10 Essential Volleyball Drills for Beginners (With Diagrams)

You've got a team of players who have never played together, maybe never played at all. What do you run at practice?

New coaches default to either scrimmages (too chaotic, no learning happening) or drills they vaguely remember from high school. Neither works. What actually works is running drills that are simple enough to execute immediately but structured enough to teach something real.

This list is the ten drills I'd put in front of a beginner team in the first few weeks of a season. Three serving, three passing, two setting, two hitting.

Why Simple Drills Beat Complex Ones for New Teams

Beginners don't have automatic movement patterns yet. When they're thinking about where to move, they can't also think about their arm swing. Simple drills isolate one skill at a time. Players get a lot of repetitions of the same movement, their bodies start to build the pattern, and you can give focused feedback.

Serving Drills

Drill 1: Underhand Serve to Target

Best for: Players who can't yet get a ball over the net consistently.

Setup: Divide players into two groups on opposite sides of the net. Place a hoop, cone, or towel on the opposite court as a target — start with a large zone, tighten it as players improve.

Instructions: Players line up behind the end line. Each player serves underhand, aiming for the target zone. After serving, the player retrieves their ball and goes to the back of the line.

Coaching cues:

• Step forward with the foot opposite your hitting hand as you swing.

• Contact the ball with the heel of your palm, not your fingers.

• Keep your eyes on the ball, not where you want it to go.

Common mistake: Players toss the ball before contact. Cue them to hold the ball steady and swing through it instead.

Drill 2: Serve and Shag

Best for: Building repetitions and getting players comfortable with the full serving motion.

Setup: All players on one side of the net with balls. One shagger (rotating) stands on the far side to collect and return balls.

Instructions: Players serve one at a time, aiming anywhere over the net. The shagger collects balls and rolls or tosses them back. Rotate the shagger every 2–3 minutes. Run for 8–10 minutes total.

Common mistake: Players serve from halfway up the court. Keep everyone behind the end line.

Drill 3: Zone Serving

Best for: Players who can already get the ball over the net and are ready to work on placement.

Setup: Mark six zones on the receiving side of the court using cones or floor tape — roughly corresponding to the six rotation positions. Number them 1–6.

Instructions: Coach calls out a zone number before each player serves. Player aims for that zone. Rotate through all six zones, giving each player 2–3 attempts per zone.

Passing Drills

Drill 4: Partner Passing (Forearm Bump)

Best for: Every beginner team, first practice.

Setup: Players pair up, facing each other about 3–4 meters apart. One ball per pair.

Instructions: Player A tosses underhand to Player B. Player B passes (forearm bump) back. After 10 passes, switch roles. Progress to off-center tosses so Player B has to move to the ball.

Coaching cues:

• Bend your knees before the ball gets to you — not as it arrives.

• Platform flat — thumbs together, arms straight, elbows locked.

• Pass with your legs, not your arms. Your arms are just the platform.

Drill 5: Three-Person Passing Line

Best for: Moving from static passing to passing while moving.

Setup: Groups of three, standing in a line. Player A at one end, Player C at the other, Player B in the middle.

Instructions: Player A tosses to Player B, who passes to Player C. Player C catches and tosses back to Player B, who passes to Player A. Rotate so everyone takes a turn in the middle.

Drill 6: Pepper (Partner Cooperative Rally)

Best for: Teams that have the basics and are ready to connect skills together.

Setup: Partners facing each other about 3–4 meters apart. One ball per pair.

Instructions: Player A tosses to Player B, who passes up to themselves, sets to Player A. Player A passes, sets, and hits down (or tips) back to Player B. Continue the rally: pass, set, hit.

Common mistake: Players try to hit hard and kill the rally. Pepper is a cooperative drill. Cue them to keep the ball in play, not win the point.

Setting Drills

Drill 7: Wall Setting

Best for: Building hand position and contact feel without needing a partner.

Setup: Each player faces a wall, standing about half a meter away. One ball per player.

Instructions: Player sets the ball against the wall repeatedly, keeping it in a consistent arc. Count consecutive clean contacts. Progress by moving slightly farther from the wall.

Coaching cues:

• Hands above your forehead before the ball arrives — not on the way up.

• Contact with your fingertips, not your palms.

• Both hands contact at exactly the same time.

Drill 8: Partner Setting — Target Setting

Best for: Transitioning from wall setting to a real target.

Setup: Players pair up. Player A stands at the net in a setter's position. Player B stands in a passing position on the same side of the court.

Instructions: Coach or Player B tosses a high, accurate ball to Player A. Player A sets the ball to a target. Run 10 sets, then switch.

Hitting Drills

Drill 9: Approach and Swing (No Ball)

Best for: Teaching the approach footwork before adding the complexity of a ball.

Instructions: Coach demonstrates the four-step approach: right-left-right-left for right-handed hitters. Players walk through the footwork slowly, then increase to full speed. Add the arm swing at full speed.

Coaching cues:

• The last two steps are your power steps — they should be your biggest and fastest.

• Jump up, not forward. You're going vertical, not into the net.

• Load both arms back before you swing — don't reach for the ball with one arm.

Drill 10: Toss-and-Hit Line

Best for: Connecting the approach footwork to actual ball contact.

Setup: Players line up in the hitting line (left antenna side for right-handed hitters). Coach or setter stands at the net.

Instructions: Coach or setter tosses a high, outside set toward the left antenna. Hitter runs their approach and hits the ball over the net. Start with a controlled swing. Add full-speed swings once players are making consistent contact.

How to Adapt These Drills for Small Groups or Limited Space

• Small groups (4–6 players): Run serving and passing drills on one half of the court.

• Limited gym space: Wall setting works in a hallway. Partner passing works in a gym lobby. You don't need a net for most of these drills.

• Mixed skill levels: Run the same drill but give advanced players a harder constraint.

Where to Find More Drill Libraries

Get The Pancake — Whitney Bartiuk's coaching resource site — has a free drill library worth bookmarking. Whitney is a professional beach volleyball player and coach, and her drills are practical and well-organized. No login required to browse the free section.

Get The Pancake — https://getthepancake.com

Once you've got the fundamentals in hand and want a more structured approach to coaching education, the online courses at VolleyCountry are worth looking at. They're designed for coaches who already have their footing and want structured development. The 30% commission rate I earn if you buy through my link is worth disclosing honestly — but I wouldn't recommend them if they weren't genuinely useful for this audience.

VolleyCountry online volleyball courses — https://volleycountry.com/?ref=coachvb