Volleyball Coaching Drills 25+ Drills and a Practice Plan

Volleyball Coaching Drills: A Practical Library for Every Skill, Level, and Practice Plan

Picture this. It’s 6:00 p.m., twelve players are walking into the gym, and you have 90 minutes. You know the team needs better passing, but last week’s drill had half the group standing in line. This is where volleyball coaching drills either earn their place on the practice plan or waste your court time.

This guide gives you a working library of coaching drills for volleyball, organized by skill. It also covers how to pick the right drill, how to run it well, and how to fit it all into a practice that keeps every player touching the ball.

Quick Answer: What Are the Best Volleyball Coaching Drills?

The best volleyball coaching drills target a weakness you saw in recent play, give every player many contacts per minute, and resemble real match situations. Strong core options include partner passing, target serve receive, self-toss hitting, zone serving, shadow blocking, and 6v6 play with scoring conditions.

For most teams, a solid core set looks like this:

• Passing: partner pass, target passing, serve-receive in formation
• Setting: wall or partner setting, setting to targets, out-of-system setting
• Hitting: approach footwork, self-toss hitting, line and angle hitting
• Serving: zone serving and pressure serving
• Defense and blocking: shadow blocking, dig-and-cover, down-ball defense
• Game-like play: wash drills, queen of the court, and 6v6 with scoring conditions

Everything below shows how to run these, scale them up or down, and combine them into a practice.

How to Choose the Right Volleyball Coach Drills

Before you pull a drill off the shelf, run it through four quick filters. Most bad practices come from skipping this step.

1. Does it fix a real problem?
Watch your last match or scrimmage. If your team gave up points on poor first contacts, passing gets the time. If you lost points on free balls that dropped untouched, you need defensive and communication work. Choose the drill for the problem you saw.

2. How many touches per player per minute?
A drill where six players watch two players work is a poor use of time. Good volleyball drills for coaches keep most players active most of the time. If kids are waiting in line, add a second ball, split into smaller groups, or turn the line into a rotation.

3. Does it look like the game?
Skills learned in isolation often fall apart under pressure. A passing drill works better when the ball comes from a real serve, not a gentle toss, and when a target (a setter) is waiting. Start simple, then add game elements until the drill feels like a rally. [INTERNAL LINK: serve receive guide]

4. Can the players actually succeed at it?
If most reps fail, the drill is too hard and players will stop trying. If every rep is easy, they aren’t learning. A good target is that players succeed most of the time but still have to work for it.

A drill that passes all four filters is worth keeping. One that fails two or more should be changed or dropped.

The Art of Coaching Volleyball Drills

Knowing a drill and coaching a drill are different skills. The art of coaching volleyball drills is mostly about what you do after you blow the whistle to start.

Explain it in under a minute

Long explanations lose a gym full of teenagers. Demonstrate the drill once, say the goal in a single sentence, and start. Players learn the details through the first few reps, not through your speech.

Give one cue at a time

If a hitter has a late arm swing, a short approach, and a flat landing, pick one. Fixing three things in one rep fixes none of them. Pick the cue that will make the biggest difference and save the rest for later.

Use constraints instead of lectures

You can shape behavior by changing the rules. For example:

• Want a bigger approach? Place a cone where the hitter’s last step should land.
• Want better passing platforms? Give the passer a target zone and count only passes that land inside it.
• Want faster transition? Require the hitter to touch the baseline before covering.

Players respond to rules faster than to repeated reminders.

Count and keep score

Even simple drills improve when they have a score. “First pair to 10 good passes” or “team needs 8 of 12 serves in the zone” adds focus. It also gives you a number to track from week to week. Here are a few easy ones:

Know when to stop

If a drill falls apart for three or four reps in a row, stop it, fix the one thing causing the breakdown, and restart. If it’s running smoothly, let it run. Resist the urge to interrupt every rep.

Finish with a game

End each skill block with a short competitive game that uses the skill. It confirms what players learned and keeps energy high.

READ MORE: How to Increase Vertical Jump for Volleyball

Warm-Up and Ball Control Drills

A good warm-up prepares the body and gives every player early ball contact.

Partner pepper (pass, set, hit)
Two players stand about 10 feet apart. One hits or tosses, the partner digs, the first player sets it back, and they repeat. Keep a rhythm and count consecutive cycles. It builds ball control, platform angle, and hand-eye coordination all at once.

Triangle passing
Three players stand in a triangle with one ball. Pass, move to the next spot, and repeat. The movement adds footwork to what would otherwise be a static drill.

Dynamic movement with a ball
Have players shuffle, backpedal, and sprint short distances while carrying out a set or forearm pass to themselves. It teaches body control under motion.

