When it comes to practicing volleyball, first thing that comes to mind is usually a court with a net and training partners. While there is nothing wrong with, few people consider or are considering practicing at home…

This might sound weird or inconvenient, yet this is totally possible and even encouraged to help correct some holes in your game and to give you more opportunities to practice.

In this short article, I share some helpful tips to practice your volleyball skills at the comfort of your home without making your mom mad at you!

What will you need to practice volleyball at home?

 You can practice volleyball at home without a net and with or without a partner.

But obviously you will need a ball to practice. My recommendation is to use a soft ball (Check this example) …

You will also need a wall (not mandatory, but it will open up more practicing options for you), and of course some space … a backyard would be the best option, but if not available just make sure you’ve got access to at least 4 meters square space with no valuable objects around.

You can also use a rope as a net, if you are practicing with a friend at home.

Volleyball skills you can easily improve at home

1. Passing to Yourself

Passing is a fundamental skill in volleyball that all players (regardless of their position) should learn and even master …

An important term is the “bump”, in other words, it is when you pass the ball to another player. But, in this case you should pass it to yourself as a first step in the learning process.

2. Setting to Yourself

Setting is a particular variation of passing which is in 99% of the cases the last step before an attack (usually spike) …

Setting is an underrated skill … Many people think it is an easy one. Well, while it might look easy, it is in reality a difficult skill which is responsible to over 60% of the success of the attack.

In this case, the goal is to practice setting the ball to yourself.

3. Blocking

Blocking is a critical skill to prevent the opponent from a successful attack hit. A block technique is used to deflect the ball coming from an attacker.

The main responsibility of a blocker is to block the ball back into the opposing team’s court. Effective volleyball blocking takes strategy and speed.

4. Serving skills

That’s the starting touch of each volleyball point. A great serve will usually give you and your team the momentum to finish the sequence in your team’s favor.

Keep in mind that serving is the only skill in volleyball where the player has complete control … Indeed, you can execute it literally however you want … You can jump while serving or you can serve in a simple way by hitting the ball without your feet leaving the ground.

Keep in mind, there are 3 main serving techniques:

• Underhand serve
• Overhand
• Overhand float serve.

Detailed Volleyball Drills and Exercises to do at home!

Solo drill 1: Passing to Yourself

First of all, you need to adopt the correct body position. It should be with knees slightly bent and your shoulders kept over your knees. Hands and arms should be extended in front of you with palms turned up towards the ceiling.

Your arms should be kept high enough, but not too high and not too close to your body to allow you to move quickly in any direction.

Once you feel you’ve satisfied this passing position, then you can start passing the ball to the air to yourself by trying to avoid the ball touching the ground as much as possible.

As a first step try to not move your feet too much until you start feeling comfortable, then you can start moving and experiencing this drill in a dynamic way. You can also, practice this drill by passing the ball to the wall so it can be reflected back to you, like if you are passing to yourself!

This drill is particularly important for beginners …

Solo drill 2: Setting to Yourself

Place both hands above your head and hit the ball straight up with your fingers. Toss the ball up lightly and set the ball when it comes down.

Do the same exercise and keep the ball up for as long as you can with sets.

Start by hitting the ball straight up. Then pass it more off to the side so you have to run to pass it again.

This is a physical workout as well as a passing drill

To add a level of difficulty would be but lying your back on the ground, the start setting the ball.

Don’t forget that you should form something like a triangle window by your thumb and your forefingers for proper setting.

The goal is to set the ball as much time as possible without having to move.

Solo drill 3: Blocking

In this exercise you will need a wall. Indeed, try to extend your hands, then have a distance of half a meter with the wall.

Try to jump as high as possible so you can reach the highest possible point in the wall. Put a sticker once you‘ve reached your maximum point so you can aim to break that max point in your next attempt.

The challenge here is to obviously reach higher spots over the sticker you’ve placed.

Quick Tip: This is not necessary, yet in this exercise I recommend using proper volleyball shoes. Indeed, these shoes have the grip and the cushioning that will help promote higher vertical jumps. This grip will stabilize you before you jump and the cushioning will help make a safer landing after the jump. For example these quality volleyball shoes come with a solid grip and cushioning that you can actually rely on.

Solo Drill 4: Serving skills

The Underhand Serve

Try to lean your upper body a little forward and hold the ball with your weaker hand (preferably) below your waist.

Swing back your stronger arm backward, look forward and aim for the position where you want to place the ball, and then swing your arm forward to hit the ball.

Fist and thumb area is what must touch the ball in this move.

In this case, you can aim for a specific spot in the wall to make sure you have full control over your serves.

Overhand float serve  

Hold the ball with your weaker hand (right arm for left hand people and vice versa) … The air-hole should be places right in the middle of your palm as this area has usually the highest air pressure. By doing so, you will make sure the ball can float much easier …

In this exercise you should aim for the middle back of the ball using your palms to ensure maximum strength and control.

Keep in mind that in this move, only your palms should be used, your fingers shouldn’t be involved at all. Otherwise, your serve will be weaker and your control will be lost.

You can learn about those other serving drills that you can practice alone!

How often you can practice volleyball at home?

This pretty much depends on you and your preferences. However, if you’ve got an access to a court with partners, then you probably don’t have to train at home too much, maybe just occasionally and even for fun …

But, if this is not really possible for you, then you may want to practice at home a little more to keep your skills sharp (maybe twice a week should be just fine)

For beginners, I highly invite them to practice whenever they’ve got the opportunity to do so, whether at home or in the court. This will definitely help them faster their learning process and learn the basics as soon as possible.

Finally, if those drills are a little boring for you, then I invite you to check these tips to make volleyball practice fun!

Final Thoughts…

A great advantage that comes with practicing volleyball at home and/or by yourself is that you don’t have any distractions from other players, thus you can really focus on the skills you feel you are struggling with…

That’s why I highly invite you to pay close attention to the things you are suffering from and lacking in, note them, and then figure out way to practice them privately, that’s a great growth strategy.

Finally, I highly invite you to learn how you can become a professional volleyball player! You will learn a lot …

I was watching the female volleyball world cup final the other day between Italy and Brazil. I’ve noticed that Brazil had overall the better quality of players, however they didn’t win, simply because Italy had one player that won them dozens of points by spiking hard balls that Brazil female players weren’t able to receive …

Spiking is probably the most important skill in volleyball!

However, to not many people have access to other training partners to practice spiking with … That’s why I’ve chosen to put together this short article to breakdown some solo drills for spiking.

What do you need to practice volleyball spiking alone?

Obviously, you will need a ball to practice. In case you don’t have one already, then I recommend to pick a soft ball, preferably make out of leather Just like this quality ball …

In addition, try to find a wall or a garage door. Simply toss the ball as high as you can so that you have time to get your feet to the ball, spot the ball with your non-hitting arm, keep the other elbow high with your arm back and work on opening up your chest following through to spike the ball hard.

Make sure you have enough space to practice the solo spiking drill like the ones I am about to share in this article.

5 Volleyball Drills to practice volleyball spiking by yourself?

This does mainly depend on you, but I highly recommend practicing those drills using volleyball shoes (Of course you don’t have to). But they will give you a positive feel and enough comfort and cushioning especially during jumping and landing sequences.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, then you might have a look at these quality volleyball shoes here at Amazon.

