Training Tips for Individual Volleyball Players

I coached High School volleyball for 17 years. As a coach, I had to spend 80 percent of my time on team philosophies like defense and offense. The other 20 percent was on skill and fitness development. This was because of the limited time I had for practice. Most of my players would have to work on skill development and body fitness in the off season. This article looks at how a player can develop their body before the season begins.

Skill Development

There five basic skills that all volleyball players need. Those five skills are passing, setting, spiking, blocking and serving. Some players make the mistake of thinking, "well I am a hitter, I don't need to know how to set." A good player will learn to master all five skills.

There is only so much that one person can do without a partner. To work on these skills, a player needs a partner. Even if the partner doesn't have an advanced set of skills, they can still help you in developing your own skills. A partner can toss or throw you balls. They can retrieve serves for you. They can lead you through a set of ball skills.

Physical Development

Body and physical development is just as important as skill development. Some individuals think that jumping ability is more important than any. It is important. However, being able to move quickly and strongly is just as important. Another major factor is that of body balance.

The entire body needs to be developed. Let's look at those areas.

Head; You need quick thinking and hand/eye coordination development. The body follows the head in all movement. Focus is important in anticipation of the next body movement.

Hands; Strong finger tips are needed for setting, blocking and tipping the ball.

Legs, ankles and feet; These need to be strong to avoid sprains. They also are needed for balance and body explosiveness. Any exercise for these will be beneficial.

Arms; Most volleyball touches are with the arms and forearms. The skills of passing, digging, blocking, serving and spiking execution is done with the use of these. You don't want excessive muscle mass, but you do need to be strong.

Back and Shoulders; A lot of spiking power is generated from the use of the shoulders and back muscles. Bench presses and shoulder shrugs are great for strengthening these.

Core; This area is usually neglected by most players. However, a strong core is essential. Mid air crunches are vital for power in blocks and hits. The abdomen elevates the body on all jumps. a strong core can increase your vertical jump a great degree.

Hips; Strong hips are needed for quick squats for digging and quick elevation of the body.

You can see the importance of developing each part of the body. This is why off season physical development is so important for the volleyball player.