Volleyball drills for beginners

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Learning the fundamentals of volleyball takes time and patience, here are a few drills that can help hone the basic skills you need.

The Pepper Drill is one of the most common drills and has proven to be effective in helping players hone their ball control as well as their serve-and-receive techniques. Players should work on their form and technique while practicing this drill and hit the ball close to their partner, so they do not need to take more than one step in any direction to return the ball. This drill will also help increase your reaction time in response to an incoming ball and reduce the fear of being hit by the ball.

This drill requires you to have a partner and a volleyball. Stand approximately two metres away from your partner. You should toss the ball to your partner, who will use a volleyball technique to pass the ball back. Without catching the ball, you will pass the ball back using another volleyball technique. The objective of this drill is to see how long the ball can be kept in a rally.

The Three-player Drill is essential for players to improve their ability to move after a pass and this will help players in creating a fluid offensive play. Players will be able to hone their passing and setting techniques as well as improve their footwork as this drill keeps them moving. This drill requires you to have two other players and two balls.

Amongst you, designate two players as tossers and the last one will be a passer. Have the two tossers stand approximately two metres apart facing the passer in a triangle formation. One tosser should toss the ball to the passer, who will use the forearm pass to send the ball back to the same tosser. Repeat that with the other tosser. The passer should shuffle their feet after each pass, so they face the next tosser. The objective of this drill is for the passer to learn the proper footwork and how to shuffle after passing the ball. Try to keep the drill going for two minutes without stopping, then rotate the role of the passer.

The Dead Fish drill is a fun way to learn how to serve the ball, so it goes over the net but stays within the boundaries of the court on the other side. This drill helps players learn to keep their serves within the court boundaries and allows them to hone their ball placement skills.

This drill requires you to have a big group of players. Divide the players into two groups and have each group stand at opposite service lines to serve the ball. The first player serves the ball at the service line. If the serve is successful, the player goes to the back of the line. If the server misses, that player must run to the other side of court to lie down on the floor within the boundary lines. The only way they’ll be allowed to get up is for a player from their side of court to hit them with the ball. After a player is ' saved', they must run back to their side and get back in line. Set a time limit for this drill. The side with the fewest number of players on the floor wins.

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