Drill 1

For this exercise, you will need a tennis ball or any ball that fits in your hand. This drill helps you practice the correct arm and wrist movement required to spike the ball correctly.

You need to practice this while standing on the side of a staircase. Here are the steps to practice this drill:

1. Hold the ball in your hitting arm and raise the hand high in a spiking position.
2. However, instead of releasing the ball or spiking it, come closer to the stairs and simply bend your wrist so that you can touch the ball against the stairs, keeping your hand high above itself. You should try to touch the ball to the highest point of the stairs that you can reach with your outstretched hand.
3. This drill will ensure that you master the correct flick movement of the wrist that is needed to spike the ball properly.

This drill will also teach you how to smash the ball from a higher point. Pay attention to keeping your arm outstretched and straight.

Drill 2

For this exercise, it will help if you have an elastic exercise band. This will make it easy for you to open your arm when you spike the ball.

To begin with, put the elastic band at a higher point in the house and tie one end of it there. It should be placed in a manner that the other end can be stretched out by you.

With your hitting arm, pull on the elastic band while keeping your non-hitting arm in the correct spiking position. Pull the band as far as you possibly can with one hand while keeping the other hand straight and outstretched at a high point in front of you.

Make sure to really open up your arms while pulling back the elastic band, making sure to keep the shoulders and back straight. Also, tilt your head back as you pull your hand back. Do three sets of 25 pulls with each arm to strengthen the muscles equally.

Drill 3

You need two small plastic bottles for this drill. The bottles are helpful in learning the correct way of taking a run-up for spiking.

Often, volleyball players do the run-up with bent arms, though the arms should be in a straight position which allows you to jump higher.

To do this drill, fill up both the bottles with water. Hold the bottles in both hands keeping your arms straight. Make sure there is a little space for you to take a run-up.

Take a run-up as you would with the volleyball, except while holding the bottles in your hands, making sure your arms are straight. As you jump up after the run-up, move your hands above the head while holding the bottles, and your hands should remain straight.

You can do three sets of this exercise with 10-15 jumps in each.

Drill 4

Use any simple ball (even a volleyball) and any wall in your house for the fourth exercise. The purpose of this drill is to catch the ball in a higher position and with a full hand.

Often, players smash the ball with their fingers, which increases the likelihood of the ball going outside of the court.

So instead of smashing the ball with your fingers, you should hit it with your full palm. Here are the steps of doing this exercise:

1. Place the ball at a height against the wall, holding it with your left hand, stretching it straight.
2. Prepare your other hand for smashing the ball.
3. Extend your right hand, preparing to smash the ball, and bring it to rest on the ball with your full palm open.
4. Put down your left hand.
5. Start rotating the ball left to right to get a better grasp of the ball only with your palm.
6. You can change hands and practice the drill with both hands.

Is practicing volleyball spiking alone enough to be good?

Yes, there is no doubt that practicing these spiking drills can make you good at spiking. The only drawback of practicing these drills alone is that though you will get better at spiking, but practicing alone does tend to get monotonous at times.

But, I will have to admit here that nothing beats real situations practicing with other partners & preferably in a court and under the supervision of a coach!

You can check those other important solo volleyball drills!

How often should you practice volleyball spiking by yourself?

The bottom line for deciding the frequency of practicing volleyball spiking at home really varies. There is no set amount of time you need to practice spiking.

It depends on your individual skillset and what skills you need to practice more. For example, if you are trying to master the skill of spiking, you should ideally practice spiking at home at least two to three times a week. I would even advice for more than that if you are a beginner.

Finally, you can also learn about the best volleyball hitting drills you can practice at home!

Final Thoughts …

There are many players who are good at almost all volleyball moves, but there only weakness is their ability to spike. Mastering spiking takes time and a lot of practice …

That’s why practicing alone with the drills I’ve shared above or even with other drills that you can find elsewhere is extremely important to help fasten your learning process!

Finally, I highly invite you to check these proven tips to become a professional volleyball player! You will learn a lot …

Volleyball relies on a set of skills and physical abilities. Vertical jumps is (in my humble opinion) one of the most important ones regardless of your position in the team. Without it you will certainly struggle when it comes to spiking, blocking and even diving …

In this short article I address some easy tips that you can start implementing these days to notice an improvement in your vertical jump within a short period of time.

Let’s Go!

What does a good vertical jump look like?

A good vertical jump on average for setters is 18-19 inches and for outside hitters is 19-20 inches.

The act of jumping high into the air is known as a vertical jump or vertical leap. It is a typical test for measuring athletic performance and can be used to increase both endurance and strength.

Important muscles for verticals

1. Calves and Quadriceps

Whenever you bend your ankles you will notice a feeling that your calves are very well stretched. During the jump action these muscles are the first to work.

In general the any move that the quadriceps is involved in, means that the calves are involved in. Not to mention that the quadriceps are in most cases a synonym of high jumping ability.

2. Glutes and Hamstrings

These are mainly responsible for the jump height. Whenever you bend your hips, you will notice the extension of all these muscles combined.

Also, when you jump, glutes and hamstrings will utilize your hip extension to propel you forward.

3. Abdominals

This has caught many athletes off guard. A standing vertical jump, on the other hand, works your abs in the same manner that jogging does.

Despite the fact that stomach crunches are one of the most despised workouts, they are essential and should never be overlooked in your quest for a tremendous jump.

4. Quads

Many workout plans provide a strong emphasis on the quads, but they should never be the main focus.

In fact, because all of your muscle groups must work in harmony, no one part of your body should be the “sole” emphasis.

 4 exercises to increase your vertical jump for volleyball

It is highly recommended to use volleyball shoes with good grip in the drills below. For example, these quality shoes have a good drip and will help stabilize your movement when you land on the ground after jumping …

1. Squats in Bulgarian Split

Your legs provide you with the strength to jump higher. The Bulgarian split squat will help you gain strength and improve your balance at the same time.

How to do it:

1. To execute it, stand a few feet away from a bench and lay your non-working leg on top of it.
2. Your entire foot should be on the bench.
3. Stand erect with your chest high and a dumbbell in each hand.
4. Descend until your back knee is almost on the ground.
5. Push yourself back up to a standing position with the heel of your lead foot (the one that is on the floor).
6. That counts as one rep. On your lower-body training day, try three sets of eight reps on each leg

2. Deadlifts

Many people are wondering whether deadlifts increase the vertical jump! Indeed, Deadlifts are already a part of many people’s workout routines in some form or another. The ability to increase your jump height is far from the only benefit of deadlifts.

They’re a full-body complex exercise that works almost your entire major muscle groups.

The main thing to keep in mind with deadlifts is that combining them with the other exercises in this guide might lead to disaster if done incorrectly.

You don’t want to exhaust your muscles before doing deadlifts, but you also don’t want to exhaust yourself deadlifting before doing the other exercises

Begin by performing a few mild deadlifts. Better still, try banded deadlifts and see how much you can lift.

