12 Effective Volleyball Exercises at Home: For Beginner and Pros

If you’re finding it a bit challenging with your fitness routine for any reason, don’t worry! Doing volleyball exercises at home can improve your volleyball skills without spending a lot of money. There are a lot of volleyball exercises at home that you can do. 

Some of the most common exercises include passing, setting, hitting, and blocking. You can also incorporate exercises to improve your agility, speed, and strength can be very beneficial for volleyball players.

Volleyball Exercises for Beginners

As a beginner in volleyball, Start with the basics to ensure you develop the correct technique and avoid injuries. These three basic volleyball exercises for beginners can be done at home. These volleyball exercises at home will help you build a strong foundation.

Exercise 1: Footwork

One of the most important aspects of volleyball is footwork. Good footwork can help players get into the right position to hit the ball, pass it, or make a defensive play. For this exercise

  • Starting from one end of a room or open space
  • Take small and quick steps forward and backward, keeping your feet light and quick.
  • Ensure that your weight is balanced over both feet. 
  • Finally, combine the forward/backward and side-to-side steps into a box pattern. Moving quickly and fluidly between steps

Exercise 2: Wall pass

Passing is a fundamental skill in volleyball, and the wall pass drill is a great way to practice this skill at home. All you need is a wall and a ball.

  • Find a wall and a ball.
  • Stand facing the wall with your arms out in front of you.
  • Pass the ball against the wall, keep your wrists firm, and follow through with your arms.
  • Catch the ball while it is bouncing back to you, and repeat the pass.
  • To make the drill more challenging, vary the speed and angle of your passes.

Exercise 3: Serving toss and catch

Practicing serving is essential, and the serving toss and catch exercise is perfect for improvement.

Here’s how to do it:

  • Stand 10 feet away from a wall and hold a ball in your non-dominant hand.
  • Toss the ball with your non-dominant hand and serve it over the imaginary net.
  • Catch the volleyball with dominant hand and repeat the serve.
  • Practice serving with both hands and increase the speed and direction of your serves for added difficulty.

Want something more for serving? Check out these serving drills and serve receive drills.

Volleyball Exercises at Home for Professionals

If you’re a professional volleyball player, you know that the key to success is to never stop challenging yourself. Even when you can’t get to a gym or court, there are plenty of advanced volleyball exercises at home that you can do to keep your skills sharp.

Exercise 1: Plyometric jump training 

This involves jumping and landing repeatedly, building strength and power in your legs. Plyometric jump training also increases power, speed, and agility. 

  • Begin with 5 minutes of jumping jacks or jumping rope to get your blood flowing, and muscles warmed up.
  • Find a sturdy box or step that is around knee height or lower.
  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  • Bend your knees and jump onto the box with both feet. Land softly to absorb the impact.
  • Immediately jump back down to the starting position with both feet.
  • Perform 10 repetitions of the jump onto the box and back down.

Exercise 2: Resistance band passing drill 

Another excellent exercise for professionals is the resistance band passing drill. Resistance band passing drills can help improve arm strength, passing accuracy, and reaction time.

  • To get started, secure a resistance band around a sturdy object, or have a partner hold it. Stand about 5-10 feet away from the anchor point and hold the band with both hands, with arms extended in front of you.
  • Pass the band back and forth with your partner, keeping your arms straight and in line with your shoulders. Focus on your passing technique, ensuring your hands and wrists are in the correct position.
  • Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps, resting for 30 seconds between each set. Vary the intensity by adjusting the tension of the resistance band.

Exercise 3: Medicine ball throws

Lastly, you can try medicine ball throws, which help improve your hitting power. Medicine ball throws can also help with overhead hitting and serving. 

  • Stand facing a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  • Hold a medicine ball at chest height with both hands.
  • Quickly rotate your torso to the right and forcefully throw the ball against the wall.
  • Catch the ball as it bounces back and repeat, rotating to the left.
  • Aim for consistency and power with each throw.

Volleyball Exercises at Home with No Equipment

When it comes to volleyball, having access to a gym or equipment is not always possible. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great workout and improve your skills right from home.