Warm-up progression (about 8 to 10 minutes):

1. Light jogging and arm circles
2. Dynamic stretches such as leg swings and lunges with a twist
3. Partner pepper
4. Short-court passing and setting
5. A few easy serves

Passing Drills

Passing is the foundation. If the first contact is poor, the rest of the rally suffers. Here are three drills that scale from beginner to advanced.

Drill 1: Partner Platform Passing

• Setup: Pairs, 10 to 15 feet apart, one ball.
• Run: One player tosses underhand, the other passes it back to the tossers chest, aiming for a high, soft arc.
• Coaching points: Feet moving before contact, arms staying straight, platform angled toward the target.
• Progression: Toss from farther away, toss to the left and right, then replace the toss with a light serve.

Drill 2: Target Passing

• Setup: A setter stands at the target position near the net. Passers line up in serve-receive spots. A coach or teammate serves or tosses from the other side.
• Run: Each passer gets a set number of reps, such as eight. Count passes that reach the setter’s target zone.
• Coaching points: Pass to the target, not just “over the net.” Watch the angle of the platform rather than the swing of the arms.
• Progression: Add a live serve, then add a second passer so players must communicate on who takes the ball.

Drill 3: Serve Receive in Formation

Set your team in the receive formation you plan to use in matches (often a three- or four-player pattern). Servers serve at game speed, passers pass to the setter, and the setter sets to a hitter. Track how many passes land in the target zone.

This is one of the most valuable volleyball coach drills you can run because it mimics the first moments of a rally.

Quick tip: Mix serves. Have servers alternate between short, deep, and seam serves so passers learn to read and move rather than wait.

Setting Drills

Good setters create consistent, hit table balls. Beginners need hand shape and footwork. Advanced setters need decision-making.

Wall setting
A player sets repeatedly against a wall, trying to hit the same spot each time. It builds touch and consistency, and it only needs one player and one ball.

Partner setting with a target
Players set back and forth, aiming for a hoop, a line, or a partner’s hands. Count how many sets in a row land in the zone.

Setting from the pass
A coach or partner passes (or tosses) to the setter from different spots. The setter moves to the ball, squares up, and delivers to a hitter or a target.

Out-of-system setting
Toss poor passes (low, wide, and off the net) and have the setter run the ball down and still deliver a hit table set. This prepares players for the messy balls that happen in real matches.

Coaching points for setters:

• Get under the ball with hips and shoulders square to the target when possible
• Use the legs for power, not just the arms
• Keep the hand shape consistent (a “window” with the thumbs and index fingers)
• Call for the ball early

READ MORE: Volleyball Conditioning Workouts – The Complete Guide

Hitting Drills

Hitting looks simple, but the timing between approach, jump, and swing takes many reps to learn.

Approach Footwork Drill

Without a ball, have hitters practice their approach steps starting from behind the 10-foot line. For a right-handed hitter using a four-step approach, the usual pattern is right, left, right, left, finishing with a two-foot jump (reverse for lefties). Add an arm swing at the top of the jump. Repeat until the rhythm feels natural.

Self-Toss Hitting

Each hitter tosses the ball to themselves and hits it over the net. This removes the setter from the equation and lets the hitter focus on arm swing and contact point. It’s a good early-season drill and a useful way to give many reps quickly.

Line and Angle Hitting

Hitters line up on the left side. A setter (or coach) delivers a set, and hitters alternate between hitting line (straight down the sideline) and angle (cross court). Put targets or cones in the court to give them something specific to aim for.

Hitting Against a Block

Add one or two blockers on the other side. This forces hitters to read the block and adjust: go around, over, or off the hands.

Common hitting problems to watch for:

• Approach too short or too slow
• Contact point behind the head instead of in front
• Not using the non-hitting arm to balance
• Landing on one foot or off-balance

Serving Drills

Serving is the one skill that doesn’t depend on a teammate’s touch first. That makes it one of the most efficient things to practice.

Zone serving
Divide the opposing court into zones (for example, six areas) and assign points for each. Servers call a zone before each serve. Track accuracy over a set number of attempts.

Serve and run
After serving, the player immediately runs to a defensive position. It builds the habit of moving into the rally rather than watching the serve.

Pressure serving
Give the team a challenge: “Everyone must make three serves in a row, and if anyone misses, the group starts over.” It simulates match pressure, where one missed serve costs a point.

Serve variations
Once players are consistent with a basic serve, introduce variations such as a float serve, a jump float, or a topspin serve, depending on age and ability.

Blocking and Defense Drills

Defense wins long rallies, and blocking sets the tone at the net.

Shadow Blocking

Blockers move along the net without a ball, practicing the footwork patterns they’ll use in a match: step-close, crossover, and swing step. Add a jump and a hands-over-the-net reach at the end of each move.

