Volleyball relies on quick bursts of speed. Sprinting, jumping, diving, reacting… so why would a coach want to focus on endurance and conditioning in volleyball?

Well! While the game itself is fast-paced and contained in a small space, the matches themselves can last quite some time. Even long rallies are enough to wear out some players. But conditioning in volleyball doesn’t have to mean running a mile before every practice or excessive sprinting. 

It’s actually quite easy to push your players and work conditioning into your drills! This way, you can improve their fitness and get more touches on the ball at the same time, making your practices more efficient. One drill I love to use for conditioning purposes is “Serve and Chase.”

DRILL SETUP

Every player on your team will need to grab a ball. They will have one ball for the entire drill, so encourage them to pick a ball they like! Have a stopwatch ready or a timer on your watch (a tool every volleyball coach should have).

WHAT IS IT

Serve and Chase is pretty self-explanatory:

• Players serve their ball.

• Then they chase it.

• Once they’ve retrieved their ball, they line up and serve again.

• Repeat until you blow your whistle!

HOW TO RUN THE DRILL

• Split your team in half so each side is not too crowded. 

• Give your players a set amount of time to serve (usually something like 2 minutes is sufficient).

• Every time each player gets a serve in, they get one point.

• After the 2 minutes are over, call your players into a huddle and have them share their scores.

• Encourage players to be aware of balls rolling under their feet as they run to shag their ball and to watch out for serves from other players. They should realize this, but it’s best to remind them before you begin.

Do two more rounds of the drill (three in total) so your athletes compete to get the top score.

Your players will be pretty winded by the end of the drill, be sure to give them a water break and run a slower-paced drill following Serve and Chase! 

*Sidenote: this is a great drill to run with younger players who have a lot of energy. You can wear them out so they can focus on skill instruction of a new concept immediately after! This makes Serve and Chase a great drill/game for volleyball camps and clinics.

DRILL VARIATIONS

Set A Goal: Instead of seeing who can get the most points in 2 minutes, give your players a goal to reach. Depending on your team’s skill level and general fitness, you can change the number of points you expect from them. For the average high school freshman team, I would start with a goal of 10 points in 2 minutes and you can make adjustments from there.

Team Score: Bring the team together to reach a certain number of points. You can assume an average of 10 points per player to start with and see how your team does from there. Keep track of points on a whiteboard and see if your team can get better from round to round. The benefit of the team score is that all players will feel responsible for contributing, so you’re less likely to have players slack off.

Point System: Work on serve accuracy by placing cones or markers on the court, sectioning off different areas that are worth different points. For example, the middle of the court could be worth 1 point, and within 3-5-ish feet of the sideline could be worth 3 points. This encourages your players to attempt riskier serves under pressure. You could also mark off deep serves, short serves, seams, corners, etc… it’s up to you, Coach!

IMPORTANT NOTE

This volleyball drill allows for social distancing (depending on the number of players on a court) and lets players only touch their own ball. As we attempt to get back to sport safely, this drill could be an excellent way to get some practice in while following commonly implemented safety requirements.