Exercise 1: Bodyweight squats

Bodyweight squats are an excellent exercise for working your lower body, building strength and power, and improving your overall fitness. Here’s how to do them:

  • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  • Keep your chest up and your weight on your heels.
  • Bend your knees and lower your body as if you’re sitting back into a chair.
  • Keep your knees in line with your toes, and don’t let them collapse inward.
  • Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
  • Force through your heels and stand back up to the starting position.
  • Repeat for 10-15 reps, depending on your fitness level.

Exercise 2: Planks

Planks are a fantastic exercise to strengthen your core, which is essential for volleyball players. Here’s how to do them correctly:

  • Begin on your hands along with your knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders.
  • Extend your legs out behind you, and come up onto your toes.
  • Keep your body straight from your head to your heels, engaging your core muscles to maintain this position.
  • Make sure your elbows and wrists are straight, and your shoulders are relaxed.
  • Hold this position as long as possible, keeping your core tight and breathing steadily.

Exercise 3: Lunges

Lunges are an excellent way to work your lower body and improve your balance, which is essential for volleyball players. Here’s how to do them correctly:

  • Start with your feet hip-width apart and hands on your hips.
  • Take a huge step forward with your right foot, making sure your knee is directly above your ankle.
  • Lower your body down till your right thigh is parallel to the floor, keeping your weight on your front heel.
  • Push through your front heel to stand back up, bringing your left foot forward to meet your right foot.
  • Repeat on the other side by taking a big step forward with your left foot.

Volleyball Exercises at Home with a Ball

If you have a ball at home, you can incorporate it into your volleyball workout to improve your skills and add variety to your routine. Here are three volleyball exercises at home with a ball:

Exercise 1: Ball toss and catch

This exercise is an excellent warm-up and helps improve hand-eye coordination.

  • Stand about 5-10 feet away from a partner or wall.
  • Toss the ball to your partner or against the wall using a proper overhand throwing technique.
  • Catch the ball with both hands as it comes back to you.
  • Repeat for 3 sets of 10-15 reps, resting for 30 seconds between each set.

Exercise 2: Wall hits:

This exercise helps improve your hitting and passing skills. 

  • Stand about 5-10 feet away from a wall.
  • Hit the ball against the wall using an overhand technique, trying to aim for a specific spot on the wall.
  • Catch the ball as it bounces back to you.
  • Repeat for 3 sets of 10-15 reps, resting for 30 seconds between each set.

Exercise 3: Solo setting

This exercise helps improve your setting skills. If this is not enough, check out these volleyball setting drills.

  • Start in a standing position, holding the ball in both hands.
  • Toss the ball up with both hands and then use your fingertips to set the ball in the air.
  • Catch the ball as it comes back down to you, and repeat.
  • Practice different variations, such as one-handed sets or sets that require you to move to different spots.
  • Repeat for 3 sets of 10-15 reps, resting for 30 seconds between each set.

In Conclusion

I want to remind you of the importance of doing regular volleyball exercises at home. Keep pushing yourself and striving for improvement, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.

Starting with the basics is crucial, so if you’re new to the sport, make sure to focus on the foundational exercises outlined in this post. For those of you who have been playing for a while, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with more advanced exercises to take your skills to the next level.

And remember, you don’t always need equipment to get a good workout. The volleyball exercises at home we covered that can be done without equipment are just as practical as those that require a ball or resistance bands.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I practice volleyball at home by myself?

Incorporate a ball into your routine with toss-and-catch exercises, wall hits, and solo-setting drills. These exercises can help improve your skills and add variety to your workout.

How can I practice volleyball at home indoors?

You can practice volleyball at home indoors by doing the exercises mentioned above or finding a space with enough room to practice serving and hitting a ball against a wall or using a volleyball net.

How can I improve my volleyball jump at home?

To improve your volleyball jump at home, you can do exercises like jump squats, lunges, and box jumps. Additionally, focusing on proper form and technique while jumping can also help improve your jump.