How Do Deadlifts

1. You’ll need a barbell for this exercise, although you can mimic the movement with dumbbells or a resistance band as well.
2. Stand over a barbell with your feet about halfway under the bar.
3. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees so that you can lean over and grab the bar without bending your back.
4. Your hands should be outside your legs.
5. Pull up slightly so the bar locks and you feel resistance.
6. Lift the bar to your knees with a flat back and then straighten up so the barbell is in front of your thighs.
7.  Slowly lower the bar back to the ground by reversing the movement.

3. Box Jumps

This exercise is pretty easy to execute, yet highly effective. It is good both for your jumping ability as well as your cardio & endurance if you want to increase the intensity …

You can obviously use higher boxes to challenge your jump height if you want to.

Try to follow the few instructions below for better results …

• Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
• Keep your back straight and start squatting a little bit.
• To preserve your balance and to gain some momentum, it is recommended to swing your arms forward so you can initiate an explosive jump upward.
• Try to land on the box in a soft way with both feet.

4. Rope Jumping

This exercise is not necessarily to directly improve your vertical jump height, but it is highly effective to strengthen the muscles used for vertical jumping (that we’ve addressed earlier in this article).

Try to take these recommendation into consideration:

• While doing rope jumping make sure your arms & shoulders don’t move a lot. Your wrists should be the main element that can do the job for you.
• Your back should be kept straight.
• This rope jumping exercise is a great way to warm-up for your volleyball practice sessions.

Finally, keep in mind that volleyball shoes can help you jump a bit higher if you choose the right ones!

How effective are those exercises on short players?

Yes, these 4 drills we just mentioned are effective on short players, as they are on tall ones. It literally doesn’t matter …

If you are a short volleyball player, you can match tall by improving your vertical jump. Do this by training your leg muscles and your jumping movement and form using the exercises we mentioned in the article.

Can you help increase you volleyball vertical jump at home?

 Yes, you can practice some drills at home to improve you vertical jump.

Exercise1

Stand with your feet together and your knees locked so that you don’t bend during the workout.

By locking your knees, you will just activate your calf muscles and not the other muscles that are involved in jumping.

Raise your toes off the ground and lift your heels entirely off the ground. Begin jumping as quickly as you can from your toes. Keep in mind that you should only jump off your toes and not your heels.

Exercise2

Place your right foot in front of your body and your left foot behind it. Bend down and place your fingers on the ground.

Because of the position you’re in, you’ll notice that your weight is on your toes. Begin by jumping straight up off the ground and switching your legs in the air so that your left leg is in front and your right leg is behind you when you land.

Make sure you get all the way down and touch the ground with your fingertips each time you leap and swap legs in the air. When done correctly, this exercise will activate all four jumping muscles.

Do calf raises help vertical jump?

Calf raises are a crucial aspect of developing vertical jump, but they aren’t a cure-all. Calf raises alone may improve leaping ability, but a holistic approach to vertical jump improvement offers greater results.

Does squatting improve vertical jump?

 Yes, increasing squat strength has been shown to improve vertical jump performance. Using the squat to make you jump higher is extremely effective.

Will jumping everyday increase vertical jump?

 Yes, jumping every day will increase your vertical jump, however I recommend that if you want to systematically increase your vertical jump you first build a good baseline strength by doing strength training (squats and deadlifts), and then I would move into plyometric work after.

It is worth mentionning that practicing spiking by yourself, will help increase your vertical jumping!

Final Thoughts …

Some indoor volleyball players stop practicing their vertical jumping abilities as they think they don’t have to, simply because they see themselves jump higher than most of their teammates …

That’s a big mistake (in my humble opinion). In fact, this can cause some serious regression in this skill.

That’s why it is extremely important to keep practicing regardless of how good you think you are!

Finally, It is worth mentionning that jumping is one skill among many others required for volleyball! That’s why it is also important to be able to focus on the fundamentals also …

Serving is one of the most important (if not the most important) skill in volleyball. Practicing it usually requires real conditions like a court with a net and partners that will receive your serves …

However, since these conditions are not available for everyone all the time, many amateurs are wondering whether they can practice that at home.

Indeed, in this article I breakdown some helpful serving drills that you can apply at the comfort of your home.

Minimum equipment & environment you will need       

The basic requirements you’ll need for practicing volleyball at home are as follows:

• Soft Volleyball: Obviously you’ll need this to practice various drills. Just make sure the ball is lightweight, soft and preferably made out of leather (Check this quality example Here at Amazon)
• Enough Space: You surely don’t want to break something while practicing your favorite sport. Make sure you have enough space to move and practice freely. It can be an open room or a park or garden nearby.
• An empty wall: if you are going to practice alone, then make sure that you have an empty straight wall available. You can use this wall as a teammate and practice ball control drills with it.

3 volleyball serving drills to do at home by yourself

1. Arm rotation

One of the most important things in serving is how fast can you swing your arm. With this drill, you can make sure that your arm moves swings at the maximum speed and that you can hit the ball with utmost strength.

For this drill, you’ll need a space enough for you to stretch your arm straight up in the air without any hindrance.

Apart from that, you’ll need a room with no breakable objects in it. To practice this drill, stand straight up, stretch your arm in the air at a 90-degree angle and swing it with maximum force. This will familiarize the arm with such movements.

Once you can master this, you’ll face no difficulty in striking the serve with a good amount of force.

2. Spiking/ serving drill

This drill is the continuation of the earlier drill. Once you are able to move your arms with a great amount of speed and force, you can bring in the ball.

To practice this drill, you’ll need similar requirements as in the previous drill. You can more preferably opt for an open space with a wall, a back lawn for instance.

You need to stand straight and hold the ball in your non-dominant hand. Get into the position of serving, throw the ball up and strike it with maximum strength. Don’t think of the direction in this stage, just focus on the strength.

The ball must hit the wall and get back with you. Continue this drill until you can strike the ball with your maximum force.

3. Aiming drill

Force is not the only thing that is required; you must have a great aim as well. The speed at which your serve goes may give you an advantage but in the end, it’s all about how you place the ball. You need to precisely serve the ball at a place from where the rally turns out to be in your team’s favor.

To practice this drill, you’ll need an open space with some practice cones. Scatter the cones across the whole area. Once you are done with that, maintain a good amount of distance from them. Then while serving, try to hit these targets.

If you scatter 10 cones, then start hitting, if you miss even a single one then the score goes to zero. Continue this drill until you can knock off all the targets in a single go.

Completing these three drills will give you a perfect hand swing, massive power, and most importantly, the required precision.

Keep in mind that those drills are really helpful to practice volleyball in winter!

3 volleyball serving drills to do at home with a partner

Though there are many drills that you can perform by yourself, having a partner is never a bad option. Following are some serving drills that you can practice at home with a partner:

4. Serve and catch

This can be a great starter drill for both of you. In this drill, you’ll need enough space to move freely. To start with, both the players need to stand at an adequate distance.

One person will be the server while the other will be the catcher. The server needs to get in the serving stance and serve the ball towards the catcher.

The catcher instead of passing the ball back will reach out to the ball and catch it. He’ll then throw the ball back to the server.

This process will continue until both the individuals warm up. They can also change their positions after a while. In other words, the server will become the catcher and the catcher will become the server.

5. Serve, defend and strike drill

This drill has multiple benefits. The server gets to practice both serving and hitting, while the other person can work on his defense.

