40+ Volleyball Drills for Middle School: Passing, Hitting, & More

If you want to get better at volleyball, just playing the game is not enough. Drills are where the real magic happens! For middle school players, the right drills can sharpen skills, build teamwork, and boost overall game performance. Plus, they make practice more fun and structured, so every player gets a chance to improve.

In this blog, you will learn the nine best and most effective volleyball drills for middle school players to make the game more enjoyable for them.

Starting with the Volleyball Basics

Every player’s contribution is important in volleyball. Before jumping into the best volleyball drills for middle school players, it is important to first understand and practice fundamental volleyball skills. These core techniques lay the groundwork for effective gameplay and help players improve faster. Here are the key skills to focus on:

• Passing (Bumping): Middle school players should practice volleyball passing drills, as passing is one of the most critical skills in the game. Players should use their forearms to make controlled passes, keeping their platform steady and aiming for accuracy.
• Setting: A good set leads to a great attack. Players should learn to use their fingertips (not palms) to push the ball upwards with control, ensuring the hitter has a perfect shot opportunity.
• Serving: Whether it is an underhand or overhand serve, getting the ball over the net consistently is a must. Serving drills help develop power, accuracy, and confidence in serving under pressure.
• Spiking (Hitting): Attacking the ball effectively requires good timing, footwork, and arm swing. Players should practice approaching the net, jumping with power, and aiming their hits strategically.
• Blocking: Defense is just as important as offense! Blocking involves proper positioning at the net, quick reflexes, and solid hand placement to stop the opponent’s attack.
• Footwork and Court Awareness: Being light on your feet and moving efficiently can make all the difference. Players should practice shuffling, quick reactions, and positioning to cover the court effectively.

To ensure that all positions perform their best during the match, the team should practice regularly. Keep reading to learn the best volleyball drills for middle school players.

Volleyball Drills for Middle School Players

Volleyball drills for middle school players are fun, structured exercises designed to improve their skills, teamwork, and game strategy. They focus on passing, setting, serving, spiking, and movement, helping young athletes build confidence and coordination on the court! Let’s look at the nine best and most effective drills for middle school volleyball:

1. Warm-Up Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   Warm-up drills are necessary as they prevent injuries. Further, players even improve their flexibility. Here are some effective warm-up drills for middle school volleyball players:

   • Dynamic Stretching: It encourages flexibility and blood flow before high-intensity movements. These include arm circles, leg swings, high knees, shoulder stretches, and side lunges.
   • Jogging and Lateral Movement: Get the heart rate up and improve agility with lateral movements and jogging. Include movements such as side shuffles, backpedaling, and jogging around the court.
   • Passing and Setting Warm-Up: These are light and controlled drills to improve ball control and hand-eye coordination. You can include partner passing, wall passing, and self-setting warm-up drills.
   • Reaction and Footwork Drills: With these volleyball drills, middle schoolers can move quickly and stay light on their feet. Some of the reaction and footwork drills include coach’s call, quick feet on the baseline, and shadow defense.
   • Serving and Light Hitting: These drills warm up the arms and get players into game mode. These include light spikes against a wall or to a partner and underhand and overhand serving.

2. Passing Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   A strong, controlled pass sets up the team for successful plays. Here are some fun and effective passing drills for middle school volleyball players to improve accuracy, consistency, and reaction time:

   • Partner Pass Drill: Players stand 6-10 feet apart and pass the ball back and forth using controlled forearm bumps.
   • Triangle Passing: Three players form a triangle, pass in a set order, and move slightly after each pass.
   • Pass and Move: With this volleyball pass drill, players should shuffle side-to-side or forward-backward between each pass to improve footwork.
   • Wall Passing: Players pass against a wall, focusing on control while adjusting their stance and balance.
   • Passing Relay Race: Teams pass the ball down a line while moving quickly to the front after their turn.
   • Target Passing Drill: Players aim passes at cones or hoops, adjusting angles and body positioning for accuracy.

3. Serving Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   Serving is a crucial skill in volleyball, helping players develop accuracy, consistency, and power. Here are some effective serving drills for middle school volleyball players:

   • Target Serving: This drill works on improving a player’s precision and control by aiming at specific zones on the court.
   • Wall Serving: Players serve against a wall, focusing on consistency and ball contact.
   • Distance Challenge: With this serving drill, players enhance their serving power and control over long distances. You have to start close to the net and step back after each successful serve.
   • Serve and Sprint: After serving, players sprint to a designated spot. This drill helps in developing reaction time, endurance, and quick transitions.
   • Partner Catch: One player serves while a partner stands on the opposite side to catch, improving accuracy.
   • Pressure Serving: Players must make a set number of successful serves in a row before rotating. This improves focus and consistency under pressure.

4. Setting Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   Setting is a key skill in volleyball, allowing players to deliver accurate passes for hitters. These drills help players improve hand positioning, accuracy, and quick decision-making. Below are some to try out:

   • Wall Setting: It develops control, hand placement, and consistency.
   • Partner Setting: This drill for middle school volleyball builds accuracy and teamwork in game-like situations.
   • Triangle Setting: Players are able to encourage their movements and enhance their court awareness.
   • Rapid Fire Setting: With this drill, players can focus on improving their reaction time.
   • Set and Move: This drill enhances footwork and balance while setting.
   • Target Setting: Improves precision and placement for in-game settings. To toughen the challenge, players can be asked to hit multiple targets in a row without missing.

