Volleyball Conditioning Drills


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Volleyball conditioning workouts should consist of a balance of cardio, strength training and plyometrics.

Off the Floor drill is a good way to increase cardiovascular limits quickly and get players moving to condition them for making plays.

One player will act as the tosser, while the other players lie down on their front in a line at the end of the court. They will number themselves in order down the line. The tosser will call out a number and toss the ball to towards the player with that number. The player lying down must get up quickly and make a pass to return the ball to the tosser. For a more advance variation, toss the ball in a direction further away so players must move more quickly or dig to return the ball.

This drill builds up the chest, shoulders and triceps and helps condition players with their reaction speed and accuracy during vigorous movements.

The J-ball Drill is a good way to train the muscles to react with speed and can help players jump higher. In volleyball, the J-stroke is describe as an emergency play to contact the ball by extending with one hand and follow through with a “J” motion of bending the arm at the elbow to send the ball back after a run or dive.

Two players are needed to act as the offensive team while the rest of the players form a line on the other side of court. One of the two players acting as offense will stand on a box near the net and tip a ball over to the line of players.

The first player will run forward and use the j-stroke to return the ball over the net to the other player on offense. This offense player will need to run and/or jump to receive the ball then take over the place of the player on the box.

Additionally, a simple drill you can do by yourself is the setting drill. You will need a blank wall and a ball.

Pick a spot in the wall and stand approximately 1.5m away from the wall. Practice setting by hitting the target each time you set. Do this for 45 seconds, then take a big step further away from the wall and repeat the drill for 60 seconds. Take another step away and continue the drill for 90 seconds.
