8 Basic Volleyball Drills That Build Toward a Rally

Begin with control, then add movement, the net and decisions. Each drill below has one main cue and a checkpoint that tells you when players are ready for the next version.

Use a net whenever possible—even a rope or ribbon—because beginners need to learn the ball flights and angles the game requires. USA Volleyball’s lesson-plan guidance emphasizes nets, game-like drills, player-tracked scoring and shorter activities rather than a few long drills (USA Volleyball).

1. Toss, Move and Forearm Pass

Setup: Partners stand 3–4 metres apart. One is the tosser; the other begins in a ready position. Put a cone or hoop near the tosser as the target.

Action: The tosser sends easy balls slightly left, right, short and deep. The passer moves behind each ball and passes toward the target. Switch after 10 attempts.

Cue: Move first; angle the platform second. The platform is the flat surface formed by the joined forearms.

Checkpoint: Advance when the passer sends 7 of 10 balls within one large step of the target.

If players swing their arms or struggle to get behind the ball, keep the tosses predictable. For a fuller explanation of how footwork and the forearms work together, see Volleyball Passing: Arms or Legs in Serve Receive?.

2. Pass and Follow

Setup: Make groups of three: a tosser, passer and target. Space the passer about 4 metres from the tosser, with the target near the net.

Action: The tosser sends the ball to the passer, who passes to the target. After each attempt, the passer becomes the target, the target takes the ball to the tossing spot, and the tosser becomes the passer.

Cue: Finish facing the target.

Checkpoint: The group completes five accurate passes in a row without stopping the rotation.

This adds movement after contact without making the incoming ball difficult yet.

3. Serve Contact to a Large Target

Setup: Put players 3–5 metres from a wall marked with a net-height line, or the same distance from a net. Give each player a ball and a large target beyond the line.

Action: Players use a standing overhand serve. Start close enough that they can contact the ball cleanly and send it over the line, then move back one step.

Cue: Toss low and in front of the hitting shoulder.

Checkpoint: Make 8 of 10 serves over the line from the current distance before moving back.

A full-court serve is not the first requirement. A repeatable toss and clean contact come first. See Volleyball Serving Basics: Float vs Topspin for the serving progression and common toss faults.

4. Serve to Two Zones

Setup: Divide the opposite court into left and right halves with cones. Players serve from a distance at which they can clear the net reliably.

Action: Call “left” or “right” before each serve. Players get one point for an in-bounds serve and a second point for landing the ball in the called half.

Cue: Point the contact through the target.

Checkpoint: Score 8 points in 10 serves, including at least three serves to each called half.

Do not move players to the end line merely because of age. Increase distance only while their serve remains repeatable.

5. Live Serve and Pass

Setup: One server, one passer and one target. The server stands at a controlled distance; the passer starts in a small receiving area marked by cones.

Action: Serve to the passer, who directs the first contact to the target. Rotate after five balls. A pass is successful if the target can catch it above waist height without taking more than one large step.

Cue: Beat the ball to the spot.

Checkpoint: The passer delivers 6 of 10 playable passes from in-bounds serves.

This is the bridge from cooperative tossing to serve receive. Add distance or a wider serving angle, but not both at once. More advanced variations are available in Volleyball Serve Receive Drills: A Skill Progression.

6. Move, Square and Set

Setup: In groups of three, place a passer or tosser 3–4 metres from a setter. Put a target player near the left-front attacking area.

Action: The first player tosses to different spots near the setter. The setter moves under the ball and sets to the target. Rotate every five attempts.

Cue: Get your forehead under the ball, then face the target.

Checkpoint: Complete 7 of 10 sets that the target can catch above the head without leaving a two-step area.

A set is an overhead pass that changes the ball’s direction and puts it in a useful position for an attacker; it is usually the team’s second contact (FIVB Coaches Manual). Keep the target high and forgiving before asking for faster or longer sets.

7. Toss, Set and Controlled Attack

Setup: Use groups of three on one side of the net: tosser, setter and attacker. Start the attacker close to the net without a jump.

Action: Toss to the setter. The setter sends a high ball to the attacker, who uses an open hand to send a standing roll shot over the net and into the court. Rotate roles.

Cue: Reach high and send the ball over, not down.

Checkpoint: The group puts five of eight attacks over the net and in bounds from playable sets.

Only then add an approach and jump. If an attacker repeatedly hits the tape, return to high contact and generous net clearance; Volleyball Hitting Drills matches later drills to specific attacking errors.

8. Two-on-Two: Three Contacts Earn a Bonus

Setup: Play two-on-two on a small court, about 3–4 metres wide and 4–6 metres deep per side. Lower the net if needed.

Action: Start each rally with a controlled serve. Award one point for winning the rally and one bonus point whenever a team uses three contacts: pass, set and send-over.

Cue: First contact up; second contact to a hitter.

Checkpoint: Across 10 rallies, each team produces three pass-set-send sequences and sustains at least one rally with the ball crossing the net three times.

As a practice-only modification, allow a beginner to catch and immediately toss the second contact. Remove that allowance once rallies become stable.

How to Run the Progression

For one beginner practice, spend about 6–8 minutes per drill and finish with the two-on-two game. Do not insist that every group advances together. A group that misses its checkpoint should keep the same task but make one variable easier: shorten the distance, enlarge the target or slow the feed.

Coach one observable change at a time. The FIVB coaching manual notes that learners have a limited capacity to process information and recommends giving beginners one key phrase at a time, adding another after success with the first (FIVB Coaches Manual). Once players meet a checkpoint, add only one challenge—movement, distance, a smaller target or a live opponent—then measure again.