5. Hitting Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   Hitting (spiking) is one of the most exciting and powerful skills in volleyball. With these hitting drills for middle school volleyball players, they can improve timing, approach, and accuracy to become more effective attackers:

   • Approach Footwork Drill: Develops proper approach technique for powerful hits. Here, the focus is on correct arm movements and explosive jumps.
   • Blocking Drill: This drill simulates hitting against a real defender, encouraging shot variation (line shots, cross-court, tips).
   • Target Drill: With this hitting drill for volleyball, middle school players can develop directional control and accuracy.
   • Wall Spiking Drill: This enhances ball contact and control. The focus is on proper wrist snap and hand positioning.
   • Continuous Hitting Drill: It builds consistency and endurance. This drill encourages fast recovery and preparation between hits.

6. Blocking Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   Blocking is a crucial defensive skill that helps prevent opponents from scoring. These volleyball drills for middle school players improve timing, positioning, and reaction speed at the net. Take a look at some of the essential blocking drills:

   • Block and Cover Drill: It simulates game-like blocking and transition play where players jump to block, and then quickly transition into a defensive position.
   • Footwork Blocking Drill: Players develop quick lateral movement for effective blocking and focus on staying low and balanced for explosive jumps.
   • Read and React Blocking Drill: This drill enhances reaction time and decision-making, helping players anticipate and react to different attack angles.
   • Partner Shadow Blocking: This type of blocking drill teaches proper positioning and teamwork.

7. Defensive Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   Defence is the backbone of a strong volleyball team, helping players dig, react, and keep plays alive. These drills help middle school volleyball players improve reflexes, positioning, and control.

   • Reaction Digging Drill: It focuses on improving the player’s reflexes and quick reactions to unexpected hits by tossing and spiking balls at different angles and directions.
   • Shadow Defense Drill: This drill movement simulates defensive movements without the ball. Here, the players mirror the coach’s movements, reacting to pretend attacks.
   • Deep Ball and Short Ball Drill: This drill movement trains players on how to react to different types of attacks as the coach alternates between hitting deep balls (to the backcourt) and short tips (near the net).

8. Teamwork and Gameplay Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   Volleyball is a team sport that requires communication, coordination, and strategy. With these teamwork and gameplay drills, players can improve their teamwork, game awareness, and overall court chemistry.

   • 3-on-3 Mini Games: Here, players compete in 3-on-3 matches on a smaller court, improving gameplay and ensuring more ball touches.
   • Scramble Drill: This teaches defensive hustle and reaction time. Here, the coach randomly tips, spikes, or serves different areas, and the players must react, move quickly, and keep the ball alive.
   • Chaos Drill: This drill simulates high-pressure situations with unpredictable plays. The coach throws random balls into play, forcing players to adjust.

9. Cool-Down and Stretching Drills for Middle School Volleyball

   A proper cool-down helps players recover, prevent injuries, and improve flexibility after intense volleyball sessions.

   • Light Jog and Deep Breathing: This gradually lowers heart rate and promotes relaxation. By focusing on deep inhales and slow exhales, players regulate their breathing after an intense game.
   • Partner-Assisted Stretching: In this cool-down drill, players partner up to assist each other with hamstring stretches.
   • Arm and Shoulder Stretching: Players can do cross-body shoulder stretches (hold for 15-20 seconds per arm), overhead tricep stretches, and arm circles to relieve muscle tension.
   • Back and Core Stretching: It eases tension in the lower back and strengthens core recovery. This includes seated forward fold, torso twists, and cat-cow stretches.
   • Leg and Hip Stretching: Prevents tightness in the legs and improves mobility. Do lunges, quad stretches, and butterfly stretches.

Level Up Your Game with Valley Athletics

At Valley Athletics, we are all about helping school players sharpen their skills, boost their confidence, and develop a solid game strategy. Our training programs are designed to make learning both effective and fun, ensuring young athletes not only master the fundamentals of volleyball but also develop into smarter, more confident players.

With a focus on teamwork, technique, and overall athletic performance, our sessions provide the perfect blend of structure and encouragement to help every player reach their full potential.

FAQs

1. How do I make volleyball drills exciting for middle schoolers?

Turn middle school volleyball drills into games, add a little friendly competition, and mix things up to keep it fresh. Quick, high-energy drills work better than long, repetitive ones. Encourage them with positive feedback and celebrate their wins!

2. How often do I run volleyball drills for middle schoolers?

Stick to a consistent schedule. 2 to 3 times a week is ideal. Balance drills with gameplay, and keep sessions age-appropriate, around 1 to 1.5 hours, to maintain focus and engagement.

3. Why is communication important in volleyball?

Communication in volleyball is important as players need to call out plays, signals, and movements clearly to stay coordinated and avoid confusion on the court.

4. What are the common mistakes middle school volleyball players make?

Sloppy footwork, incorrect hand positioning, lack of communication, and inconsistent effort. Tackle these with patience and focused volleyball drills to help middle schoolers improve.