Three Small Group Training Drills to Improve Your Volleyball Team

• By Grant Young

Volleyball stands out as the ultimate team sport due to the high degree of cooperation and communication it demands among teammates. As opposed to individual sports, volleyball's success hinges on the collective efforts of all team members working toward a shared objective. Each player carries a specific role, and the team's triumph relies on everyone effectively fulfilling their responsibilities. Hence why having effective volleyball coaching lessons is so crucial. 

What truly sets volleyball apart as a great team sport is the constant need for communication. Teammates must consistently communicate to coordinate movements, call out plays, and provide support. This level of communication fosters a strong sense of camaraderie and unity among team members, as they rely on each other both on and off the court. 

In addition, the fast-paced and dynamic nature of volleyball necessitates quick decision-making and adaptability, both of which are significantly enhanced by teamwork. Players must be constantly aware of their teammates' positions and movements to make split-second decisions and adjustments during a game. 

Overall, the combination of communication, trust, reliance, quick decision-making, and adaptability makes volleyball the ultimate team sport. It not only promotes physical fitness and skill development but also fosters essential life skills such as working collaboratively, effective communication, and adaptability. 

While this is all true, many volleyball coaches that they get better results during practices when they train in smaller groups, as opposed to the whole team. Ashlie Hain is among them. 

Coach Hain is the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at the University of California Irvine (UCI). Hain, a two-time team captain and setter for the Anteaters, played at UCI from 2001-04 and is still the career leader in assists with 5,698. She returned to UCI after coaching at American River College (ARC), amassing 127 wins in six years there and being voted the Conference Coach of the Year as well as the Northern California Coach of the Year in 2013. 

Coach Hain’s ‘Inside Volleyball Practice Vol. 2 featuring Coach Ashlie Hain’ course covers numerous techniques and drills with an emphasis on high-intensity repetitions within small groups. This video is an excellent resource for volleyball coaches or players at any level of competition.

Bowling Series

One drill that Coach Hain loves employing is what she calls the Bowling Series drill. 

This begins with a group of three players, and is meant to emphasize passing and receiving the ball along the midline. From there, two players will line up on one side of the net while facing a third player, who is standing in front of one of the two players in a ready position. The drill begins with one of the two players underhanding a ball to the lone person, who bumps it back to them before shuffling horizontally in front of the other player, who then underhands the ball they’re holding. 

The player will continue moving back and forth between the two players until they do about six reps, at which point the three players will alternate positions so that a new player is standing alone. 

The next aspect of this series involves each of the two players tossing the ball diagonally for the shuffling player, which will create a unique angle to hit. There are multiple other variations this drill can take, including the two players who are underhanding standing at differing distances, so that the player who’s bumping the ball must shuffle forward and backward instead of laterally. 

The goal for this series of drills is to get the players active and moving while keeping their eyes trained on the volleyball, which will be coming at them from different angles to mimic game-like scenarios. 

Tooling the Block

In volleyball, tooling the block is a volleyball attacking move where a player hits the ball into the block and out of bounds to score a point. It's also known as "block out".

To tool the block, a player hits a weaker part of the block, such as the top where the hands are, so the ball changes direction and is deflected out of reach of the defenders. Because this can be a difficult technique, Coach Hain uses a Tooling the Block drill to help her players improve at it. 

This drill begins with a line of five players on one side of the net, with a coach and a bucket of balls on that same side. Another coach will be on the other side of the net, standing on something with their hands up to mimic a blocker. Then each player will take turns bumping the ball off of the coach’s outstretched hands to replicate what tooling the block will be like. 

In this drill, coaches should be looking to ensure their players are seeing the block and scoring off the block by using a variety of different tips and shots off of it. 

Serving to Different Areas

Developing an effective serve is crucial to scoring points in volleyball. In order to address this, Coach Hain divides the other side of the court up into different segments, splits the group into two lines of three, and has them competing against each other to position their serves at select spots on the court. 

The main goal of this drill is to get players comfortable hitting serves to all areas of the court, and making sure players vary where they’re hitting their shots. Adding the competitive element will make the drill much exciting, and should enhance the drill’s success. Coaches also have the option to add a consequence for the losing team, like doing extra conditioning or having to shag all of the hit balls.