Volleyball Agility Drills for Faster Footwork

Looking for effective volleyball agility drills for your next training session? At VolleyballXL, you’ll find a wide range of drills that help players improve movement, reaction speed, balance, and body control on the court. These agility drills for volleyball are designed for coaches who want to make practice more dynamic and help players move faster and more efficiently in game situations.

Good agility volleyball drills are important for every position. Setters need quick footwork to get under the ball, middle blockers must move fast along the net, and liberos rely on fast reactions and low defensive movement. That is why volleyball agility should be a regular part of every practice plan.

Show your colours

U12
U18
U6
Seniors
Verdedigen

Goal of the drill:
Improve agility

Explanation of the drill:
Place two players facing each other with a third player (positioned along the sideline) calling out colors. This role can also be filled by a coach for larger groups. Create a line of various colors, positioned 4 meters away from the players. When a color is called, each player sprints to that color, taps it, and quickly returns to their starting position. Once both players are back, the next color is called. Turn this into a competition by calling out colors for one minute. The player who is quickest to touch the color and return earns a point. The player with the most points wins.

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Colour elastic

U12
U18
Seniors
Verdedigen

Goal of the drill:
Improve agility and strength

Explanation of the drill:
In this drill, two players participate: one is tethered by an elastic band while the other holds it. The coach or the player at the back calls out colors. A circle, located 3 meters away, is marked with various colors. Upon hearing the color, the tethered player sprints to the designated color, taps it, and then returns to the starting position.

To add a competitive element, continue calling out colors for one minute. The player who is quickest to touch the specified color and return to their original position earns a point. The player with the most points wins the drill.

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Tapping lines

Goal of the drill:
Improve speed, agility and ball skills.

Explanation of the drill:
The players line up side by side on the baseline. At the coach’s signal, they begin running. They must touch a designated set of lines on the court. The first player to return to the baseline wins.

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Ball transport

U12
U18
Seniors

Goal of the drill:
Agility for body and mind.

Explanation of the drill:
Three hats are arranged in a triangle, approximately 3 to 4 meters apart. Each hat has a tennis ball, with one ball being a different color or having a distinct feature. In the video, you see green tennis balls and one tennis ball with orange markings. The objective is to move the orange-colored ball from one hat to the next until it reaches the last hat. However, the rule is that as a transporter, you must always complete your route. As demonstrated by Myrthe, her path forms a ‘V’. Therefore, she cannot backtrack along the same line of the ‘V’; she must complete the ‘V’ before transporting the balls.

The second requirement is that she cannot swap the balls directly at their current locations. She must first create an empty spot by completing the ‘V’, and then, on her return, place the other ball in the now-empty hat. Observe carefully how she manages this: the orange ball moves from hat 1 to hat 2, and finally to the last hat.

Who on your team can complete this challenge the fastest? Note: the challenge involves 4 hats.

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Up ‘n Down

U12
U18
Seniors
Onderarms

Goal of the drill:
Promote endurance, agility and ball agility.

Explanation of the drill:
Three or four players begin on the back line. The coach then tosses the ball into the front court. Meanwhile, the remaining players start collecting balls.

Task 1: Passing

Task 2: Executing a Pancake

Task 3: What strategies can you devise?

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Hoop jump

Goal of the drill:
Improvement of speed and agility (beginners and youth)

Explanation of the drill:
Everyone has a hoop. Hand the hoop to the coach and position yourself three meters away. The coach will roll the hoop, and you must jump over it. Upon landing, turn around and chase after the hoop. Run beyond the hoop and leap over it once more. If the group is large, divide into two groups and let the player behind the jumper roll the hoop.

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What are volleyball agility drills?

Volleyball agility drills are exercises that train players to move quickly, change direction efficiently, and stay in control during fast rally situations. Unlike general fitness work, these drills are directly connected to volleyball actions such as shuffling, pivoting, dropping low, recovering after a move, and reacting to the ball.

The best agility drills for volleyball combine speed, coordination, and decision making. They prepare players to move better in defense, transition faster after contact, and stay balanced while reacting to unpredictable situations during a rally.

Why use agility drills for volleyball?

In volleyball, players rarely move in straight lines. They have to adjust constantly, recover quickly, and react to the ball in a split second. That is why volleyball agility drills are so valuable in team training.

What do agility volleyball drills improve?

These agility volleyball drills can be used to improve several key movement qualities that matter in matches:

For coaches, this means you can use volleyball agility drills not only as conditioning work, but also as a practical way to improve real on-court movement.

Libero agility drills and position-specific movement

Libero agility drills are especially useful because liberos constantly need to react, adjust their position, and stay low while moving. Quick feet, balance, and controlled defensive movement are essential for passing and digging.

But agility training is not only important for liberos. Setters need it to move to imperfect passes, blockers need it to close the block faster, and attackers need it to recover and transition after landing. That makes agility drills for volleyball relevant for every player on the court.

Volleyball speed and agility in practice

Many coaches train volleyball speed and agility together because the two qualities often work hand in hand. Speed helps players cover ground quickly, while agility helps them control their movement and change direction at the right moment. The combination is what makes players faster and more effective in realistic volleyball situations.

By adding volleyball agility drills to your practices, you help players move with more confidence, react faster, and stay more stable during rallies.

Agility drills for volleyball at every level

Whether you coach beginners or advanced players, agility drills for volleyball can be adapted to the level of your team. Simpler drills can focus on movement patterns and coordination, while advanced drills can include reaction cues, game-like pressure, and transition tasks.

For youth teams, the focus is often on learning how to move efficiently. For more advanced teams, volleyball agility drills become more specific and can be linked directly to defense, blocking, serve receive, or transition play.

Training and workouts

Do you need a complete agility workout or a full volleyball practice built around movement? VolleyballXL offers ready-made training sessions and individual drills that help you build better practices faster. You can use our drills directly with your team or create your own training session with an extra focus on volleyball agility.

With VolleyballXL, you get more than separate drills. You get practical inspiration for team training, position-specific work, and complete practice plans that make your sessions more structured and effective.

Browse our volleyball agility drills

Below, you’ll find a selection of volleyball agility drills that help players move faster, react better, and stay balanced in dynamic situations. Use these drills to improve footwork, coordination, and on-court movement in a way that directly supports volleyball performance.