.

targeted-attack-straight-ahead-diagonally-4

  • Player A throws/strikes the ball towards player C.
  • Player C serves the ball to player B.
  • Player B gives a pass to c.
  • Player C passes to the mats.


Goal: try to attack/play 3rd ball on the mats (straight or diagonal).

After each ball move one place in your own group.

Extension: When there are enough players one could also choose to place a block.

  • Two players per half and then
  • play over the net after two hits and
  • turn out the next two
  • If it goes very well, bring in a second ball.
  • C throws a ball to A or B
  • Set up a block on that side 
  • Pass the ball over the block to the defence 
  • Attacking from the middle 
  • Change after 10 balls Variation: attack on outside or behind
team-practice-middle-attack-after-block