Volleyball Drills for Middle School Girls

Volleyball drills for middle school girls are designed to improve their form and technique as well as their agility on the court. While individual skills can be improved through drills, other drills work on improving team chemistry and communication. Volleyball drills range from service drills to spiking drills.

Serving Drills

Serving drills will help improve your accuracy and power behind your serve. At the middle school level, developing a consistent underhand serve will help you keep the ball in play. Underhand drills can be performed by serving the ball to three spots on the opposite side of the net. Mark these spots by placing hula hoops at three different distances on the court. Practice hitting the ball to each of these spots, 10 times in a row. Keep track of your score while competing against other servers to see who has the most consistent serve. In addition to serving drills, strengthening drills such as curls and bench presses will help strengthen your arms, indirectly improving the velocity of your serve.

Reduced Team Drills

Reduced team drills are a way to focus on specific portions of the game that you need to work on. In addition, reduced team drills help improve teamwork. Instead of six-on-six simulation games, try removing two players from each team. With this four-on-four arrangement, play a regular volleyball game, with the back-row players playing the middle of the court as well as the back line. This drill will improve your agility in the back line as well as your defensive speed.

Setter Drills

Setter drills are designed to improve your consistency and accuracy while setting the ball. An eye-check drill trains the setter to pay attention to what is happening on the other side of the net. Have your coach stand on the other side of the net while a tosser throws the ball to you. As the ball is tossed, look across the net at your coach to see if he is making a rock, paper or scissors shape with his hand. The unique shape he makes forces you to focus on his hand and identify a shape by saying it out loud before setting the ball. Once you have identified the shape of his hand, focus back on the ball and set it.

Pipeline Pass Drill

This drill works on lateral movement while doing a forearm pass. Place two dotted lines on the courts about 10 feet apart. Stand at the center of one line while your partner faces you from the other line. Pass the ball to your partner and shuffle to your right until you touch the sideline. Shuffle back to your original position quickly enough to receive a pass from your partner. Once your partner executes a pass, she must shuffle in the same fashion, returning to her spot in time to receive your pass. Repeat 10 times before shuffling to the opposite side.