Discover effective volleyball team building exercises for high school coaches. Improve communication, trust, and performance with these innovative strategies.

Tony San Nicoles, center, varsity head volleyball coach for the Red Devils of Nile C. Kinnick High School, discusses offensive and defensive tactics with players during practice in the Nile C. Kinnick gym.

Hbdf1234, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It's August, and that means its girls preseason time for varsity volleyball coaches and if you're aiming to plan effective practices, resolve conflicts, or prepare for tournaments and competitions, there's always room for new volleyball team building exercises that could elevate your team to new heights that will help your players reach their individual and team goals this year.

Discover effective volleyball team building exercises for high school coaches. Improve communication, trust, and performance with these innovative strategies. "DSC_9508" by K.M. Klemencic is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

Let’s start with planning effective practices.

It's crucial for each session to be both productive and enjoyable.

"10-12-18 Varsity Volleyball vs Sparks by Adara Arias" by thelowrybrand is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?

One great exercise is the "Caterpillar Drill."

Align your players in single file, and have them pass a ball overhead from front to back.

The last player runs to the front to continue the process. It may sound simple, but the focus required on timing, precision, communication and trust will bring your players closer together.

Another version of the Caterpillar Drill can be seen in the video below. 

Conducting an effective practice isn't just about going through the motions of doing drills. Get in the habit of incorporating team meetings at regular intervals to discuss team goals, individual player goals and challenges.

Open communication in a carefully moderated environment during these meetings helps players feel more connected, seen and heard.

Encourage each player to voice their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions.

This approach can head off and eventually eliminate or diminish drama situations and minor issues before they develop into major team or player conflicts.

Encourage each player to voice their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. This approach can head off and eventually eliminate or diminish drama situations and minor issues before they develop into major team or player conflicts.

"IMG_2506.jj" by Paul L Dineen is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

Speaking of conflicts, let's confront the elephant on the court.

Addressing and confronting any interpersonal issues among teammates is super important for team harmony.

You don't want to be that coach that ignores drama among teammates because those situations fester and become bigger issues if they aren't dealt with.

One effective exercise I like to use is the "Human Knot Game."

Have your players stand in a circle, grab hands with people across from them, then work together to untangle themselves without letting go.

This encourages players to use their problem-solving skills and emphasizes the importance of communication and cooperation.

Resolving conflicts can also be worked into practice.

Think about using exercises to improve trust among teammates, such as blind volleyball drills where one player is blindfolded and relies on another for guidance.

These drills show the importance of trust among teammates in a fun and impactful way.

The smooth interaction between backrow players and front row players often relies on nonverbal communication.

So on occasion incorporate drills like "Silent Court" where players play volleyball without speaking.

This drill sharpens their ability to read each other's body language and enhances their nonverbal communication skills.

Preparing for competitions can be a tough nerve-wracking thing to do but you can start by building mental toughness among your players. Have team-building sessions where you simulate high-pressure situations.

Hbdf1234, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Preparing for competitions can be a tough nerve-wracking thing to do but you can start by building mental toughness among your players.

Have team-building sessions where you simulate high-pressure situations.

For instance, split the team into two squads, and pit them against each other in match-like conditions.

This game-like set-up helps them get used to the pressure that exists in competition and will help you build strategies to cope with that stress. 

I've done this is several different ways but here's one I like alot.

I'll have my starting team on one side that'll compete against my second team.

Games are to 11 but my starting team starts 5 points behind the second team so the second team starts with 7 and the starting team starts with 2 points.  

Another scenario I use is to have both teams start with a tie-score. 

If you want your team to work on being the first to score the first 5 points in a set then start the game at 0-0 and the game at 5. The first team to score the 5th point wins. Then flip flop sides and servers and play again. You can have players compete in a match of 2 out of three sets.

If you want your team to work on scoring the last 5 points in a match then play a 5 or 7 point game with the starting score of 20 - 20 or 18 -18. This is especially good if your team has a tendency to stall out and stop playing when they get to 20 on the scoreboard. 

By recreating this scenario in practice, players can experience the stress of that moment in practice.

Team bonding off the court is as important as on it.

Plan activities that develop trust and camaraderie.

This could be something fun and non-volleyball like a "Scavenger Hunt."