The server needs to maintain a good amount of distance from the defender. Once done, the server needs to serve the ball with maximum force, and the defender will bounce the ball back towards the server.

Seeing the ball mid-air, the server will get into a spiking position and hit the ball as hard as possible. The defender will again try to defend. If he fails, the whole process will start again.

If not, then the server will continue smashing down until the defense fails. This is a very draining drill and will surely test the capabilities of both individuals.

6. Mind play

This drill is somewhat different from all the drills. This drill not only tests your ball control but also puts your concentration on the test.

To practice this drill, the companion needs to get at a distance from the server. He then starts to play with the mind of the server.

The companion will move and give a call to the server to serve in some particular direction. For instance, if he moves right then he’ll give a call to serve toward the left.

This creates a troublesome situation for the mind. The mind will automatically adjust the partner as the target and aim to pass there.

But since the call is to serve towards a different end, the player will need to focus and concentrate on the same.

How often should you practice volleyball serves at home?

These drills are indeed very effective. They’ll help you enhance your serving skills to a very great extent. But the question arises, how often should you practice these? Well, there exists now a straight-jacket answer to it.

It depends on you. If you are a beginner then these drills will build your basics. As a beginner, your frequency of practicing these drills will be more than an intermediate-level player.

This is because here you will be able to learn and grow on your own. The takeaways will be more when compared to what you will learn in a match. On the other hand, an intermediate-level player knows his strengths and weaknesses.

Such a player must focus on only the aspects where he lags. In such a case, the frequency of practicing these drills will be less. He only needs to practice such basics twice a week or so. This is because his potential to learn and improve while playing a proper match is more.

Also, these drills should preferably be performed only when the proper court and coaching are out of your bounds.

Are these drills enough to be good at serving? 

As mentioned before, these drills have the potential to improve your skillset to a great extent. But are these drills enough to make you the best at serving?

Well, the answer to this is a no. No matter how good you get at these drills, you still need to play matches and learn from your experiences and losses.

The environment of a real match is a lot different than the environment you enjoy during these drills. You also need to get used to the immense performance pressure during such matches.

Hence, these drills can help you master your basics, but real learning can only be done on the court.

For more, you can check those other helpful volleyball drills that you can practice at home!

Final Thoughts …

This training method that I’ve explained here is more adapted to beginners and even to amateurs who have yet to be familiarized with the serving technique …

This is a great start, however, drills that you can do in a court with a net and actual partners is what will make you great not only at serving but also in any other volleyball skill.

Lastly, if you hope to become a professional player in the future, then you definitely need to have a look at this helpful article! You will learn a lot …

Diving is a very important skill in volleyball. Many teams in the past managed to win big tournaments just because they’ve got players who are good at diving…

Nevertheless, to practice diving you might need to have some pre-requisites like being in the court with a partner who can send a hard to save ball before you can dive to save it from hitting the ground.

This training situation could not be available for everybody … That’s why I’ve chosen to put together this quick Post to help you practice diving at home with a minimum of equipment.

Hopefully you will find that useful!

Minimum equipment & environment you will need for diving

There are a few essential pieces of equipment that will help you slam and spike your way to the top.

• Ball: Here it is better to use a soft leather ball as this one is more appropriate and adapted for home conditions (This quality ball is a good example)
• Knee Pads and/or arm Sleeves: Diving involves generally a direct impact on your elbows and knees. That’s why it is very important to ensure a minimum of protection for these sensitive areas. Knee pads and arm sleeves can help in this regard. If you like, you can have a look at my favorite knee pads for volleyball.
• Volleyball shoes: They will help you accommodate the sport’s lateral mobility. The middle of the sole is usually foam, whereas the rear is more likely to have mesh or nylon. Shoes will give you a solid grip which will prevent slippery thus unnecessary injuries. For example, these quality volley shoes have got a reliable grip.

Now, when it comes to the environment, the best option is to have access to a backyard.  However, just make sure you’ve got enough space … Something like 4 meters square space free from elements that could possibly break.

3 Volleyball diving drills to do at home by yourself 

Knee jump drill

The biggest fear in players mind is getting injured while diving. Every beginner is naturally afraid from diving and saving the ball from touching the ground …

Obviously, this should be corrected as this costs the team a lot of points.

This drill will help you get over this fear. Stand straight and prepare your mind for a dive. Rather than going in for a complete dive, you’ll rather jump, lean, and forward on your feet.

This is an excellent drill to generate explosive strength in the body and push the body for a perfect dive. Continue this drill until you are comfortable with the whole process.

Finally, you can check those great tips to teach beginners volleyball! I think you will find those very interesting …

Hand position drill

Courage and strength are not the only things required to accomplish a good dive. You must also have the perfect hand position.

If you are not able to position your hands perfectly then almost all of your dives will go in vain. To ensure good hand positioning, grab a ball and practice this drill.

Lay a mattress in front of you so that you can dive without any fear. First, start by bumping the ball in your wrist to warm it up. Bump 100 times and start with the drill…

Throw the ball up and dive to save the ball. Don’t throw the ball too high as it won’t be much useful. Go for small throws and speedy reactions.

Make sure to bump up the ball well with a perfect hand positioning. 

Jump and dive

This drill is the best for generating explosive strength. To start with this drill, you will need to get in the squat position.

Once you are in that position, you need to jump up high with maximum force. While getting down, push your body forward to initiate a dive.

Lay down a mattress to save you from any injuries. The benefits derived from this are multifold…

Firstly, you’ll be able to stimulate great dives. Secondly, your static jumps will increase. Continue this drill until you are comfortable with jumping high and diving with explosive strength. 

3 Volleyball diving drills to do at home with a partner

Drill1

Get a friend and get into a sit-up position with your feet together for an intense setup drill. When you’re in the “up” position of a sit-up, you’ll be facing each other.

Now, one person passes the ball to the other. As soon as the ball leaves your hands, you go down and do a sit-up.

The ball should be there for you to pass to your partner by the time you get back to the top. keep going back and forth, and you’ll have more control over your sets.

While still getting a wonderful ab workout!

Drill2

In the next drill. Have your partner toss the ball to you and then pass it back. Remember to stay low and not swing your arms.

Try to use your legs instead and push the ball forward. For a challenging variation of this drill. Ask your partner to bowl the ball above your knees.

This will help you increase the speed of your bolt. If you still want to make it more challenging through the last variation. Try and bump back and forth with your partner. Try to get 100 continuous bumps.

Drill3

Start with diving in proper form without the ball. If you are a beginner, be sure to wear kneepads. Once you’re comfortable diving.

Have your partner toss the ball a couple of meters in front of you and then try to dig in. Ensure that you lay a mattress down to avoid any injuries.

Also, push your body to its maximum strength and explosively dive to save the ball.

How often should you practice volleyball diving at home?

Well, here there are so many factors that we need to consider to answer this commonly asked question …

Indeed, there are some new players who literally fear diving for a ball in the court (which is, again, a normal thing). For those people, I highly recommend to practice those home drills as much as possible. Twice or even 3 times a day …

This will help them get though the fear and start getting comfortable while diving for a ball as fast as possible!

