We all know that spiking is all about smashing the ball over the Net to the opponent team’s zone. So, basically you will need a Net to properly practice and sharpen your spiking skills …
However, this is not 100% necessary. You can still practice spiking and actually improve at it big time without the need of having a Net in front of you.
In this article, I breakdown some simple drills you can practice to do so. Some of those drills could be practiced by yourself and even at home if you’ve got enough space.
First … What gear you might need?
For a spiking workout without a Net you should have some gear to simulate a real spiking situation as much as possible …
Volleyball shoes and a quality ball are important in my opinion (Check out my favorite Ball for solo training)
Knee pads, sleeves and shorts are also important, yet they are not mandatory if you are not going to make it very intense.
3 Solo Volleyball Spiking drills without a Net
Solo Trainer Drill
To execute this drill, you will need a Solo Trainer (Check it Here at Amazon) …
You can use it to practice not only spiking but also serves and even passes all alone. For spiking the practice is as follows …
Put the belt of the solo trainer around your waist, adjust it well and make sure that it stays in place with no possibilities of falling off during practice.
Next execute throw the ball just before you jump in the air, and perform the spike. The ball should go forward with great speed, stretching the rope that it is attached to and eventually returning.
The great thing about this drill is that you can execute it in a very restricted space and even at home without the risk of breaking anything around.
Spike Training System
The volleyball spike training system is basically a simpler version of the solo trainer. The system is basically a single rope that can be attached to anything that can hold the ball in the air.
When you attach the system to a basket for instance, the ball will be in mid-air, providing you with the possibilities to hit it with the basic spiking moves.
The volleyball spiking system does not restrain you and gives you the possibility of greater movement and speed.
Individual volleyball spike trainer
Third Drill and most effective one is based on the Individual volleyball spike trainer …
The Individual spike trainer is more of a system than the actual spike system that we have mentioned earlier. It has the same principles and is intended to help players get better at spiking.
You can use it to spike the ball. Yet, you might need some space to be able to do so.
Others …
Foot work is essential for volleyball. Good foot work means good serves, good passes and good spikes.
Besides foot work there is one more volleyball drill. That is the arm swing aim. The arm swing aim can be practiced from any position and it can be useful when practicing you ball aim.
There is no need to jump for this practice, instead you can perform it from any position. The goal is to practice your aim with the ball and your timing when to hit it and how. It is basically spiking, which is focused on precision.
2 Volleyball Spiking Drills Without a Net but with Partners.
Block hitter on box practice
This one is similar to the block hitter on box practice. Indeed, the block hitter on box practice is done in a way that the blocker stands on a box on the opposite side of the net, holding the ball high up, ready to throw it in the air, enabling the player to hit the ball when he gets close to it, performing a spike.
This practice is performed in a similar manner, but without the net, and with a different goal.
The goal in the block hitter on box is to get a good hit, propelling the ball over the net, while this practice has the goal to help the player jump faster, and higher.
The teammate on the box will stand with his arm in forward, ready to throw the ball high when the player gains momentum. Then person standing on the box will throw the ball as well as he can, enabling the player to land a hit.
Transition spiking timing
The next practice that we are going to talk about is the transition spiking timing. It helps you with your timing. The latter means your ability to know when to jump, how high and when and where to hit the ball.
When combined with the arm swing aim, it can be a good practice for your spiking. The practice is performed with one more player. Your friend, or teammate will set the ball, you will receive the ball, passing it to him.
Your friend will perform a second pass, passing you the ball, enabling you to hit the ball, that is, enabling you to spike it as best as you can.
That practice is focused more to the momentum and fast paced side, ultimately improving your movement, foot work, momentum, and strength with which you hit the ball.
You can also learn about some interesting volleyball drills you can do by yourself with a net!
Can you practice those drills at home?
Yes, most of the above mentioned drills can be practiced at home, be it with a partner, your teammate or friend, be it alone in your back yard.
For example you can practice high jumping at home, next to a wall, possibly the outer wall of your house …
Take a sticker and try jumping as high as possible, sticking the sticker at the point that you have reached with your hands, trying to jump higher every time.
Owning the volleyball spike system or the volleyball trainer would also be a big asset for you, since they could provide you with the means of practicing spiking at home, as much as you like, enhancing your spiking abilities of-court.
Practicing at home with a partner is also a good possibility, but for that you would need some space to function well and execute the drills correctly without any unnecessary damage.
I highly invite you to learn how to practice volleyball spiking alone!
Can those drills make you a great spiker even without a net?
Yes, all the drills that we have mentioned so far can make you good at spiking. Yet keep in mind that it lacks some of the key components of practice …
Sure, you can get better at spiking when practicing alone, but it tends to get monotonous some times.
Practicing spiking with another person is usually more exciting, and it can help you become better at spiking at a faster rate than solo practices.
Practicing with someone can be beneficial for your overall skills, because you would have to adjust your speed and style to the needs of the other person from time to time.
Spiking in general is not a skill that can be mastered overnight; it needs quite some time to be fully understood and mastered.
Practicing spiking can help you substantially when it comes to stamina, strength, speed and light footedness, since that is the required set of skills that spiking requires.
Finally, I think you should learn those other important drills you can do without a net!
Final Thought …
My main goal from this article was not only to help answer your questions related to practicing volleyball without a Net (Which I hope I’ve done) …
Indeed, my main goal was (funny enough) to give you little to no excuses to not practice volleyball.
In fact, many up and coming players feel lazy about practicing just because they don’t have a Net or they don’t have a partner or they don’t have a lot of space and things like that …
Hope this article has given you some ideas so you can keep improving at volleyball even with minimal gear.
Keep in mind that there are some volleyball drills you can practice without a ball!