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!