Choosing the Best Youth Volleyball Drills

When coaching youth volleyball it is important to select your drills based on your players’ current skill sets and those that need improvement. Running drills that are too easy or too difficult for your players is not nearly as beneficial as selecting drills that your players can master with much practice and skill improvement. Please feel free to integrate the following volleyball drills for youth at your next practice.

Four Player Pepper

When selecting volleyball drills for youth, make sure to choose fast-paced drills that emphasize fun as much as skill building to hold your players’ attention. The first of these drills is a variation on the classic pepper drill that my players love. Pepper is an excellent drill because it builds concentration while improving a number of skills including multiple types of hits and ball control. This drill borrows the form of the pepper drill and adapts it for a four player version.

First off, divide your team into groups of four. Each player assumes a different role in the game: player 1 is the hitter, players 2 and 3 are diggers and player 4 is the setter. Each group has one ball. At the start of your whistle, the drill begins with the hitter tossing the ball into the air and hitting it to one of the diggers. The digger pops the ball up to the setter who sets the ball up to the hitter, who continues the rotation in a similar fashion.

There are multiple ways to up the ante for this drill. You can enforce a rule where if any of the players miss their designated hit and the ball touches the ground, either the player or the team is eliminated from play. The last one or ones standing are victorious. Also, you can run the drill for 8 minutes, having the players switch roles every 2 minutes at the sound of your whistle, which gives each player a chance at each of the skills.

Zip it Up

One crucial skill that should be in any volleyball player’s arsenal is the zipper pass. The next of the volleyball drills for youth teaches how the proper positioning for the zipper pass and how to use it during game play.

For the zipper pass, the first thing to know is the proper body position for correct execution. First, the feet should be slightly wider than the shoulders with one leg slightly in front of the other, the knees are to be bent, and the arms should be locked at the elbows. The ball should come in to contact with the arms directly in front of where the zipper is located at the front of a pair of jeans. Have your players practice transitioning from their regular stance to this zipper pass stance before moving on to the zipper pass drill.

For the drill, have a row of passers stand on one side of the net with the coach or another player standing on the opposite side of the net. The coach tosses the ball to the players one by one. As the ball reaches the passers, they are to assume the zipper pass stance and instead of passing the ball, catch it exactly at the zipper level.