Key Components of a Volleyball Training Plan

By Etobicoke Volleyball Research Team

Volleyball players have to train regularly to develop the necessary skills and improve their performance. It’s crucial to have an effective volleyball training plan that works well. Plus, volleyball players have to stick to a training plan during their training sessions.    

Following an effective training program makes it possible for volleyball players to get better and contribute greatly to the success of their teams. And of course, volleyball players have to work hard during practices and try to get the most out of their training efforts.

It all begins with a warm up. While training, volleyball players have to develop the basic skills and specialized skills. Athletes also have to work on strength and conditioning. On top of that, every volleyball player should aim to improve a vertical jump. Today, we are going to dig deeper into the key components of a volleyball training plan.  

So, let’s get started.

Warm Up

Volleyball practices should always begin with a warm up period. It’s necessary to warm up legs, arms and shoulders before the game of volleyball. A warm up allows volleyball players to prepare their muscles for practices and helps perform better on the court. If you warm up the whole your body properly before getting started with volleyball training, you will be able to prevent various volleyball injuries from happening.   

Developing the Basic Volleyball Skills

Volleyball players should constantly develop the basic skills. It’s worth noting that the game of volleyball requires both offensive and defensive volleyball skills. Every volleyball player has to work on such basic skills as hitting, blocking, setting, passing, digging and serving.

Volleyball players have different roles and responsibilities during the game. Some volleyball players are positioned in the front row of the court. There are athletes, who play in the back row of the court. No matter at what position you are going to play on the court, you should always develop these basic volleyball skills.

If you are a beginner, who has started your journey to the sport of volleyball recently, then you should learn all the necessary basic volleyball skills to play the game successfully. If you are an experienced volleyball player, then you should try to improve your skills and become a better volleyball player.       

Developing Specialized Volleyball Skills

When you are just getting started with the sport of volleyball, you have to learn the rules of the game and develop the basic volleyball skills. By doing so, you will be able to get familiar with the game of volleyball and take your first steps on your way to success. After that, you need to improve your volleyball skills to become a better volleyball player.

You have to choose the position on the court and develop specialized volleyball skills. There are different volleyball positions. These include: a defensive specialist, an opposite hitter, a middle hitter, an outside hitter, a middle blocker, a server, a setter and a libero. It all depends on your wishes. Analyze different positions carefully and give a preference to one that you like most.   

It’s important to know that each volleyball position requires developing certain skills. So, a volleyball player has to put special focus on the skills that his/her position requires.

If, for example, you would like to be a volleyball hitter, then you have to spend more time on developing the hitting skills. It’s necessary to hit the ball forcefully and accurately. As a hitter, you should always watch the opposing team’s blockers and try to find the holes in the opposing team’s defense line. When a moment comes, a volleyball player should carry out an attack hit. An attacker should always hit the ball with a lot of power. It’s difficult to resist a hard-driven hit. Plus, you should aim to land the ball in the certain areas on the opposite side of the court. If this happens, you will earn points for your volleyball team. A hitter should also have strong communication skills to work with a setter on the court. A hitter should constantly communicate with a setter. A hitter should make it clear for a setter how he/she wants to hit the ball and what types of sets he/she would like to receive.     

Would you like to be a setter? If so, you have to work closely with a hitter and concentrate on developing the setting volleyball skills. Keep in mind that a setter should know the hitter’s preferences very well. Therefore, you should constantly communicate with a hitter and discuss his/her preferences if you choose to be a setter. But most importantly, you should always set the ball with the hitter’s preferences in mind.  

Or, maybe, you want to be a volleyball blocker? In this case, you need to develop the blocking skills. You should learn how to block the opposing team’s attacks successfully. When resisting an attack, you should either try to turn a block into an attack hit or make a pass to one of your teammates. It’s crucial for a blocker to watch the game carefully all the time. A blocker should always pay close attention to the opposing team’s hitters and a ball.

Do you want to be a volleyball passer? The main task of a volleyball passer is to handle the ball and then send it to one of his/her teammates. In this case, you should learn how to receive the ball. After that, you should make an accurate pass and send the ball to a teammate. That’s why it’s so important for a volleyball passer to watch his/her teammates carefully.                 

Working on Strength and Conditioning

The sport of volleyball requires a high level of athleticism. The sport requires a lot of power. Volleyball players need the power to hit the ball or do a block. Volleyball players should use the power of legs to make quick lateral movements and jump high in the air when such a need arises.

Hitters should strengthen their arms to be able to carry out powerful attack hits. Blockers need strength to be able to resist attack hits of the opposing team. That’s why it’s incredibly important for volleyball players to work on such aspects as strength and conditioning.   

Improving a Vertical Jump

It’s crucial for a volleyball player to have a high vertical jump. That’s why every volleyball player should aim to increase a vertical jump. There are the situations when volleyball players have to jump as high as possible during the game.

For examples, volleyball blockers need to jump high to resist an attack hit of the opposing team. If a blocker has a high vertical jump, then he/she will make it difficult for the opposing team’s hitters to carry out successful attack hits.

Volleyball hitters also need to jump high to carry out an attack. If you have a high vertical jump, you will have a better chance to hit the ball through a block and land it on the opposite side of the court successfully.

A vertical jump is a very important aspect of a volleyball game. That’s why volleyball players should work on it regularly and do everything possible to increase the height of their jump. Volleyball players should strengthen their legs to be able to make quick explosive movements and jump as high as possible.         

Final Thoughts

Thank you so much for reading this article. It goes without saying that volleyball players have to get effective training. Athletes have to train regularly. The frequency of volleyball training depends a lot on the level of a volleyball player.

It’s enough to train 3 times per week if you are a volleyball beginner. Professional volleyball players, who participate in the competitions, train 5 – 6 times per week. If volleyball players need to get the additional training, they can train at home.

First of all, volleyball players should do warm up exercises to get ready for practices. During volleyball practices, athletes perform the drills that allow them to develop the basic skills as well as specialized volleyball skills. Volleyball training program should also include the drills for improving strength and conditioning. And of course, volleyball players should do every single thing possible to improve a vertical jump. Train hard, train regularly and success will not keep you waiting for a long time!