There are many drills that a coach can do to improve the volleyball athleticism of his/her players. Volleyball players need lower body strength in order to jump quickly and to jump higher. They also need that lower body strength to react quickly and explode to a ball.
In the video clips below Karen Paxton, head coach at Katy High School (Texas) demonstrates two different drills that will definitely improve the volleyball athleticism of your players. In the first video Coach Paxton shares her Tennis Ball Drop Series designed to teach defensive players to react as quickly as possible. In the second clip you will learn a great series of lower body strength exercises called Holy Quads that can be completed on court without any equipment.
These drills are just two of many drills designed to improve the volleyball athleticism that Coach Paxton shares in a complete DVD dedicated to training volleyball players. For more information about the DVD that these clips came from click the link Improving Volleyball Athleticism and Footwork
The YouTube videos below have sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. (Some schools block access to YouTube)
The Tennis Ball Drops Series is a creative way to use tennis balls to work on defense and improve volleyball athleticism. In this drill series, you will learn how to put players into defensive positions and teach them to react quickly, change direction, sprawl and eliminate wasted motion as they attempt to get to the ball as quickly as possible. This type of training improves movement to a tipped or roll shot from a defensive position.
The following is a quick summary of the Holy Quads Exercise Series.
1. 10 Regular Squats
2. 30 Second Squat Hold
3. 10 Block Jumps
4. 30 Second Squat Hold
5. 10 Gait Swings
6. 30 Second Squat Hold
7. 10 Wide Outs
Coach Paxton typically repeats the sequence three times