First volleyball practice of the season

Your 45-minute session

8 players · 1 adult
Have the equipment listed for every active group. Recheck the grouping if attendance changes.

1. 0–3minutes

   Warm-up

   Walk around a clear area, gradually picking up the pace. Introduce today’s focus and show the first activity.

2. 3–11minutes

   Volleyball toss and catch: flight tracking

   Recognize the top of a gentle toss and arrive underneath it. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   Each player holds a light ball in a clear personal area. Repeat the layout in separate personal or pair areas with full movement clearance.

   1. Toss only just above head height.
   2. Clap once when the ball stops rising, then catch with two hands.
   3. Repeat without the clap and say top at the same moment.
   4. Compare which toss lets you finish balanced.

   Equipment: 1 appropriate practice ball per player

   Keep it safe: Use a light, age-appropriate volleyball and controlled contacts; no diving, body contact or maximum jumps. Check dry footing and overhead clearance; stop every group when a stray ball enters its space. Match challenge to demonstrated skill and comfort, not age alone. Offer rest and shorter turns; the age range does not establish fitness or readiness.

3. 11–19minutes

   Setting preparation: overhead catch and toss

   Find a comfortable overhead receiving shape before attempting a set. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   Partners stand two metres apart; use a soft light ball. Repeat the layout in separate personal or pair areas with full movement clearance. For an odd headcount, one trio swaps the observer after every two attempts.

   1. Partner tosses gently above the receiver’s forehead.
   2. Receiver catches with both hands in front of the forehead, not behind the head.
   3. Pause to check comfort, then return with a small two-hand push.
   4. Swap every four tosses; catching is a preparation exercise, not a legal set.

   Equipment: 1 appropriate practice ball per pair

   Keep it safe: Use a light, age-appropriate volleyball and controlled contacts; no diving, body contact or maximum jumps. Check dry footing and overhead clearance; stop every group when a stray ball enters its space. Match challenge to demonstrated skill and comfort, not age alone. Offer rest and shorter turns; the age range does not establish fitness or readiness.

4. 19–20minutes

   Water break

   Offer water and reset the activity areas.

5. 20–28minutes

   Self forearm pass and catch

   Create a repeatable forearm platform with a soft self-feed. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   Each player has a light volleyball and room for one step in every direction. Repeat the layout in separate personal or pair areas with full movement clearance.

   1. Self-toss just above head height.
   2. Join the forearms and send the ball a short distance upward.
   3. Separate the hands and catch, then reset before another try.
   4. Compare five attempts and keep the most controllable height.

   Equipment: 1 appropriate practice ball per player

   Keep it safe: Use a light, age-appropriate volleyball and controlled contacts; no diving, body contact or maximum jumps. Check dry footing and overhead clearance; stop every group when a stray ball enters its space. Match challenge to demonstrated skill and comfort, not age alone. Offer rest and shorter turns; the age range does not establish fitness or readiness.

6. 28–34minutes

   Volleyball toss and catch: flight tracking

   Recognize the top of a gentle toss and arrive underneath it. Repeat the activity with roles rotated and one clear coaching cue. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   Each player holds a light ball in a clear personal area. Repeat the layout in separate personal or pair areas with full movement clearance.

   1. Toss only just above head height.
   2. Clap once when the ball stops rising, then catch with two hands.
   3. Repeat without the clap and say top at the same moment.
   4. Compare which toss lets you finish balanced.

   Equipment: 1 appropriate practice ball per player

   Keep it safe: Use a light, age-appropriate volleyball and controlled contacts; no diving, body contact or maximum jumps. Check dry footing and overhead clearance; stop every group when a stray ball enters its space. Match challenge to demonstrated skill and comfort, not age alone. Offer rest and shorter turns; the age range does not establish fitness or readiness.

7. 34–42minutes

   One-bounce volleyball

   Sustain a volleyball exchange with an extra bounce to prepare. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   One pair starts on opposite sides of a lowered net in the marked court; agree on a short reachable court area. Use the existing painted court markings; this activity has no unmarked-space substitute. Only the named group is active; additional players wait outside the run-off area and rotate after two short rallies or four feeds.

   1. Begin with a gentle toss over the net.
   2. Receiver allows one bounce, then makes a forearm pass across.
   3. Partners aim toward one another to build three exchanges.
   4. Reset after a stray ball and rotate the active pair; the bounce is a learning modification.

   Equipment: 1 appropriate practice ball; 1 secured sport-appropriate net

   Keep it safe: Use a light, age-appropriate volleyball and controlled contacts; no diving, body contact or maximum jumps. Check dry footing and overhead clearance; stop every group when a stray ball enters its space. Match challenge to demonstrated skill and comfort, not age alone. Offer rest and shorter turns; the age range does not establish fitness or readiness.

8. 42–45minutes

   Cool-down and check-in

   Walk at an easy pace, offer water, and ask players to name one thing they want to try again next time.