6 Volleyball Serve Receive Drills to Improve Your Game

I know some of you might be thinking, “Ugh, volleyball serve receive drills? That sounds boring.” But trust me, these drills are anything but boring. In fact, they’re fun and challenging and will help you improve your game in no time. It is important to have strong serve-receive skills. After all, if you can’t pass the ball effectively, your team won’t be able to set up successful attacks and score points.

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Volleyball Serve Receive Drills for Everyone

The sense of accomplishment you’ll feel when you see your skills improving is unbeatable. I’m going to share with you some of the best volleyball serve receive drills that will help you.

Pass and Go Drill

First off, what is the Pass and Go drill? Well, simply put, it’s a drill that focuses on receiving a serve and immediately passing the ball to a target. It’s a great way to work on both your passing accuracy and your reaction time.

Now, here are the step-by-step instructions for the Pass and Go drill:

Start by dividing your team into pairs, with one player serving and the other receiving the serve.
The server should stand on one side of the court and serve the ball to the receiver on the other side.
The receiver should then pass the ball to a target on the opposite side of the court. The target can be a player, a cone, or any other object you choose.
Once the ball has been passed to the target, the target should pass the ball back to the server.
The server should then serve the ball back to the receiver, and the drill continues.

Three-Person Serve Receive Drill

The three-person serve-receive drill is a team drill used to develop the skills of passing and serving under game-like pressure. It involves three players: one server and two passers. The exercise helps passers work on their technique while the server gets practice serving different areas of the court.

Instructions:

Set up the drill by placing two passers on one side of the court and the server on the other.
The server starts the training by serving the ball to one of the passers.
The passer receives the ball and passes it back to the server.
The server then serves the ball to the other passer, who passes it back to the server.
The drill continues with the server alternating between the two passers.
The passers should focus on maintaining proper technique and accuracy with their passes.
The server should aim to serve different areas of the court, such as short or deep serves, to challenge the passers.
After a set amount of time, switch the roles so that each player gets a chance to serve and pass.

The Pass-Set-Hit Drill

The Pass-Set-Hit drill is a classic exercise among volleyball serve receive drills used for years to help players of all levels improve their all-around game. It improves players’ passing, setting, and hitting skills in a game-like scenario. This drill is an excellent way to practice the basic skills of volleyball and is commonly used in practices and warm-up routines.

Instructions:

Divide your team into two groups and have them stand on opposite sides of the net.
The first group starts by passing the ball to the setter on the other side of the net.
The setter then sets the ball to the hitter on their side of the net.
The hitter then hits the ball over the net to the other side.
The second group receives the ball and passes it back to the setter on their side.
The drill continues with the second group passing, setting, and hitting the ball back over the net to the first group.
Continue this pattern for a set period of time or until a certain number of successful passes, sets, and hits have been achieved.

The Serve and Serve Receive Drill

The Serve and Serve Receive drill is designed to help players improve their serving and receiving skills.

Instructions:

Divide your team into two groups and have them stand on opposite sides of the net.
The first group starts by serving the ball to the other side of the net.
The second group receives the serve and passes the ball back to the first group.
The first group then sets the ball to a player on the other side of the net.
The player on the other side hits the ball back over the net to the second group.
The second group receives the hit and returns the ball to the first group.
The drill continues with the first group serving and hitting the ball while the second group receives and passes the ball back.
Switch the groups after a set period of time or until a certain number of successful serves and receives have been achieved.

The Float Serve Receiving Drill

If you’ve ever played volleyball before, you know how intimidating it can be to receive a float serve. These serves can be deceiving, and they can easily catch you off guard if you’re not prepared. That’s why the float serve receiving drill is an important part of your training regimen.

Here are the instructions for the float serve receiving drill:

Gather three to six players and a coach or teammate to serve.
Position the players on one side of the court and the server on the other.
The server will perform a float serve to one of the receivers.
The receiver must then pass the ball back to the server using a controlled pass.
After passing the ball, the receiver moves to the back of the line on the other side of the court.
The next receiver steps up to receive the next float serve, and the drill continues.

The Target Pass Drill

The target pass drill is an excellent way to practice your passing accuracy and improve your overall ball control. This drill involves hitting a target on the wall or net with your passes, which forces you to focus on hitting the ball in a specific spot.

Here are the instructions for the target pass drill:

Set up a target on the wall or net. This can be a small piece of tape, a mark, or a designated spot.
Stand about 10 feet away from the target with a partner.
Your partner will toss the ball to you, and you must pass the ball to the target.
Your partner will continue to toss the ball, and you must continue to pass to the target.
After a set amount of time or number of passes, switch roles with your partner.

Tips for Success in Volleyball Serve Receive Drills:

To get good results from above mentioned volleyball serve receive drills, try to these tips during practice regimen.

Consistent practice is key to improving your skills.
Focus on your form and technique, not just speed or power.
Communicate with your teammates to ensure proper positioning and understanding of each other’s roles.
Stay relaxed and maintain a positive mindset, even in high-pressure situations.
Pay attention to the details, such as footwork and body position, to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Work on your reaction time and anticipation to improve your ability to read the ball.
Challenge yourself by gradually increasing the difficulty of the drills and incorporating game-like scenarios.
Take care of your body through proper nutrition, hydration, and adequate rest and recovery time.
Learn from your mistakes and seek feedback from coaches or experienced players to continue improving.
Lastly, enjoy the process and have fun while honing your skills and building camaraderie with your teammates.

Remember, success in volleyball serve receive drills is all about practice and repetition. By following the instructions for each drill and putting in the effort to refine your skills, you can become a more effective serve receiver. So grab a ball, find a partner or two and start practicing.

Encourage each other to do better, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes, as they are part of the learning process. Don’t be scared to challenge yourself and push beyond your limits in these volleyball serve receive drills. Most importantly, have fun while playing and enjoy the game.