Volleyball warm-ups for young athletes do not need to be the long, complicated stretches you remember from PE. Arm circles, butt-kickers, and Frankensteins are fine for older children and adults. But what about your 4th-grade rec team?

Unless you have an athlete on your team with a previous injury, most of your athletes will not need to “warm-up” in the typical method we adults are used to. Although stretching isn’t typically emphasized until teenage years, slow but purposeful dynamic stretching in patterns that mimic the movements they’ll use in volleyball help get them prepared for practice!

Not only that, but your players will get extra practice at the footwork they’ll use during a match, helping you gain an edge on the competition!

BASIC MOVEMENTS IN VOLLEYBALL

In volleyball, there are certain movements we do again and again. Some examples include:

• Shuffling

• Approach footwork

• Armswing

• Sprinting

• Jumping

Including these movements in your warm-ups, regardless of the age of your players, is critical! But why do a basic variation of the movement when you could make it more gamelike?

Depending on the age of your players and their ability to remember sequences, try these different warm-up variations at your next practice to reinforce footwork and get your players ready for action!

BASIC WARM-UPS

As shown in the diagram, have a line of players start in opposite corners of the court. The first person in line will:

• Sprint to the 10’ line

• Shuffle to the middle of the court (next person in line starts when this is completed)

• Do an approach to the net

• Sprint back to the 10’ line (older players can use proper footwork)

• Shuffle to the left side of the court

• Backpeddle to the endline

• Run back to the starting point and get in line. Do this 2-3x each direction.

WARM-UP VARIATIONS

Now that you’ve learned a basic volleyball warm-up to use, I’m sure you’ve probably got a million ideas for how to incorporate this new type of dynamic stretching into your practice! Here are a few additional movement ideas to help you craft the best volleyball warm-up for your own team!

• Do an approach from each front row position on the court

• Shuffle backwards at an angle to different defensive positions (instead of backpeddling)

• Go up for a block

• Move across the net for a block using appropriate footwork

• Dive, sprawl, or roll into a defensive position (only do this for older/more advanced teams who have learned to do these moves properly and safely)

• Incorporate a ball at a certain station (if your players can keep it in control and it won’t cause danger to anyone)

Let yourself get as creative as you want!

Remember: younger players will have a harder time remembering a long sequence of movements.

Keep it simple and logical. And if you have them, use cones or floor markers (like these ones) to show starting and stopping points for different actions!

Are you looking for warm-ups to use before a tournament? Check out this easy 4-minute volleyball warm-up!