Improve Volleyball Skills Using Drills Focusing on the 6 Basic Skills

To improve volleyball skills like passing, serving, setting, hitting, digging and blocking here are several drill ideas for each one to learn to play better

Are you ready to learn how to improve volleyball skills needed to play on your varsity team?  

In short they are

• passing
• serving
• spiking
• setting
• digging
• blocking

These are the six most basic skills of volleyball a competitive middle or high school Vegas player needs to learn in order to make their high school team.

Let's start with serving...

Serving... is the first opportunity a player has.. to score a point... without the help of any teammates... which is why you should get really good at doing this skill.

Wonder why we sweat in our classes? Because we work hard!💪🏾💪🏾

Learn important volleyball service rules and answers to basic let serve questions about what's legal when serving a ball from behind the service line.⁠

What's a "let" serve in volleyball?⁠

The old rules were that when a server served a ball which nicked or touched the top of the net...

In high school and college volleyball the ability to serve receive the serve also known as "passing a ball" from an opponent's serve to your setter is one of the most important volleyball skills to learn in order to play competitive indoor or sand volleyball games and tournaments.

Why? Basically because  if you can't pass then you can't play.

Passing is done when you hold both wrists together and with both thumbs side by side and pointing to the ground as you contact the ball on the  forearms of both arms.

Your forearms, commonly known as "your passing platform", should be angled towards the target you plan on passing the ball to. 

These three volleyball passing tips will help improve volleyball skills for passing and will make a differene on how well you'll get the ball to the target

As a passer you want to avoid "jump bumping" instead if you move your midsection out of the way you can still pass the ball with your passing platform angled outside of your body line.

That's why it's important to get stopped then use the correct technique.

Don't be lazy just because it seems like an easy pass to make.

Fight to maintain good volleyball passing skill and technique. I'm guilty of committing this error when I know its an easy pass or free ball.

Especially with free balls you need to read where the ball is going to land and the quickly move your feet to that spot BEFORE the ball gets there. 

Remember to stay low and keep your shoulders over your knees as you do this...even though its an "easy free ball" doesn't mean you get to forget about using good passing technique and stand up or bend your elbows during this pass. 

You have to fight the temptation of breaking your arms apart and keep them together especially when you are passing on the move.

No matter how hard or easy the serve...keep your arms together when you pass a volleyball.

To set a volleyball means you contact the ball over your head using widespread open fingers to transfer the ball to a teammate in order to attack the ball or directly over the net to surprise the opposing team when attempting to score a point. 

• Right hand jump set a two to yourself
• Left hand jump set a two set to yourself
• Jump set a four set to your partner

Repeat and have fun

• Think outside the box! Be creative with your ball control drills.

You can do this at home against a wall.

Can you do this?

Try a one handed set ... set yourself a two ball.. then hit to your partner.

In Breakfast Club Working on keeping elbow high and swinging fast .. while still controlling the ball to your target.
Too easy? Then.. add the last two steps of your approach jump before hitting to your partner 💪🏾😂💪🏾😂💪🏾
Dm me and show me what you got😎💪🏾.

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A post shared by April Chapple (@coach_apchap)

Spiking the ball describes what happens when a volleyball player delivers a high speed attack using a powerful arm swing and a three or four step spike approach. 

These volleyball hitting spike approach tips explain the three step and four step spike approach techniques which create the power for your hitting attacks.⁠

The volleyball spike approach is a set number of steps, usually a three-step approach or a four-step approach that a player makes to gather the speed and gain forward momentum needed to get in the air to make contact with the ball at its highest point. ⁠ ⁠

When an airplane is ready for take off, it makes its approach down the runway to gather speed and velocity so that it can lift itself up in the air.⁠

Well, a player learns to do the same thing, before they can hit a ball and before they begin to initiate their volleyball spike technique.

Hitting off the block is the focus of one of these hitting drills for volleyball players who're short but want to score points against taller blockers in the front row.
shorter hitters can use against taller blockers to sideout and score points.⁠

I'll set up a left side hitter on one side of the net who's competing against a right side blocker on the other side of the net. ⁠

Both players start at the net with the Coach in the setter's position ready to toss balls to the hitter who will start the drill. ⁠

Lets say the left side hitter starts first. ⁠

When Coach slaps the ball left side hitter transitions off the net and has been instructed to only hit the ball down the line.

A volleyball block is the first opportunity at the net to defend a ball by attempting to keep an opposing hitter from hitting the ball into your court. 

While its the blockers job to try and stop the ball at the net, its the responsibility of the players in the back row also known as diggers to keep the ball off the floor, if the ball happens to get past their block. 

To dig a ball while your team is in defense a back row player will clasp both wrists together placing one closed fist into the palm of the other hand and point both thumbs down to keep both elbows straight while creating a platform.

This platform becomes the flat surface used to redirect a hard hit spike or attack back up in the air angled toward the direction you need the ball to go while keeping it off the floor.   

How To Improve Volleyball Skills:
Where Do You Go From Here?

What do you need to do now? You have three options: 

1. Learn more about Serving
2. Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page  Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
3. Or visit the pages in the How to Play Volleyball section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get started.