Watching a game of volleyball can be very exciting. Watching the teams work together, seemingly reading each other’s minds, is like watching a well choreographed dance routine. All of those movements, however, don’t come easy. They require a lot of practice, and hours of volleyball drills to work on each play until they are perfect.

The purpose of running drills is to get each player to know and understand where they are supposed to be, how they are supposed to move, and who is supposed to hit the ball for any given play. Drills are often run over and over, until the team can execute each play seamlessly in practice, so that when it is time for a real game, the play is ingrained so much it is second nature. This makes it easier to play successfully, since they become habit rather than something that has to be thought about every time a specific play is called for. The three main categories of volleyball drills focus on skills and movement, tactical and strategic, and conditioning specific.

Drills that are designed to promote good habits of game play are the ones focused on skills and movement. These drills will help each player know where they are supposed to be on the court at all times. A volleyball team is constantly on the move, trading sides with each other and playing deep or shallow, depending on the situation. Through repetitive practice, it becomes second nature, knowing where to be at any point of the game. The same applies for specific skills. Knowing exactly how to set to your spiker, or how and when to perform a proper dig will make these moves easy to execute at any time. Practicing these moves on a constant basis ensures that they become habit, easing the stresses involved in playing real games.

When a good play is executed, it can appear seamless. A good set to a killer spike is one of the basic plays of volleyball that can look absolutely amazing. Working on these plays as a team is part of the tactics and strategies of volleyball drills. Once a player has worked out good habits with the skills drills, they will work with each other to put these skills to work as a team. Calling the ball, setting to teammates, and passing the ball are all examples of the end result of tactics drills.

Conditioning drills are commonly done in the off season. These drills are usually repeating the same move over and over, so the body is conditioned to perform it, without as much focus on the skill. For example, the coach may have the players repetitively dive to the court, working on the body movements of a dig. Another conditioning example would be to have the players run and jump at the net, to work on leg muscles a bit. Proper conditioning in the off season will give a team an immense advantage during volleyball season, because they can begin working on skills while other teams may still have to condition before skill building.

A good coach will know the best way to integrate all three types of volleyball drills in order to create a team that works well together. The coach knows there are times to push the team and times when the team should be having fun to unwind. All of these aspects can be accomplished by well-thought out drills.

Author Bio: Hayley Merrett, Author and Volleyball Coach Start winning more games now! Put the thrill and excitement of consistently winning back into your teams life. Sign up for 20 free drills at Volleyball Drills

Category: Sports
Keywords: volleyball drills, spiking a volleyball, volleyball spiking, how to spike a volleyball