Ball Handling Drills

Originally Published in: The Volleyball Drill Book

Provided by: Human Kinetics

MINUTE-TO-WIN-IT PASSING

Purpose

To improve the percentage of successful passes.

Setup

The drill can be run concurrently on both sides of net. Three passers and one setter set up on each side of the net. A coach or tosser and a basket of balls are stationed off court on the opposite side of the net from the passers. The coach sets the clock or timer to three minutes.

Run the Drill

1. The coach throws or enters the ball to the passers across the net.

2. A passer calls the ball and passes it to the setter, who announces the number of points awarded for the pass: 3 is a pass to the setter at shoulder height or above with no movement on the part of the setter; 2 is a pass within two steps of the setter; 1 is a pass in which the setter can chase down the pass and still act; 0 is an overpass or ace in which the setter has no chance to act on the ball.

3. The setter catches the ball and throws it back to the shagger stationed near the basket.

4. Play continues on both sides for the allotted time. Players try to pass for as many points as possible. The side with the most points wins the round.

5. New groups enter or the same teams can play two out of three or three out of five.

Coaching Points

• Encourage lofted passes but not sky balls. This encourages a faster-paced game.

• Enter balls at a consistent pace to the passers. Try not to speed up near the end of the drill in order to help a team score more points.

Variations

• Have a play-off in which primary passers (those who pass the most balls) compete against primary passers, secondary passers (those who sometimes pass) against secondary passers, and third-line passers (those who rarely or never pass) against third-line passers.

• Add a hitter and set the ball to them, but keep the focus on the passers.

CONTROL PASSING

Purpose

To master control of the forearm and overhead passes.

Setup

Players are divided into teams of two. One player from each pair lines up with a ball in the back court on side A; the others line up directly across the net, ready to receive the ball from their partner. Four pairs can be on the court at the same time.

Run the Drill

1. Player 1 initiates or throws (depending on skill level) the ball across the net to player 2, who is in the deep court.

2. Player 2 passes the ball with control to self and then catches the ball. Each successful attempt is a point for the team.

3. Player 2 then initiates or throws the ball to player 1 across the net, who passes the ball to self and catches.

4. Players repeat. Each pair counts the number of successful attempts in a row, starting over when a passing or catching error is made. Each team competes against the others. Teams are not penalized for errors made while initiating or throwing the ball.

5. Teams can compete simultaneously if players are skilled enough.

Coaching Point

Run the drill for three minutes with a new group entering after the time limit is up, or switch in substitutes at every error.

Variations

• Have players serve from the endline each time. This allows players to practice serving control.

• Have advanced players run the drill with three pairs of players per team. Use an alternate scoring system: three groups of two work together as a team on the left side versus three groups of two on the right side. In this variation, two players are on the court at a time. Each pair gets two attempts to score three in a row, and then a new duo takes their place. Count total sets of 3 points scored per team.

ZIGZAG PASSING

Purpose

To increase the amount of time players can maintain focus while passing

Setup

Six to eight players spread out along each sideline, facing one another. They should be staggered slightly rather than standing directly across the court from each other. One coach stands at the end of side A with a basket of 60 balls. Another coach stands at the side B endline.

Run the Drill

1. The coach on side A begins play by tossing a ball to the first player in one line, and that player passes to the first player in the line across the court.

2. That player passes the ball across the court, and play continues with each player receiving the ball and passing across the court. The last player to receive the ball passes it to the coach on side B.

3. As soon as the first player passes the ball down the line, the coach on side A tosses the player another ball.

4. Repeat this process for all 60 balls. The goal is for players to pass all the balls all the way down the line.

5. When a ball drops, collect all of the balls and start over.

Coaching Points

• This is a tremendous drill for giving players many contacts in a short time.

• As players communicate and work together, watch leaders emerge and position them strategically in the line the next time you run the drill.

Variations

• Increase or decrease the speed of ball entry to increase or decrease difficulty.

• Perform this drill with forearm or overhead passing.