Effective 90-Minute Volleyball Practice Plan

Looking for ways to boost your volleyball team’s skills? You’ve come to the right place! This 90-minute volleyball practice session is perfect for beginners all the way to advanced volleyball players. It focuses on warming up, drills, serving and passing skills. If you don’t have 90 minutes, don’t worry. Feel free to take your pick at our bundle of practice warm-ups and drills.

Part 1 – Warmup (10 Min)

Start with a dynamic warmup to get the muscles ready and blood flowing:

• Light Jog: Jog to the net and back to the end line (2x)
• Side Shuffle: Swing arms front and back while shuffling
• Carioca: Rotate hips sideways
• High Knees: Bring the knees up while jogging forward
• Buttkicks: Bring the heel of the foot to the butt
• Lunges: Reach one leg forward and squat down
• High Kicks: Kick one leg up parallel to the ground
• Side Leans: Squat and lean side to side
• Knees to Chest: Pull one knee up to the chest
• Classic Quad: Pull one leg behind
• Ballerina: Extend one leg back in the air
• Sprints: Go 75% top speed to the net and back (2x)

Part 2 – Pipeline Passing (10-15 Min)

Setup: Tape lines or put cones twelve feet apart down the middle of the court, and have your volleyball players pair up.

How To:

1. Player 1 starts inside the two lines, and Player 2 tosses the ball to their partner.
2. After tossing it, Player 2 must shuffle to their right and touch the tape before returning to the middle (all before Player 1 returns the ball back).
3. This drill will be repeated for 10 reps, with Player 2 being the tosser.
4. After 10 reps, pairs will switch roles. Player 1 will become the tosser. Tossing the ball to player 2, shuffling to their right, and touching the tape before returning to the middle (all before Player 2 returns the ball).

Coaching Tips: Mix it up by requiring players to touch a different line each time they pass the ball, forcing them to shuffle left and right.

Part 3 – Serve Receive (15-20 Min)

Setup: Create three lines – servers, setters, and passers.

How To:

1. One player serves the ball.
2. One player is the passer, who must react to where the ball is going, get in position, and bump the ball to the first setter.
3. One player will then set the ball.
4. Volleyball passers and setters rotate lines, and the next server starts the next rotation.
5. Ensure that each volleyball player gets multiple opportunities to be both a passer and a setter.

DRILL TIMEOUT – 30 Seconds

Part 4 – 10 Serves (25-30 Min)

Setup: Divide volleyball players into groups of three to four players, give each group three to five volleyballs.

How To:

1. On the coach’s whistle, each team serves – multiple players can serve simultaneously.
2. The first team to complete ten good serves that land on the other side of the court wins. (For more advanced volleyball teams, ensure the ball is served and aimed in a targeted area)
3. The losing volleyball group rotates off, and a new group comes on.
4. The first group to stay and win ten points is the ‘King of The Court’ and should be rewarded.

Coaching Tips: Players may try to serve as fast as possible. Ensure proper technique is still utilized even when volleyball players are under time pressure.

Part 5 – Miss The Chairs (30-45 Min)

Setup: Place three chairs or cones on the backcourt and draw or tape two-foot circles around them.

How To:

1. The first server in line completes a successful serve, aiming at the lanes between the chairs.
2. If the volleyball player completes a successful serve, they go to the end of the line.
3. They must do fingertip pushups if they hit a chair.
4. Continue the drill until every player gets at least three to five chances to serve.

Part 6 – Volleyball Game Play & Apply (45-60min)

Setup: Organize your volleyball players into teams.

How To:

1. Players will play as many sets as they can. Rotate volleyball players after each set.
2. Use two or more “drill timeouts” as needed.

Coaching Tips:

• Apply the principles during practice to help volleyball players recognize when they did something right or where they can improve.
• If volleyball players develop bad habits, slow down and demonstrate proper technique.

Phase 7 – Cool Down and Stretch

Be sure to finish your practice with a cool-down and stretching session to prevent injuries and aid recovery.

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