Once you get over this first and most important obstacle, then we need to consider other factors, mainly the period we are in …

In fact, during the season you will certainly have the opportunity to practice diving in real situations with your partners and under the supervision of your coach which is obviously the best practice. During that time, you can consider practicing diving at home probably once or maximum twice a week if you feel that you need more practice to sharpen this skill.

Otherwise, during the off season, there are some people who like to keep their skills sharp, if that’s your case too, then you may want to practice twice or max 3 times a week at home, not only diving, but also other skills, like blocking or even spiking.

Are those drills enough to be good at diving?

I would lie to you if I say that the drills I’ve shared here are enough to be great at diving in volleyball. However, I would say that it is a great start and even a great way, again, to get over the fear that comes with diving …

Obviously, the best way to make your diving skills as good as possible is to practice in real situations involving your teammates and partners in a court under the supervision of your beloved coach!

Finally, I highly invite you to learn about these home volleyball drills that covers other important skills!

Final Thoughts …

The drills and practices I’ve mentioned in this post should not be considered as your main focus when it comes to improving your diving skills. Instead you can use them as a complementary or secondary practice if you are struggling to access to a court or to training partners that can help you out …

You can also take full advantage of these practices in the off-season to help your body stay in shape and keep your diving skills at check.

Finally, I highly encourage you to check this article on how to turn into a professional volleyball player! You will learn a lot …

Blocking is a critical skill in volleyball. Several teams have won a lot of big tournaments just because they’ve got a great blocker …

However, to practice blocking you need to have many pre-requisites like being in the court with a Net and being in a situation where an opposite player on the other side spikes the ball before you can block it.

As this training situation might not be available for everyone, I’ve chosen to put together this article to help you practice blocking easily at home with a minimum of required equipment.

Hopefully you will find that helpful!

Minimum equipment & environment you will need for blocking

In this paragraph I will include many equipment possibilities that you can utilize at home to practice your blocking skills. You don’t have to buy all these equipment, just pick 2 or 3 that seem to be the most suitable for you and this should be just fine for you:

• Soft Volleyball ball (Check my recommendation Here at Amazon)
• Blocking hands-training pads
• Rectangular volleyball blocking pads
• Tandem bungee blocker training aid
• Volleyball block blaster

For the environment you should make sure that you’ve got enough space, a backyard if possible or a 4 meters square space free from elements that could break.

3 Volleyball blocking drills to do at home by yourself

1. Start building your core

Blocking is about jumping, but it is also about the core strength. This will help you continue to block consistently with the amount of needed strength to force the ball back onto the other side of the court.

A perfect drill for this is an ab exercise that involves sitting on a mat while having a plate in your hands. Then take your feet off the ground and start doing a side-to-side twist, with the plate touching the ground.

Then again, push the plate above your head to give power to your shoulder

Focusing on the shoulders will help enhance your blocking skills.

2. Lateral Lunge with a Press

Lateral lunge with a press is a popular drill for developing blocking skills …

Keep a plate in your hands while doing a lateral side lunge.

Then, when you are down in the lunge, push the plate straight forward in front of you and bring it back again to your chest before moving out of the lunge.

This is a great drill as it helps develop side-to-side movements while also developing your core muscles at both flexed and taut positions.

3. Get the footwork right

It is preferred to practice that with volleyball shoes (Like These) to give you the needed grip…

Indeed, just like learning how to hit properly, it is important to master the footwork as well. Your mind should not have to think about the feet and the footwork. Instead, the single focus should be only on blocking.

The drill to master the footwork involves a side step block, a cross-over step block, and a run jump block. It is possible to master this footwork even without a ball.

Keep in mind that those drills are really helpful to practice volleyball when it is cold!

2 Volleyball blocking drills to do at home with a partner

Here are some volleyball blocking drills you can do at home with a partner. You brother, father or sister could play this role.

1. Mirror Blocking

Mirror blocking is the most popular drill to practice blocking. This drill allows two players to focus on blocking at the same time.

Stand a few steps apart from each other and imagine that there is a net in between, and you are standing on different sides of the net.

You can start by jumping to initiate the blocking move and your partners will mimic your move by mirroring the same move. You can also do it the other way around by you mimicking your partner …

This exercise is great to develop your reaction time and to challenge yourself and your partner to jump as high as possible.

It is preferred to do this exercise with volleyball shoes as they offer good ankle protection. The latter is helpful especially when you land after the jump.

2. Random Blocking Drill

Some people call this drill as “blind blocking”. It is preferred to have 3 partners for this exercise…

You will play the role of the blocker by standing in front of your partner who will play the role of the attacker. The 3^rd partner should stand behind you. He will pass the ball to the attacker so he can initiate an attack (mostly in form of spike) and your role is to read the movement of the attacked to be able to block his attack.

The random or blind part is that the 3^rd partner in behind you and you don’t know when or where he is going to send the ball to the attacker …

This is great because you will be able to focus solely on the attacker, read his moves and anticipate his attack.

How often should you practice volleyball blocking at home?

There is no strict answer to that; the answer varies from one player to another and from case to case. Indeed, if you feel that your blocking skills are behind the level you should be at already, then you should consider practicing very frequently (like several times a week) …

Also, this depends on whether you are on or off the season. Indeed, during the season you can well practice 3 times a week or more if you feel you need to …

Otherwise, during the off season once or maximum twice a week is more than enough!

Finally, if you are not tall enough and intimidated by this move, then you can learn these tips to block in volleyball even as a short player!

Are those drills enough to be good at blocking?

These drills are enough to notice significant improvement in your blocking skills. They’ll help improve your knees, hands, shoulders, and even visual skills to quickly respond, jump up, block and smash …

However, the regular practice on the court in real situations is probably the foundation. This will give you the feel of real game situations by experiencing the pace, high intensity and pressure that the blocker has to overcome to succeed in his mission and win his team points.

You can check this helpful article to learn about other volleyball drills that you can practice at home!

Final Thoughts …

The tips and drills I’ve shared in this article should not be considered as your main training routine. Instead you can use them as a complementary training in cases where you don’t have access to a court or to training partners …

You can also take advantage of these drills in the off-season to stay in shape and keep your blocking skills sharp.

One last thing I would like you to do, is to learn how to become a professional volleyball player! You will learn couple interesting tips that you probably won’t hear elsewhere …

Beach volleyball is a sport that relies on many skills and abilities. Vertical jumping is probably one of the most important ones. Indeed, a poor vertical jump will impact your ability to strike, block or even to serve …

In this article I breakdown some simple tips that you can start implementing today to notice a better vertical jump within a very short period of time.

Let’s dive in!

Most important muscles to jump in sand

Several muscle groups work together when you jump in the sand …

First there is the lower part which mainly consists of calves, glutes as well as hamstrings. These lower parts are extremely important because they push your body upward in a difficult environment like sand.

Each of these muscles has a separate role, yet the all work together for the same goal. Indeed, the quadriceps, or quad muscles, extend the knee when you jump on the sand. On the other hand, the hamstrings help proving good extension of your hips while jumping.

Apart from the lower body muscles, some other muscles also help you jump higher in the sand, including the muscles in your shoulders, arms, chest, and back.

Quick Tip: If you are an amateur and want to practice jumping on the sand, then you may want to use sand socks. These would give a little bit more stability and strength when jumping which would results in better vertical jumps for you. For example, these quality sand socks are reliable and will help in that regard.

