Warm-up drills for volleyball

Two laps of jogging and a circle of pepper — the standard warm-up is mostly a habit. A good warm-up does not just prepare muscles; it starts your practice before it has begun.

The three jobs of a warm-up

1. Physical: raise body temperature, actively mobilise shoulders and ankles — volleyball's injury-prone spots.
2. Technical: get ball contacts in. Every minute without a ball is a lost minute in a gym you only have twice a week.
3. Mental: the transition from workday to practice. A warm-up with scoring flips the competition switch straight away.

Three warm-ups that do it all

1. Pairs with progression (10 min). Setting → forearm passing → attacking at each other with defence → over the net. Add a level every two minutes. Simple, no equipment, everyone touches a hundred balls.

2. Monkey in the middle 4-on-2 (8 min). Four outside, two chasers in the middle. Trains first contact and communication — and there is laughter, which has a function on a Monday night.

3. Serve-and-pass shuttle (12 min). Two groups: serving and passing, switch after six serves. Direct preparation for the first rally contact plus quiet serving practice — see also serving drills.

Link the warm-up to your focus

The best warm-up is a preview of the practice. Is blocking on the programme? Have the pairs finish with jumping patterns at the net; if the focus is passing, the serve-and-pass shuttle is your opener. Put your standard warm-ups in the library — then the first block of every programme drags right in.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

Practice blocks: building your session like a programme Passing and attacking drills for your practice