Divide the team into smaller groups, each tasked with finding items that represent team values or goals. It's a great way for players to learn about each other in a relaxed setting.

Another one of the volleyball team building exercises worth considering is the "Human Worm Game."

Players lie on the ground, forming a line by holding onto the ankles of the player in front.

They then have to move as one unit without breaking the line.

I've done this fun activity as a race between two sets of teams. Players on each team start with one person laying on the ground first, either stomach down or back down with legs and arms fully outstretched.  

Either their fingers are on the endline of the court with legs pointed to the net or with heels of the feet on the endline with body outstretched perpendicular to the endline so fingers are outstretched towards the net.  

The members of each team are in line behind the endline and the second person in each team when the coach says "Go" run around to the front of the person already laying down and lay down also either with their toes touching the first person's toes or their feet touching the first person's feet so that either feet touch feet or fingertips touch fingertips of the person on the ground so a human chain is formed. 

Preseason volleyball team building exercises can go a long way towards establishing team rapport. The more players know each other, the smoother the season will go.

Simple activities like two truths and a lie can be really effective. Each player states two true facts and one false one about themselves, and the rest of the team has to guess which is which.

To work on developing stronger mental skills, engage the team in critical thinking exercises.

For example, present your players with a complex game scenario and have them brainstorm various strategies to tackle it.

This activity promotes team engagement and tests players knowledge and volleyball IQ while showing them that their input is valuable.

Accountability is another important element of a successful team.

Try out the “Buddy System.” Pair up teammates and have them check in on each other’s progress.

This could be during practice or in areas like maintaining good grades or personal well-being.

This grows a sense of responsibility and mutual support.

For improving volleyball skills, intermix physical training with team challenges.

Mix your scrimmages with goals that require flawless team execution.

For example, ensure multiple touches before the ball crosses the net, which encourages collaborative team play rather than individual effort.

Don't overlook the importance of exercises for improving trust.

One such exercise is the "Trust Fall."

I know that its a classic, but it’s highly effective and people use it as an icebreaker because of that.

Line up players and have one fall backward, trusting their teammates to catch them. It’s a simple yet powerful trust-building activity.

Activities like team dinners or movie nights fortify team chemistry. Watch my Coach April 18s Team Bonding paint ceramics team outing2

Connection off the court can pay off alot during a match.

It’s not really about the food or the film but about spending quality time together outside of a competitive setting. Coach april 18s team bonding paint cerramics team outing

Activities like team dinners or movie nights or what I like to do are game nights can strengthen a team's chemistry.

It’s not really about the food or the film but about spending quality time together outside of a competitive setting.

You can improve and increase team communication further with “Positive Conversation Technique” sessions.

In these sessions, have players practice giving and receiving feedback in a constructive manner.

Role-playing different situations can make these sessions more engaging and impactful.

As a coach, you'll find out how fun it is to witness when a libero gets to have a heart-to-heart conversation with her middle blocker.

Or a setter gets matched with an outside hitter and they both talk about the pros and cons of each other's position roles and responsibilities.

This can really be an eye opening conversation for each player and pave the road to empathy and better comprehension between teammates on the court.

For something more hands-on, consider a "Volleyball Olympics."

Create several stations of events each featuring different volleyball team building drills. Split the team into groups and have them compete at each station, while counting up points as they go.

Encourage active listening within the team.

Set up exercises where one player explains a strategy or drill and the others have to execute it based entirely on what was communicated.

These types of volleyball team building ideas improve focus and communication.

Your volleyball team building strategies can extend to community service.

Consider organizing a day where your team volunteers together to help out a local organization. 

Whether it's helping at a local charity or participating in a community event, working together for a good cause strengthens player bonds, team unity and empathy among teammates.

A good time to plan this is in December closer to the Christmas holiday season especially since charity organizations are looking for more volunteer help during that time. 

Remember, team building is an ongoing process so plan to incorporate these volleyball team building exercises regularly in your practice planning to help maintain unity, increase communication, increase self confidence and decrease unnecessary team drama throughout your varsity season. 

The volleyball team building strategies you use will not just shape better players, but they will also cultivate student athletes who are cooperative, self reliant but empathetic, responsible, socially conscious and mentally end emotionally strong.

Keep evolving, keep experimenting, and most importantly, keep having fun with your team.

Much luck and love

April

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