4 Drills to increase your vertical jump for beach volleyball

All the drills below should preferably be done in sand …

1. Knee Tuck Jumps

While standing, your beloved feet & shoulder should stay width apart for better results. Try to follow these few steps …

• Try to jump as high as possible.
• Once your leave the ground, try to pull your knees as high as you possibly can.
• Right after that, try to quickly make your legs straight to make a safe landing.
• Repeat this exercise many times until you start getting comfortable.

2. The Lateral Jump

Here you need to jump to the side from quite a standing position. Try to follow these few instructions:

• Your jump needs to be hard, literally as hard as you possibly can.
• Try to land on the leg that you feel stronger.
• The other leg should however not touch the ground.
• Keep doing this exercise from side to side until you starting feeling comfortable.

3. Broad Jumps

Here you will need to stand your beloved feet a little bit apart more than the width of your shoulders. Try to follow these simple steps …

• Drop your body (slowly) into a squat situation and wait 5 seconds before you can jump as high as you possibly can.
• But once you land on the sand, try to jump almost immediately without squatting too much.
• Keep doing so for as long as you can.

This exercise is great not only for your jumping ability, but also to strengthen your legs.

4. Mountain Climbers

• Begin by putting your hands on the floor.
• Start pulling one foot to reach your chest.
• Now do the same with the other foot, but don’t forget to switch your legs at the same time.
• Your feet should only touch the floor just for a second.

Also, keep your hips low and move very quickly until the set of repetitions you decide on is completed.

Keep in mind that even if you are a tall beach volleyball player, you still need to work on your vertical jumping …

Is gym workout good for beach verticals?

Working out at the gym is a critical part not only for increasing your vertical jump but also to stay in shape for beach volleyball. When you go to the gym to train for increasing vertical jump, you should lift weights…

Lifting weights is an essential part of beach volleyball training. It helps players develop skills that help on the court, including out-jumps, out-cuts, and even out-sprinting opponents.

The biggest benefit you get from lifting weights and working out at the gym is that you develop strength and power. Strength and power only come after you build a certain amount of muscle.

Lifting weights helps you develop this muscle mass by stimulating the tiny muscle fibers that make up these muscles. These fibers start growing in size with every weight lifting session, thus producing more power and strength.

Furthermore, the pushing phase of weight lifting that mimics squats helps develop strong and powerful hip extension strength and also develops power in the upper back and shoulders.

This is a basic exercise for all athletes, especially volleyball players. The squatting in weight lifting works the muscles that are involved in increasing the power of your jumping and landing in volleyball.

Is rope jumping good for beach verticals?

Jumping rope strengthens the jumping muscles, which are your calves, quadriceps, glutes, abs, and hamstrings.

Jumping high involves a combination of strength, power, and coordination. The lower body muscles form a chain that begins with the glutes, travels to the thighs, and then goes down to the calves, which provide the power needed when the toes push off the ground.

Jumping rope activates the lower body in the same way that vertical jumping does. The only difference is that jumping rope also builds your endurance.

At the same time, jumping rope helps strengthen your core muscles, which enables you to push off your toes and propel yourself into the air.

Jumping rope requires your lower and upper bodies to be active at the same time, with the core providing stability, which frees up your arms and legs to move in a more flexible manner. All these benefits help you excel in volleyball jumping.

How often do beach volleyball players jump in a game?

Most people tend to believe that an average volleyball player has to jump anywhere between 100, 200, or perhaps even 500 times in a single beach volleyball match. However, the actual number is surprisingly not this high…

A player only jumps around 40 to 60 times per beach volleyball match. Of course, this is just an average, and the exact number changes from a player to another.

It is the quality of your jumps in beach volleyball that matters more than the number of times you jump.

How often should you work on your vertical jump?

A volleyball player should ideally repeat exercises for vertical jumps at least two to three times a week.

You should ideally give rest of at least 48 to 72 hours of rest between two jump workouts for complete nervous system recovery.

Higher frequencies of jump training than this is not going to help improve your abilities as it increases the chances of injury more.

Moderate frequency, but regular jump training is ideal for speed and power improvements and for increasing your vertical jump.

Final Thoughts …

Some people get too comfortable with their jumping abilities and stop practicing as they think that they don’t have to, simply because they can jump higher than everybody around …

That’s a huge mistake in my opinion. Indeed, their ability to jump higher could suffer from some sort of regression.

The idea here is to keep practicing regardless of how good you are or you think you are!

Finally, if you are also interested about indoor volleyball, then you can check those interesting drills to increase your volleyball jumping abilities …

Practicing beach volleyball alone, for many people, doesn’t really make sense since at the end of the day, it is a team sport and it requires at least 2 players to execute any offensive or defensive sequence …

However, there are still some solid benefits when practicing by yourself. This will eventually allow you to focus solely on some specific skills where you feel you are quite lacking.

In this article, I breakdown the kind of skills and drills you can work on solo in beach volleyball.

Practicing beach volleyball by yourself – Good or Bad idea?

Practicing alone can be sometimes repetitive but it is definitely not a bad idea.

When practicing alone you can focus on some of the skills and moves that you want to improve specifically.

The coach is looking at your performance when practicing with partners, and he can point out things you need to improve. However, you might not always have enough time with your partners to work on that. That’s why you can add couple extra hours working on those aspects of your game alone.

Also, keep in mind that some moves and skills cannot be practiced alone effectively, like spiking and receiving …

These skills can be practiced alone, but it is nowhere near as good as practicing with partners.

5 Beach Volleyball Skills & Drills you can improve by yourself …

Some of those drills require having a good grip on sand, that’s why I recommend using sand socks to help for that. For example these quality sand socks provide decent grip and can properly protect your feet from sand heat and sharp objects.

Pass, set, hit

Pass, set, hit is a fun drill that can be practiced alone.

For this drill you will need a low rooftop and a ball. The goal here is to practice your pass, set and hit, as the name implies.

To get started with this drill, you can simply hit the hit the ball, or throw it at the rooftop. When the ball starts coming down that is when the drill begins.

You will first pass the ball to yourself, then set it and then hit it, sending it at the rooftop. When the ball starts coming down again, repeat the process.

Pushup in between

Pushup in between means that you will do a pushup every time you hit the ball. This pushup is an add-on for the first practice.

Doing a pushup in combination with the previous drill can be really beneficial. Every time you do a pushup you will go down with your entire body. When you come up however, you will need to find the ball and the focus that is needed.

The goal of adding the pushup is to help your reflexes, so you can make a comeback during an intense game. This is a similar practice that you can do with your teammates.

Pass, set, head and shoulders, hand

This exercise is both challenging and fun. It will help improving your ball control.

So this drill is performed in the following manner. You will pass the ball to yourself, then set it and after that use your head and after that your shoulder to send it back into the air.

The goal of this drill is to help your overall mobility and your overall motoric skills to improve.

Improving your arm swing

For this drill you will need a tennis ball.

This exercise aims at improving your arm swing and opening up to the ball. It can also help with your hit, but that comes with the improved arm swing.

Using a tennis ball for this drill is practical because it will allow you to focus on your hand movement while holding a solid object in your hand.

