Volleyball Tryout Drills: Evaluate Control Before Power

Use volleyball tryout drills to answer two questions: Can this player control the ball, and does that control hold up in play? Start with serving and passing, then assess setting, attacking and defense before finishing with live rallies.

The plan below is designed for 12 indoor players, one court and two coaches. Its repetition counts and checkpoints are suggested evaluation tasks—not standardized team-selection cutoffs. For specialist selection, extend the positional work rather than treating this general assessment as a complete setter or blocker evaluation.

Set up an evaluation you can repeat

Give each player a visible number. Use one coach to manage the drill and another to record results; rotate those duties as needed. Prepare balls, flat floor markers and an evaluation sheet before players arrive.

For scored rounds:

• Give everyone the same number of attempts under comparable conditions.
• Demonstrate the task and allow two unscored practice attempts.
• Record outcomes separately from technique notes.
• Give one cue, then watch whether the player applies it.
• Mark missing observations as “not observed,” not zero.

The Junior Volleyball Association’s tryout guidance recommends evaluating positional skills, component play and attitude/effort, with notes supporting rankings. Make those notes observable: “called the seam ball” is more useful than “good attitude.”

Begin with a progressive volleyball warmup. Keep loose balls out of landing areas and ball-collection routes away from active hitters.

1. Serve: consistency, then placement

Setup: Put servers behind the end line. Mark the left and right backcourt halves as targets. Receiving players collect balls only after each serving batch stops.

Action: Give each player 10 scored serves: five toward each target. Record serves in court and serves landing in the requested half separately. Let players use their most reliable serve rather than requiring a jump serve.

Cue: “Repeat your setup before every serve.”

Checkpoint: Can the player repeat the serve after a miss and change direction without losing control? Record the count, not just the hardest serve.

If beginners need a shorter distance, record it explicitly; do not compare those results directly with end-line serving. For preparation, use the float-versus-topspin serving progression.

2. Serve receive: individual control, then shared responsibility

Setup: Place a target player near right front, about two steps off the net. A coach serves from across the net. Start with one passer, then add a second passer.

Action: Give each player six individual receptions. Then give each pair four serves, including balls toward each passer and the seam—the space between them. Keep serve difficulty comparable and repeat clearly unusable feeds.

Use this drill-specific scale for individual receptions:

• 0: No playable second contact on the receiving side.
• 1: A teammate can play the ball, but the target must move more than one step.
• 2: The target can play the ball within one step of the starting spot.

For paired rounds, record calls, ownership decisions and resulting pass quality separately from individual scores. Do not count a correct decision to leave a teammate’s ball as a missed reception.

Cue: “Set your platform angle toward the target and hold it.”

Checkpoint: Compare individual control with decisions when another passer is present. USA Volleyball’s passing guidance emphasizes an early, stable platform angle and efficient footwork.

3. Setting: consistent feeds before movement

Setup: Create two groups, each with a feeder, setter and target. Position targets in the intended attacking lane, safely off the net and clear of the other group. Alternate scored rounds between groups so the evaluator watches one setter at a time; the other group rests or rehearses without a ball.

Action: Each player sets eight balls: four predictable feeds and four feeds requiring movement. Standardize the feeds, target and intended trajectory for everyone. Rotate feeder, setter and target roles between scored rounds; repeat clearly unusable feeds.

Cue: “Get to the ball before you send it.”

Checkpoint: Count sets the target can reach within one step at the agreed height. Note whether moving feeds change the player’s balance, contact or accuracy.

For setter candidates, use the final recheck period to test a second destination rather than judging them solely on one comfortable set.

4. Attacking: repeatable contact before harder swings

Setup: Use one attacking lane, one consistent feeder or setter, and a marked cross-court target. Keep waiting players and ball collectors outside the approach and landing areas.

Action: Give each player eight attacks: four from consistent tosses, then four from sets. Use a high, repeatable ball rather than a fast offense players have not practiced. Allow a standing attack for players not ready to jump, and record that adaptation.

Cue: “Meet the ball in front of your hitting shoulder.”

Checkpoint: Record attacks in court, target hits and controlled landings separately. Note timing on actual sets; a successful swing from a perfect toss does not answer that question.

When comparing attackers, use the same setter where practical—a comparison method also suggested by the JVA.

5. Defense: dig to a teammate, then recover

Setup: Put a defender in the backcourt and a target near the setting area. A coach across the net sends controlled attacks and soft balls.

Action: Give each player eight playable feeds: four predictable attacks, then four mixed attacks and short balls. After each dig, require the defender to return to a ready position. Adjust pace to the group; do not use maximum-speed attacks as a beginner screening task.

Cue: “Send the dig where a teammate can play it.”

Checkpoint: Count playable digs, then note recognition of short balls and recovery after contact. A spectacular save and a controlled dig should not receive identical notes.

6. Live play: check whether the skills connect

Setup: Divide players into three groups of four: A, B and C. Play four against four, with the third group waiting safely off court.

Action: Run six three-minute rounds: A–B, B–C, C–A, then repeat. Each player gets 12 minutes on court. Change responsibilities within groups and, for the second cycle, swap players between groups to observe different teammate combinations while keeping playing time equal. Reserve the block’s remaining two minutes for transitions and notes.

Start with a serve and play the rally out. After it ends, send a free ball to the receiving team and play that rally.

Cue: “Make the next contact easier.”

Checkpoint: Track serve reception, second-contact decisions, attack choices, coverage and useful communication—not only points won. For front-row candidates, also observe block timing and movement relative to the attacker.

USA Volleyball’s lesson plans favor net-based, combined-skill activities such as pass–set–hit and serve–receive–set. Use this round to check the isolated results against connected play.

A 90-minute schedule and score sheet

Block	Minutes
Warmup and instructions	10
Serving	10
Serve receive	15
Setting	10
Attacking	10
Defense	10
Live play	20
Targeted rechecks	5

These blocks include demonstrations and practice attempts. If transitions or feed quality prevent equal repetitions, extend the assessment or complete the missing observations later rather than rushing contacts.

Use these sheet headings:

Player number · serve in/10 · serve target/10 · individual reception scores/6 · paired-reception notes · reachable sets/8 · attacks in/8 · playable digs/8 · live-play notes · response to cue

Use the last five minutes to fill evidence gaps: a setter’s second destination, a front-row player’s blocking, or another comparable passing round. Keep serving and passing as separate results so a strong attack does not hide a first-contact problem. Make selection decisions against the roles you need, using repeated observations rather than one standout rally.