5 Volleyball Passing Drills, From Platform Control to Live Play

Start with a predictable ball, then add movement, shared space and a live serve. These five volleyball passing drills build toward a useful first contact: a ball your teammate can reach and set, not simply a ball kept off the floor.

Use the early drills briefly to identify an error. Once players control that version, make the incoming ball less predictable rather than chasing an endless streak of easy passes.

Set the target and measure the same thing

For these indoor drills, start with groups of three: a feeder, a passer and a target player. You need volleyballs, court markers and, for the final drill, a net. Keep spare balls outside movement lanes.

Place the target roughly 1–2 metres off the net, slightly right of centre. Adjust that location to your team’s setting system. In drills without a net, mark an equivalent target area.

Count a target pass when the target player can catch the ball above the forehead after no more than one step, without lunging or rushing. Catching is only a measurement tool here; the final drill uses actual sets. Also record playable misses separately from balls that cross the net or cannot be reached.

The checkpoints below are suggested practice goals, not federation standards. Record individual passing results as well as pair totals so a stronger passer cannot hide a partner’s difficulty. If a goal is too difficult, reduce feed speed or movement distance before changing the target.

For the contact itself, build a joined-hand forearm platform and direct its angle toward the target. USA Volleyball’s passing guidance emphasises efficient footwork and establishing a stable platform angle. If hand position is the immediate problem, start with how to pass with your forearms.

1. Triangle passing: control the angle

Setup: Arrange the feeder, passer and target in a triangle, about 3–4 metres apart. The target should be offset from the feeder so the passer must redirect the ball rather than send it straight back.

Action: The feeder tosses gently toward the passer’s waist area. The passer sends a forearm pass to the target, who catches and returns it to the feeder. Rotate after 10 feeds. Repeat with the target on the other side.

Cue: “Show your platform to the target.”

Checkpoint: Make 8 target passes out of 10 on each side, without a large upward arm swing.

If the pass flies too far, first check the platform angle and swing. The Junior Volleyball Association’s passing instruction identifies swinging or swiping at the ball as a common control problem and recommends directing the ball with the platform angle.

2. Move left or right, pass to one target

Setup: Keep the triangle. Put two markers about a metre apart around the passer’s starting position.

Action: Feed a ball toward one marker, then the other. The passer moves to the ball, passes to the same target and returns to the middle. Start with a known alternating pattern; then let the feeder choose either side without announcing it.

Cue: “Move early; keep the platform quiet.”

Checkpoint: Make 7 target passes out of 10 with unannounced feeds, with at least three feeds to each side.

Use only as many steps as the ball requires. Aim for balance at contact, but do not demand a perfect stop when the ball forces a moving pass. If players reach sideways for every easy feed, narrow the spacing and rebuild the movement first.

3. Short–deep passing

Setup: Put one marker a metre in front of the passer’s starting spot and another a metre behind it. Keep the target fixed.

Action: Alternate short and deep tosses before mixing them randomly. The passer reads the flight, moves forward or backward, and passes to the target. Reset before the next feed; do not turn the drill into a rushed chase.

Cue: “Read short or deep; move early.”

Checkpoint: Make 7 target passes out of 10 mixed feeds, including at least three short and three deep balls, without falling backward at contact.

If deep feeds repeatedly produce uncontrolled passes, shorten the movement distance. If short feeds land before the passer gets there, give the ball more height while the player learns to recognise its flight.

4. Two-passers, one seam

A seam is the space between two receivers.

Setup: Use four players: feeder, two passers and target. Space the passers about 3 metres apart. Agree who takes an equally reachable ball between them before starting.

Action: Feed to either passer and into the seam. The receiver calls “mine” before contact; the partner yields space and stays ready to help. Both reset after each pass. Rotate after 10 feeds.

Cue: “Call early, then commit.”

Checkpoint: Across 10 feeds, have no collisions or untouched balls caused by hesitation, plus at least 7 target passes. Include at least four seam feeds.

If both players repeatedly go for the same ball, clarify responsibility before increasing speed. A louder last-second call does not replace an agreed plan.

5. Serve, pass, set—and stay involved

Setup: Use five players: a server across the net, two receivers in the backcourt, a setter at the target and a controlled attacker near a pin. Begin with reliable standing serves; shorten the serving distance if necessary.

Action: Serve, receive and set. The attacker sends a controlled ball over the net. After passing, the receiver moves into position to help cover the attacker rather than watching the pass. Clear the ball before the next serve. Rotate roles after 10 in-bounds serves.

Cue: “Pass to your teammate, then get ready again.”

Checkpoint: On 7 of 10 in-bounds serves, produce a pass the setter can reach and set to the planned attacker. Also check that the passer moves into coverage after contact. Record serve misses separately.

This finish follows USA Volleyball’s lesson-plan approach: use the net, vary incoming balls and connect passing to subsequent contacts rather than training it only in isolation.

Once this version is controlled, add just one challenge: a different serving location, greater serve pace or a third receiver. For rotation-specific work, continue with the serve-receive drill progression.