You can improve your arm swing in many different ways with this drill, by using your torso or by using your rhomboids. This means that you will have to throw the ball by using your entire shoulder in a precise manner.

Start by lifting your arm at a 90 degree angle. Then try swinging it back above your head, and try to use only your shoulder while performing this action. The movement is similar as to a quarter back when throwing the ball at practice.

When using your rhomboids the movement is also similar to the last description, but your arm will stay at the 90 degree angle when you swing it back. This part of the drill has the goal of helping you open up.

Ten thirty, thoracic, shoulder blades, elbow high and release

This drill is tightly connected to the previous one …

It has the goal of helping you with your arm movement. As you can see it is a five part drill. It is also performed with a tennis ball.

• Take the ball in your hands.
• Make a 90 degree angle with your hand.
• Rotate the hand by using your shoulder.
• Swing it back.
• Release/throw the ball.

It is better to start executing this exercise with a slow pace.

It is worth mentionning that increasing your beach volleyball vertical jump is something you can also do by yourself.

How often should you practice alone?

You should practice alone quite often like 2 to 3 times a week.

Do it in combination with your practices, or the gym. An hour of single practice can help you substantially when combined with your regular practices.

Practicing alone often can help you when it comes to developing your skills, and maintaining other sets of skills.

You should practice alone on the days when you do not have regular practices, because you can improve the skills that you are seem to be lacking at practices, and implement what you have learned by practicing alone.

Beach volleyball Skills you can’t improve alone …

The first skill is about your reflexes, you can improve your speed and quickness, but the reflexes are mainly up to regular practices with your training partners.

You cannot improve your reflexes alone, because you won’t likely face difficult and uncomfortable situations that will require of you to be sharp minded and to react quickly.

In actual games, you will face certain situations that will require you to react quickly and without hesitation.

Another one is your reaction time, the conditions of improving your reaction time are the same as for the improvement of your reflexes.

This means that you will have always to be on the lookout, and be able to anticipate where and how the ball will be going, you will have to predict its trajectory precisely.

Finally, keep in mind that those drills won’t be enough to gain speed for the sport. Indeed, for this you need to check those beach volleyball speed drills …

Final Thoughts …

Practicing alone is very important for beach volleyball because it is a sport that you might not have access to throughout the year, especially during times when the weather bad.

In those cases, you can keep your skills sharp by practicing alone at home, preferably in your back yard if you have one.

Receiving is usually the starting point of each volleyball attack. If done properly, it usually gives the team an edge to perform a successful attacking sequence …

The move might look easy, yet it is quite difficult and requires consistent practice!

In this article, I am going to focus on how you can improve your receiving abilities in volleyball alone without the need of a partner.

This will give you more possibilities to practice in case you don’t have available training partners.

What you will need to practice?

The first thing that you will need is some space. If you plan on practicing indoors, on the court where your regular practices are held then I guess you are good to go. If you plan to practice outside, on the grass for example, then look for some space where there is no people around.

Then of course you will need a ball, you can check my favorite ball for practice here at Amazon.

The third element you will need is a bucket. As funny and strange as it may seem, a bucket is needed for practicing receiving alone.

One last thing if you are going to practice in the court, then it is preferable to use proprietary volleyball shoes (Check this example). The main benefit here is the Grip. Indeed, to be able to properly receive the ball you need to have a good grip which is well provided by volleyball shoes.

3 Drills to practice receiving in volleyball by yourself

Drill 1: Ball control

Ball control is extremely critical while playing volleyball. Without it, the ball can go in any direction, effectively missing your teammates, or going in the opposite direction of what is than planned.

Ball control can be practiced with the mystery bucket that I have mentioned above. Place the bucket on any distance you deem to be effective. Start by hitting the ball a few times up and down, just to get the feeling and to warm up. Aim for the bucket when you hit the ball. The goal is to place the ball in the bucket.

The bucket is there to help you with your precision, and to help you to aim better.

Drill 2: High and low reception

High and low reception are 2 different sides of the same coin …

• High reception is when you make a diamond with your hands, and receive the ball as if you were passing it.
• Low reception is when you receive the ball with a pump pass, or dig.

This drill is practiced virtually in the same manner as before, be it the outdoors or indoors. You will need the bucket for practicing your precision again, but there are a few more things that need to do.

High reception is, as mentioned earlier, performed in the manner of a pass. However, high reception enables you to receive the ball while being on the move. This does not mean that you can receive the ball while you are running, but you can receive it while on the go, at a slow pace.

High reception enables you to be more flexible while receiving the ball. When practicing alone, you can always pass the ball to yourself, or kick it back from a wall. The goal is to again, practice your ball control and receiving.

Low reception on the contrary enables you to make a more precise and a more concentrated reception. It is crucial that you lower your body weight, putting your hands into the bump pass position. It is also crucial that you remain stationary in order to get the best results.

Low reception may prove harder to practice alone because of the stance you will need to take, but it is not impossible. You can again kick the ball back using a wall, or you can pass the ball to yourself, eventually making a low reception stance.

Drill 3: Wall bumping

Wall bumping is a drill that can get monotonous really fast. The basics of this practice revolve around you, the player and a wall.

It all comes down to ball control again and precision, but it is a good practice when you are alone and want to practice.

In order to perform this drill as best as you can you will need to find a tall wall. The tall wall is there to enable you to send the ball as high as you want. So basically you will need to bump the ball a few times up and down to get the feeling right.

Next you would want to send the ball to the wall as fast as you can, in order to get the ball back as fast as possible. After the ball starts going back to you, you will need to perform a high or low reception, depending on the ball trajectory.

Can you practice those drills at home?

All of these drills can be practiced at home, the only thing that you will need is some space. A back yard is definitely a great option if you have one.

When we talk of practicing those drills at home, it is crucial to know that you can practice them outside, not in the inside.

The first drill that we have mentioned can be practiced at home or outside, with no restrictions. A box will always be found somewhere around the house.

The second drill regarding the low and high reception can also be practiced in your yard with no problems. This drill requires less space than the first one, because you can do it in a small space.

The third drill can be practiced at home as well, under the condition that you find a high enough wall in order to pass the ball to yourself, that is to bump it a gains the wall. The spacing is crucial here because you will need to find a bigger wall.

A bigger wall will provide you with the necessary width that you will need in order to go back and forth when practicing, because no ball is ideal during a game, remember that.

Finally, you can check those other volleyball drills you can practice at home! These covers other important skills …

How often should you practice receiving alone?

Those drills are there as a filler, meaning, that they are intended to be practiced when you want to enhance some of your skills, such as your low reception stance, your ability to hit the ball better and your precision.

These drills can be practiced alone, but it is always better if you practice receiving with other players and with your coach. Your teammates can help you substantially.

Every player that makes a serve has different strength, meaning that your teammates who serve you the ball will always serve differently, giving you enough diversity with the ball. Contrary to a wall, which can provide you with a monotonous back and forth play.

The conditions that need to be met are as follows. You will not have any teammates around or available, you will need to have the will to get better and to get to know your gameplay by yourself, with no interference, and practicing alone will provide you with the needed maintenance of your skills.

Finally, you can check those other volleyball drills you can practice alone! These covers other important skills …

Final Thoughts: Are those drills enough to become great at receiving?

