9 Best Ball Control Volleyball Drills to Improve Your Game

Ball control in volleyball is the ability to handle the ball effectively and accurately. Control is mastered with ball control volleyball drills, and is essential for players to be able to receive, pass, and set the ball. A skill that every player needs to master in order to be successful in the sport. It is the foundation for every aspect of the game. It is the ability to maintain possession of the ball and make accurate passes, sets, and hits.

To improve your ball control in volleyball, it is essential to practice different drills that focus on various aspects of the skill. Here are some ball control volleyball drills that can help you improve your skills:

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Volleyball Ball Control Drills

Focusing on ball control volleyball drills, is an excellent place to start if you’re looking to improve your volleyball game. Ball control drills help you develop the skills to pass, set, and receive the ball accurately and consistently.

One of the most significant benefits of volleyball ball control drills is that they help you develop muscle memory. As you repeat the same movements repeatedly, your body begins to memorize them, making them feel more natural and effortless over time.

Another benefit of ball control drills is that they help you develop hand-eye coordination. Volleyball is fast-paced, and good hand-eye coordination is crucial to keeping up with the action.

In addition to these benefits, ball control volleyball drills are an excellent way to build teamwork and communication skills. Many ball control drills involve working with a partner or a small group, which requires you to communicate effectively and work together to achieve your goals.

24 Touches – Volleyball Ball Control

This drill involves a series of passes, sets, and hits, intending to reach 24 successful touches without dropping the ball or making an error. The exercise can be performed with two or more players and can be modified to suit different skill levels.

Here’s how to perform the 24 Touches drill:

Divide your team into two groups and have them line up on opposite sides of the net.
One group will start by serving the ball to the other side.
The receiving team will pass the ball to their setter, who will set it up for a hitter to attack.
After each hit, the ball is passed back to the serving team, and the drill continues.
Each time the ball crosses the net, it counts as one touch.
The goal is to reach 24 touches without letting the ball hit the ground.
Remember, consistency is vital when it comes to ball control drills. By practicing regularly and focusing on your technique, you can improve your skills and become a stronger player. So grab your teammates and start practicing these drills today!

25 Contact Drill

In ball control volleyball drills the 25-contact involves a series of passes, sets, and hits to reach 25 successful contacts without dropping the ball or making an error.

Here are the steps to perform the 25 Contact Drill:

Divide your team into two groups and have them line up on opposite sides of the net.
One group will start by serving the ball to the other side.
The receiving team will pass the ball to their setter, who will set it up for a hitter to attack.
After each hit, the ball is passed back to the serving team, and the drill continues.
Each time the ball crosses the net, it counts as one contact.
The goal is to reach 25 contacts without letting the ball hit the ground.

Ball Control with Back Row Attacks

The ball control with back-row attacks involves a series of passes, sets, and back-row attacks to make as many successful attacks as possible.

Here’s how to perform the Ball Control with Back Row Attacks drill:

Divide your team into two groups and have them line up on opposite sides of the net.
One group will start by serving the ball to the other side.
The receiving team will pass the ball to their setter, who will set it up for a hitter to attack from the back row.
After each attack, the ball is passed back to the serving team, and the drill continues.
Each time the ball crosses the net, it counts as one contact.
The goal is to reach 25 contacts without letting the ball hit the ground.

Pass, Set, Downball Drill

The Pass, Set, Downball Drill is a great way to improve your ball control and hitting accuracy. It focuses on the three essential skills in volleyball: passing, setting, and hitting. Among ball control volleyball drills, this one is best suited for intermediate to advanced players.

Steps to perform the drill:

Divide the team into groups of three players.
One player passes the ball to the setter, who then sets the ball to the hitter.
The hitter then hits the ball down to a designated spot on the court.
After each hit, the players rotate positions, with the passer moving to the setter, the setter moving to the hitter, and the hitter moving to the passer.
The drill continues until each player has had a chance to play each position.

Two Person Four Square Drill

The two person four square among ball control volleyball drills, is a fun and challenging way to improve your ball control and reaction time. This drill is unique in other ball control volleyball drills and involves two players and can be performed indoors or outdoors.

Steps to perform the drill:

Draw a square on the ground using chalk or tape. The square should be about 10 feet wide.
Divide the square into four smaller squares.
One player starts by serving the ball into one of the squares.
The other player must pass the ball back into any of the other squares.
The first player must then pass the ball back into a different square, and the drill continues this way.
If a player misses a pass or hits the ball out of bounds, they lose a point.
The first player to reach a predetermined number of points (e.g., 10) wins the game.

Volleyball Ball Control Elimination

The volleyball ball control elimination is a fast-paced, a competitive one among ball control volleyball drills that improves control and reaction time. It can be played with any number of players.

Steps to perform the drill:

Divide the players into two teams.
One team starts by serving the ball to the other team.
The receiving team must pass the ball back over the net in three touches or less.
They lose a point if the receiving team fails to pass the ball back over the net or hits it out of bounds.
The team with the most points at the end of the round wins.
The losing team is eliminated, and the game continues with the remaining teams until only one team is left standing.
To make the game more challenging, you can add rules such as only allowing certain players to hit or limiting the number of hits per team.

Cross Court Pepper Volleyball Ball Control Drill

Cross Court Pepper is a volleyball drill that aims to improve a player’s ability to hit accurate shots from the cross-court position. In ball control volleyball drill, two players stand on opposite sides of the court, and they alternate, hitting the ball to each other with a cross-court shot. The goal is to accurately hit the ball over the net to the opposite player’s cross-court position.

Steps to perform the drill

Find a partner and stand on opposite sides of the court.
One player serves the ball over the net to the other player’s cross-court position.
The receiver must hit the ball back with a cross-court shot to the server’s cross-court position.
The server then hits the ball back with a cross-court shot to the receiver’s cross-court position.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until a predetermined number of successful hits or a set time limit is reached.
Switch roles and repeat the drill.

4 x 2 Pepper Drill

The 4 x 2 Pepper Drill is a variation of the traditional Pepper Drill that involves four players instead of two. This drill aims to improve a player’s ball control and reaction time while hitting and passing the ball. In this ball control volleyball drill, four players form a square and hit the ball to each other in a specific pattern.

Steps to perform the drill

Form a square with four players. Two players are opposite each other, and the other two players are also opposite each other, forming a second pair of opposites.
The player at the front of the square starts by hitting the ball to the player on their right.
The player who received the ball then hits the ball to the player across from them.
The third player hits the ball to the player on their left.
The fourth player returns the ball to the first player, completing the cycle.
Repeat the pattern for a set number of hits or a predetermined time limit.
Increase the speed and difficulty of the hits as the players improve.

Volleyball Ball Control with Movement

A volleyball drill that aims to improve a player’s ball control while moving around the court. In this drill, players move around the court while passing the ball back and forth to their partner. This drill is a great way to improve a player’s ability to handle different types of passes while on the move.

Steps to perform the drill

Find a partner and stand on one side of the court.
The first player passes the ball to the second player, who is on the move.
The second player receives the ball and passes it back to the first player while moving in the opposite direction.
The first player then passes the ball back to the second player, moving in a different direction.
Continue this pattern, with the players moving in different directions after each pass.
Increase the speed and difficulty of the passes as the players improve.

Now that you have learned about the top ball control volleyball drills, it’s time to put them into practice. Remember that practice makes perfect, so regularly incorporate these drills into your training routine. Keep in mind that mastering volleyball ball control is an ongoing process, and it takes time and dedication to improve your skills. But with consistent practice and hard work, you can become a great player.