Block and Cover

A hitter attacks, a blocker (or two) attempts to block, and the rest of the team covers behind the block. This drill teaches the connection between the block and the floor defense.

Dig and Cover

A coach hits or tosses balls hard at defenders in different positions. Defenders dig the ball to a target, and a teammate transitions to a hitter or setter position.

Down-Ball Defense

Coaches or players hit “down balls” (balls hit with an open hand and no full swing). Defenders learn to read the ball and set up with good platforms.

Defensive priorities:

1. Get the body behind the ball
2. Keep the platform steady
3. Pass to the target, not just “up”
4. Call “mine” or “help” early

READ MORE: Volleyball Blocking Technique: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Game-Like Team Drills

When individual skills are in place, move to drills that combine them under pressure.

Wash drills
Teams play out rallies in a scoring format built around back-to-back wins. In a common version, a team earns a point only if it wins two rallies in a row. If the other team wins the second rally, the two results cancel out (a “wash”) and nobody scores. Coaches run several versions, so set the exact rules before you start. The format forces teams to perform in both the serving and receiving phases.

Queen (or King) of the court
One side is the “queen” side and the other is the “challengers.” The coach feeds a ball to the challengers, who play out the rally. If the queens win, they stay on and get a point. If the challengers win, they swap sides. First to a set score wins.

6v6 with conditions
Play a normal scrimmage but add a condition, such as “the first ball must be passed to the setter,” “the setter must set the outside hitter on the first play,” or “any ball that doesn’t land in the target zone counts as an error.”

Transition game
Start a rally by having the coach toss a free ball to one side. The team must pass, set, and hit to simulate a full transition. Repeat in quick succession.

These drills work because they combine skills, add decisions, and introduce scoring. They also reveal weaknesses you’ll want to address in the next practice.

Sample 90-Minute Practice Plan

Here’s one way to assemble these volleyball drills for coaches into a balanced session. Adjust the time based on your team’s needs.

Tip: Not every practice needs every skill. If your team is working on a specific problem, such as serve receive, give it more time and rotate the other skills across practices.

Adjusting Drills by Age and Skill Level

The same drill can work for different groups if you change the rules, distance, and expectations. Here’s a quick guide.

A few other adjustments:

• Net height and court size: These vary by age group and organization. Check your league’s rules rather than assuming.
• Ball type: Younger or newer players often do better with lighter or softer volleyballs, though you should follow your league’s requirements.
• Complexity: Add one new element at a time. If a drill gets too complicated, players spend more time thinking about the rules than the skill.

Volleyball Drills for Coaches With Small Groups, Tight Spaces, or No Gym

Not every coach has a full gym or a full roster. Here are options when resources are limited.

With only a few players:

• Use partner and triangle drills
• Rotate players through stations (passing, setting, hitting) while one player serves or feeds
• Play 2v2 or 3v3 on a smaller court. These games create more touches per player than 6v6

With limited court space:

• Run drills across the width of the court instead of the length
• Use half-court games
• Set up two small stations instead of one large drill

With no net or no gym:

• Wall drills for passing and setting
• Self-toss and self-pass for ball control
• Footwork ladder or cone drills for movement
• Strength and jump work, such as lunges, squats, and light cliometrics (scaled to age and ability)

Home or solo practice assignments can also make a difference. A player who does 100 wall sets or serves at a wall a few times a week arrives at practice with better touch.

Common Mistakes When Running Volleyball Coaching Drills

Even a well-designed practice can go wrong. Watch for these.

• Too much talking. If players are standing and listening for more than a minute or two, you’re losing reps.
• Too many lines. Long lines mean fewer touches. Add more balls, more stations, or smaller groups.
• Ignoring game speed. Slow, easy drills don’t prepare players for fast matches. Gradually increase the speed and difficulty.
• Fixing everything at once. Pick one cue per rep.
• Skipping the competitive element. Scores and challenges keep energy and focus up.
• Repeating the same drills forever. Familiar drills are efficient, but small changes in constraints keep players engaged.
• Not tracking results. If you don’t count anything, it’s hard to know if the drill is working.
• Forgetting recovery. Overuse and fatigue lead to injuries and poor performance. Include rest, hydration, and sensible workloads, especially with young players.

Frequently Asked Question

Conclusion

Great volleyball coaching drills do three things: they target a real need, keep players active, and prepare them for what happens in a match. Start with the basics (passing, setting, hitting, serving, and defense), adjust difficulty to fit your players, and finish with competitive, game-like play.

Use the coaching drills for volleyball in this guide as a starting point, track your results, and keep adjusting. Over a season, small, steady improvements in your practice design will show up on the scoreboard.