No those drills are not enough to become professional at receiving or bumping the ball. The case here is simple, you can practice alone, but as I have mentioned earlier, you will gain no new skills or techniques.

The alone practicing is here to fill up the gap when there are no teammates around, but you should not rely on that alone. A teammate is always a good addition to your practices.

I have mentioned earlier that teammates can help you get better at your receiving. Every player in volleyball tends to serve the ball differently, meaning that you can receive the ball every time with different intensity.

You can have all those fancy volleyball skills like spiking, blocking and diving! But, if you don’t have solid footwork, you will always be a step behind and won’t be able to showcase those skills the way you should …

In this article, I explain the importance of footwork and how it can positively impact your game. I also, breakdown some solid tips and drills that will help enhance this critical skill as soon as possible.

Why is footwork important in volleyball?

Footwork is the component that allows you to have balance, to have a clear and strong direction. It allows you to be quick on your feet and precise with the execution of your moves, be it setting, serving, receiving, blocking or any other move.

Players who lack good footwork usually struggle with executing some moves, like the swing back block, or a hard to perform setting. Footwork is essential to a good volleyball performance.

It is important to know how to move your feet while playing. It may sound silly, but … Players who cannot control the movement of their feet usually let their feet guide them, instead of them guiding their feet.

If a player can control his footwork well, there is a high chance that he can outmaneuver and outplay the opponent in any given situation.

5 Effective footwork Drills for volleyball …

To properly execute those moves you will need:

• A flat surface
• Agility Ladder (Like this One)
• I also recommend using proper volleyball shoes (Check my Recommendation)
• Couple medium size Stairs

1. Forward Ladder Drill

• Place the ladder on the ground and go to one end of the ladder.
• Stand parallel, next to the ladder, in this case your right foot will be closest to the ladder, stand next to the ladder facing it downwards.
• The exercise starts when you put one of your feet, in this case your right foot, in the first square.
• After your right foot has entered the square, you will have to pull it back towards you as quickly as possible.
• After pulling your foot back, make a small step, so that you stand parallel to the next (second) square, repeating the process.
• Go all the way down the ladder, repeating the movement.
• After you have done it all, reverse back and go down the ladder again, this time with your left foot, or you can make a full circle with your right foot (that is up to you).

It is important to note that this exercise needs to be done as quickly as possible. The goal is to do it quick and precise, not moving a single square that is not disrupting the ladder.

2. Downward Ladder Drill

• Stand in front of the ladder, facing it downwards.
• By raising your left foot to a 90 degree angle, and your right arm also, you will move to the first square, entering it.
• Your right foot will follow the left with a 90 degree angle as well. The same goes for the left arm.
• Repeat the process until you have reached the end of the ladder. The process has to be similar to running across the ladder, but you will need to put both your feet in the square and move on to the next one.

This exercise has to be performed as fast as possible. It is also an ideal exercise that can help you with your explosiveness and precision. The goal is not to disrupt the ladder, just like before.

This drill is also important to make you faster while playing volleyball …

3. One more Ladder Drill

• Again, stand in front of the ladder, but this time your left foot will be parallel with the ladder, just line in the first practice.
• Raise up your arms, making a T pose.
• Start by entering the first square with your right foot. The right foot will go over your left. Try not to disturb the T pose, that is your arms.
• Your left foot will follow your right foot into the square.
• Your right foot will then go behind your left foot into the second square, followed by your left foot.
• Try performing this as fast as possible, in order to get the best results.

This exercise has the goal of training your hips and your hip movement, just like the movement of your feet. Again, the goal is not to disrupt the ladder, effectively exercising your precision.

4. Stair jumping Drill

Stair jumping is a practical way of exercising footwork. It helps the player exercise and grow his muscles, and they also help to learn how to land safely and with stability. Stair jumping has a lot of benefits and it is regarded by some to be a full body workout.

Find a row of stairs, medium sized (15+) stairs and start jumping. You need to jump with both your feet at the same time.

It is basically like a vertical jump, but you move a little bit forward. It sounds easy, but it is quite difficult.

If you’ve like to , you can also have a look at these critical volleyball skills! You will also learn how to practice them properly …

5. Lateral hop & Hop Drill

The lateral hop and hold is an exercise that aims to help the player strengthen his ankles, make the overall balance better and of course help the player with his foot work.

For this exercise the player will have to take an athlete stance, and jump from one side to the other, horizontally.

When landing on one side, the player needs to wait a few seconds and then jump to the other side. This exercise can be done as many times as the player wishes or in the combination with other exercises.

Can you practice those drills at home?

All of the practices that we have listed so far can be practiced at home. The only thing that you need for the majority of them is a back yard.

For the first three drills you will need a practice ladder. It can be put anywhere, from the grass to the concrete, the other thing that you might need is some space in order to perform those drills with the ladder.

The first one requires a little bit more space since you will basically go around the ladder if you are going full circle.

The second and third drill requires less space, because you are virtually running through, or across the ladder. But it is always safe when you have enough space to move around comfortably.

The fourth and fifth drill that we have mentioned can also be practiced at home, but there are certain conditions to the fourth one.

Stair jumping requires stairs. I have said that it requires 15+ stairs, but in reality if you have at least five at your disposal it is possible to perform the drill successfully.

The only boring part is that you need to go five stairs up and then five stairs down. The 15+ stair number that I have mentioned is there to give you a sense of going forward.

Keep in mind that those drills are also great to improve your volleyball agility …

Volleyball positions that need footwork the most!

In volleyball footwork is critical for every position, but there are some positions that require it more.

The two positions that require the most footwork that we will talk about today are two defensive positions, the libero and the setter.

The libero has a purely defensive role and it is required of him to always be on the lookout for possible hard to catch balls. The libero does not play an offensive role and he is always in the defense.

The libero is a position that requires a lot of focus, movement and skill. The footwork of a libero needs to be precise and on time every single time.

The second position is the setter. His role is quite similar to the libero when it comes down to responsibility. He is not a defensive player, but the setter needs to be focused all the time, he receives the opponent’s ball, and he always needs to have good reflexes.

In those reflexes comes footwork as well. If he is quick and precise on his feet, he will be able to set the ball accordingly.

Is footwork also important for beach volleyball?

Footwork is also important for beach volleyball. In fact, beach volleyball is even dynamic than indoor volleyball…

The two player system in beach volleyball is the reason why footwork is maybe more important in beach volleyball than it is in indoor volleyball.

Beach volleyball has one more additional ally when it comes to practice, that is sand. It is a surface which can help players a lot when practicing because it gives them the needed resistance.

Indoor volleyball players often practice in the sand, because it can help them with their movement and footwork, beach volleyball players always practice in the sand.

Drills I have listed in the second section of this article can all be performed in sand, except the stair jumps.

Final Thoughts …

If you are a total beginner, then I won’t stress you too much to focus on your footwork. Indeed, by practicing regular volleyball drills related to the basic moves, you should be able to improve your footwork systematically …

However, after you get the basics done, you need to include footwork drills in your training routine as this is what usually makes the difference between a good and average player.

Finally, keep in mind that this is not only for amateurs and semi-pros, you can also teach beginners volleyball techniques like footwork!