As you get better as a volleyball player, you need to go beyond the basics to push your limits. There are some simple drills that will keep you competitive. But, to improve, to make sure you reach closer to your ceiling, you might need to go for something special.
Advanced drills are high-intensity volleyball drills that casual players tend to avoid. Coaches often recommend them for competitive training.
So, if you want to boost your preparation for a tournament, or just want to improve as a player, consider trying these.
Top 8 Advanced Volleyball Drills
There are thousands of volleyball drills out there that players can add to their training routine when they’re trying to improve a specific skill set. Here are some of the best ones that you might want to try out:
2-Player Set & Touch
This drill is great for refining ball control while also working on movement. So, we recommend including this into your warm-up routine ahead of a match. This drill comes from the playbook of the Long Beach State women’s team.
- Two players must stand two meters apart from each other.
- Partner one begins by setting the ball to their teammate.
- Then, they must sprint forward to tap them and get back to their original position.
- To allow their partner time for the movement, the second player first sets the ball to themselves.
- They then return the set and move forward for their own touch.
- Repeat this sequence a couple of times.
Serving-Passing-Setting Quads
This drill improves all non-attacking skills and can be used for ball-handling or warm-ups.
- Set up with a passer, setter, and target on one side of the net, and a server on the other. Both the server and the target player should have a ball in hand.
- The sequence starts with the server sending the ball to the passer, who passes to the setter, who then sets for the target.
- Target tosses their ball to the server immediately after receiving the first for quick exchanges.
- Repeat the drill until the passer completes the specified number of successful passes.
Get-2 Serve & Pass
Coaches can use this serving and passing drill to keep large groups moving. It also focuses on individual development at the same time.
- Position three passers per side, a target at the net, and servers at both ends.
- Passers must stay in position until they have successfully completed two good passes.
- Once the passers get two good passes, they switch to target positions.
- Then, the target serves, and the longest-serving server joins the passing group.
You can run this drill for a set duration, until a total pass count is reached, or until a designated group of players achieves a certain number of good passes.
Back and Front Setting Warm-Up
For a space-efficient drill that provides both front and back set repetitions, you can consider this option. It’s perfect as a warm-up drill.
- Place two players facing one another. They should stand approximately 8 to 10 feet apart. The player holding the ball will be the primary setter.
- The first player sets forward to their partner.
- The partner back sets the ball.
- Players keep up the drill by switching back and forth between front and back sets.
The Hard Drill
It’s a comprehensive drill that improves back court attacking and defensive techniques.
- This drill requires two teams of three players, all in back row positions.
- Players play back court 3s with the challenge of completing 10 error-free pass-set-hit sequences before the ball hits the floor. If the ball drops on the floor, the drill resets.
Hitter Tourney
This drill simulates a competitive game situation, so that coaches evaluate the hitting ability of a player in a real-game scenario. USA National Team setter Courtney Thompson detailed this drill during a seminar in 2013.
- Arrange three back row players, including a setter, plus a blocker on one side, and a setter, defender, outside hitter on the other.
- The 4-player team serves each ball to the defender or outside hitter.
- The teams then proceed with a rally. The coach instructs the outside hitter on the receiving side to attack every ball within reach. The serving side, meanwhile, is limited to attacks initiated from the back row.
- Run 10 rallies and count how many times the team with the outside hitter won.
- You can also use this drill for right side hitters and back row attackers.
- For a balanced assessment of hitters, have them face the same defensive lineup while using a consistent setter and defender on their side. Of course, you can add variety by running the drill through multiple cycles.
Belly-to-Dig
Belly-to-dig is a versatile drill that improves digging movement and ball-handling technique. This can also double as a conditioning exercise. You can use this player drill in a stations setup with other drills
- Form a 6-meter triangle with three players. Two of the players should have a ball, and the third player should be lying on their stomach, facing the other two. That means, each team has a ball.
- A player strikes the ball with an open hand. The player on the ground then quickly rises and shuffles sideways to position themselves in line with the player who slapped the ball.
- The standing player attacks, the receiving player digs, returns to the starting point, and then the sequence is repeated with the other standing player.
- Run this sequence for four times.
Cooperative Cross-Court Hitting
The focus of this drill is keeping the ball within the court, rather than scoring points. So, this drill aims to improve ball control.
- Arrange the players into two groups of four and put them on opposite sides of the net.
- All sets go to the outside hitter. Their role is to attack cross court so that players on the other side of the net can attack and dig back.
- The goal is to complete 10 clean dig-set-hit sequences without letting the ball touch the floor. The counter goes back to zero if the ball drops to the floor even once.
Final Thoughts
Most of these advanced volleyball drills address certain aspects of the game. If you are struggling with a particular issue, or want to work on a skillset, you can ask your coach to recommend a training regiment that focuses on the matter. You’ll need to have at least an intermediate skill level in volleyball to try these moves.
