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Girls' Volleyball Passing Drill Gets Players on the Move

Stress movement during volleyball drills

"National Team Passing Drill" improves volleyball players

By Marty Gitlin
Special to PlaySportsTV

To get girls' volleyball players to understand how vital movement is in the sport, highly successful coach Dave Franklin of Lima Central Catholic High School in northwest Ohio recommends that coaches incorporate constant motion into practice drills.

One example is the “National Team Passing Drill,” which helps volleyball players learn how to shuffle, pass and move to the ball.

The volleyball drill set-up features a line of five players in the middle back of the court and one player in each back corner. Another player is at the net in front of all of them. The coach stands at the net in the middle of the court with a cart of balls.

The volleyball drill begins with the coach rolling the ball toward one player in the corner of the line of five. The player in that corner shuffles so that the volleyball rolls between her legs, then the player in the back corner catches the ball and throws it to the person at the net, who places it back into the cart. Meanwhile, the coach has already rolled the ball to the opposite corner, where the same process is done.

The volleyball drill continues until each player has been given the opportunity to shuffle, catch and receive the ball.

The coach then moves to the other side of the net and tosses the volleyball over it. The players must shuffle so the ball bounces between their legs, which is more difficult. This teaches them how to shuffle their feet to the ball, which is key to making a volleyball pass. The coach wants to make certain the players are moving forward enough to have the ball bounce rather than roll through their legs.

The last part of the drill is similar to the second part, only this time there are no catchers in the corner. The players shuffle to the toss, then catch the volleyball out in front of them and toss it to the net person, who places the ball back into the cart.

Every step of the volleyball drill should be repeated five times so that all players get experience shuffling, passing and catching.

Franklin stresses that the “National Team Passing Drill” allows girls' volleyball players to work on movement and passing while requiring them to bring energy to the court. He adds that it also brings a lot of laughter and enjoyment, two keys that are an important part of any youth sport.

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Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc.