Fun Volleyball Games

Fun volleyball games and drills keep players interested in practicing volleyball. 

                 Are your volleyball drills fun?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when developing activities for your volleyball team. 

  • Are all players involved in the drill?
  • Are the drills fun?
  • Are the drills organized?
  • Is the coach’s feedback appropriate?
  • Do the drills require the players to be creative and make good decisions?
  • Are there direct implications for how volleyball is actually played?

Help players understand the game

Asking the right question is a very important part of coaching volleyball. 

Here is an example of the types of questions to ask your players. 

Let’s assume your players are playing a game in which the objective is to make good forearm passes, but they are having trouble doing so. Interrupt the action and ask the following questions: 

  • What are you trying to accomplish in this game?
  • What do you have to do to get the ball to the setter?
  • Who should call and pass a ball that is falling in the right-back area of the court?
  • Who should call and pass the ball if it is hit between the right-back and left-back players?

How do you make volleyball practices fun and practical?

Asking your players questions isn’t a waste of time. Your players will come to the realization on their own that accurate passing skills and tactical awareness are essential to their success in being able to run an offense. 

Rather than tell them about the skills, and what are critical skills, lead them to discovery. 


Using Individual Skills in a Modified Game

The modified game approach to learning volleyball involves “guided discovery”. 

Rather than telling players how to play the game, guided discovery involves the coach asking players questions and guiding them to discover how the game is played. 

Coaches must resist the temptation to tell players how to play. 

4 step process for the games approach…

  1. Play a modified game.
  2. Help the players discover what they need to do to play the game successfully.
  3. Teach the skills of the game.
  4. Practice the skills in another game.

The games approach is different than the traditional way volleyball is taught in that players learn the tactical skills of volleyball while developing skills. 

The problem with developing individual playing skills first is that players will later try to play in a game situation and not be able to execute the skills. 

Basically, if players haven’t used their skills in a game situation, the skills won’t likely transfer. 

First, learn how the game is played. Players become more motivated to learn individual skills when they realize the game is hard to play without skill training. 


Make Volleyball Practices Fun with Fun Volleyball Games

Volleyball becomes more fun when drills are broken down into games

Fun volleyball games should be part of every practice. 

It’s usually harder to develop a skill if the players aren’t having fun. The more fun a drill is, the more likely players will develop skill

Keep Players Reaching

When a player is executing a drill, try to keep them in their sweet spot

The sweet spot is where the player is putting forth maximal effort and succeeding between 60 percent and 80 percent of the time. 

They are failing, sometimes spectacularly. 

The athlete is paying attention to each failure and learning from each mistake. 

Is the drill too advanced? If they are failing more than half the time, the drill is too difficult. When you succeed, its mostly because youre getting lucky. 

Is the drill too easy? If they are able to hit the target more than 90 percent of the time, then the drill is likely too easy. 

They are in control, relaxed, and confident. They aren’t reaching past current abilities. The player is in their “comfort zone” and will likely soon get bored. 

You don’t want players to be too comfortable. Create fun volleyball games that keep players in the sweet spot where they are constantly reaching to a higher level of skill.

If you enjoyed these tips and would like to keep it close to you at any time, just save this pin to your Pinterest Volleyball Board.

Home › Volleyball Drills › Fun Games