Whether you’re a seasoned volleyball coach or just prepping for your first practice, having the right warm-up is vital to your team. Your players are looking for drills that get their blood pumping, improve their game skills, and get their minds focused on the practice ahead. The warm-up also provides a lower-pressure space to get to know your team, both personally and as athletes. It’s a lot to cram into the beginning of practice, but it’s also where you can express some variety and fun before getting down to work on skills or scrimmages. Here are things to remember when running a warm-up, and some drills you can try yourself.

Things to Remember

Volleyball is a high impact game. It’s tempting to start practices off strong, with activities reliant on running or jumping. The problem with this style of warm-up is that it can worsen the chance of players suffering shin splints, which is already a common injury in volleyball. This is why it’s usually a good idea to stick with exercises that focus on stretching, ball control or hand-eye coordination. This doesn’t mean you must stay away from anything involving running or jumping entirely but be aware that players are already going through a lot of impact, so limiting it in warm-up can save injury down the road.

Your warm-up routine does not have to be the same each practice. If players know what the first ten or twenty minutes of practice is going to be, they might think they can stop paying attention. To avoid this, consider changing warm-up exercises frequently or shifting the order around so players always start the practice engaged.

The first activities in a volleyball practice should not be overly competitive. While games like 2-v-2 King’s Court or Hand Soccer can be a good way to get players started, it’s important to remember the warm-up is to get muscles ready for use, not to pull or strain your body before the rest of practice begins. 

More than any other warm-up you should include stretching. Sometimes it feels like a waste of valuable practice time, but having players injured is far worse. However, stretching can be combined with other activities to make it more interesting. For example, something as simple as tossing a ball around the circle while stretching can make the time go a little faster, while improving players’ hand-eye coordination.
 

 

Warm-Up Drills 

Hand Soccer

Purpose: Hand eye coordination and stretching

How: To play Hand Soccer have the whole team form a circle with the outsides of their feet touching. The players can face into the circle or away from it, whichever they prefer. Give one or two players a ball. The object of the game is to keep the ball from passing through your legs, while eliminating players by getting the ball through their legs.

Notes: This drill is a low pressure competition that gets players used to the feel of the volleyball, and as an added bonus provides a gentle stretch on the inner thigh. 

Partner Passing

Purpose: Ball control

How: Players partner up and stand a few paces across from each other, or on either side of the net. Players set or dig the ball back and forth. For an additional challenge you can have the players turn in a 360 while setting to themselves before passing it to their partner, or play Pepper, where players dig, set and spike the ball in sequence back and forth. 

Notes: Partner passing is a staple of volleyball practices and there are tons of variations you can use. Passing is an integral part of the game, so this serves as a warm-up but also as a solid skill development drill. 

Fukahara

Purpose: Lateral movement and defensive positioning

How: Fukahara can be played with teams of 3 or 4 a side. Rules are the same as regular volleyball rules except all play happens under the net, instead of over top of it. Points are scored if the ball touches outside of the court, if players touch the ball more than three times, or if the ball contacts a player’s foot. Scoring can be King’s Court style or to a set limit.

Notes: Fukahara relies on teamwork and positioning. It’s a good way for players to learn to play smart rather than just hitting hard. It keeps players low and promotes good footwork. 

 

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While none of these drills should replace stretching, they can be injected into the beginning of practice to get players loose and excited. Each drill provides a framework, but you know what your team needs more than anyone, so play around with the structure of the drills to work on different skills. Make sure your players are engaged and moving, and the rest of practice will be an absolute breeze. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to reach out to us!