Volleyball training plan

Are your practices balanced, engaging, and results-driven? A good volleyball training plan turns a regular session into a focused opportunity for skill growth, team development, and tactical readiness. Whether you’re coaching youth, competitive adults, or club teams, this guide helps you build structured training plans that actually deliver progress.

Let’s start with a few examples of fun drills. After all, having fun is the foundation of any good volleyball training plan, isn’t it?

u12

Trixter Triumpf #1 a Control Challenge

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u12, u6

Being fast

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u18, Seniors

Suprise

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📋 What is a volleyball training plan?

A volleyball training plan is a structured outline of what a team or group of players will train during a given session, week, or season. It includes technical skills, tactical concepts, physical development, and mental preparation. A strong plan helps coaches:

Stay focused and time-efficient
Create progression over time
Ensure all key game elements are covered
Adapt training to the needs and level of the team

Think of it as your roadmap for consistent team growth.

🔍 Why planning matters: more than just drills

Many coaches show up with a few drills in mind—but without a plan, sessions often become chaotic or one-dimensional. A well-thought-out training plan ensures:

Every player is engaged and challenged
Skills are built with clear progression
Tactical and mental aspects are not neglected
You can track improvement over time
You reduce overtraining or injury risk

💡 “Planning gives your players confidence—because they know you’re intentional with their time.”

🧱 Key components of a volleyball training plan

A good training plan includes these building blocks:

1. Warm-up & activation (10–15 min)

Get the body and brain ready: include dynamic stretching, light ball control, coordination drills, and communication games.

2. Technical skills (15–30 min)

Focus on 1–2 specific skills per session. For example:

Setting footwork
Passing platform angles
Blocking form

Use progressive drills, starting simple and building toward game speed.

3. Tactical application (20–30 min)

Train game situations like side-out systems, transition, or defensive coverage. Emphasize decision-making, spacing, and team communication.

4. Game play (15–30 min)

Use small-sided games (3v3, 4v4) or full 6v6 situations to apply what was trained under pressure. Add constraints to focus on the day’s theme.

5. Cool-down & reflection (5–10 min)

Stretch, breathe, and reflect. Ask: What did we learn? What can we improve?

🧠 How to adapt training plans to different levels

Level	Focus areas	Tips
Beginners	Ball control, spacing, fun	Use simple language & positive feedback
Intermediate	Transition, coverage, serve receive	Add 2-phase drills & introduce tactics
Advanced/Elite	Speed, system pressure, strategy	Train with intensity & video feedback

Adapt intensity, complexity, and pace based on the team’s goals and current phase (preseason vs. competition).

🧰 Example: 90-minute training plan (U18)

Segment	Time	Content
Warm-up	15 min	Dynamic + ball control ladder
Skill focus	20 min	Outside hitting mechanics (footwork & approach)
Tactical phase	25 min	Side-out with first tempo + back-row option
Game-like scenario	20 min	6v6 with serve + tactical rotation constraints
Cool-down + review	10 min	Group stretch + team Q&A

Or get inspired by one of these drills:

u18, Seniors

Turn and grab

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u18, Seniors

Sideout +1

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u18, Seniors

Mill

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u18, Seniors

Match to 3 points

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u18, Seniors

3 vs 3

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u18, Seniors

Quarrelling

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🔗 Extra tips for planning success

Plan per cycle: Use 3–4 week blocks to focus on themes (e.g., “Defense month”)
Use a template: Create a Google Sheet or PDF format you can reuse
Debrief: Take 5 minutes after each session to log what worked or didn’t
Ask for input: Players often give great feedback on timing, intensity, and flow

📥 Free resource: create your first training plan (free trial)

Ready to start planning smarter? Create your free VolleyballXL trial and get instant access to a customizable training plan template. Build your first session online with clear structure, suggested drills, and coaching tips—all designed to help you run better practices, faster.

✅ Just sign up and start planning your first training today.

👉 Create your free account and start planning

📄 Volleyball training plan PDF

At VolleyballXL, you won’t find a static volleyball training PDF that gets outdated or sits forgotten in your downloads folder. Instead, we offer a fully digital, adaptable training tool that allows you to build, edit, and update your sessions anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re on the court or planning from home, your volleyball training plans stay organized, dynamic, and tailored to your team’s current needs. Start smart, stay flexible—and coach with purpose.

Smart planning builds strong teams

A great volleyball training plan doesn’t just fill time—it drives improvement. It helps players feel progress, gives structure to your sessions, and builds confidence in your coaching. With the right planning, every minute counts.

FAQ about volleyball training plans

How far in advance should I plan my volleyball sessions?

Ideally, you should plan three to four sessions ahead. This gives you enough space to build progression over time and helps structure your focus across skills, tactics, and intensity. For example, one week you might focus on passing technique, followed by serve receive under pressure the next, then move into transition work, and finally into applying those elements in full game scenarios. If you’re in preseason, using training blocks like “defense week” or “transition week” gives clarity and rhythm. During competition weeks, adjust based on match outcomes, team energy, or key errors you’ve observed. Coaches who plan in short cycles tend to notice faster growth and fewer reactive, last-minute changes.

Can I reuse the same plan every week?

Reusing the same structure is helpful, but repeating exact drills or sessions every week can lead to boredom and limited progress. It’s important to revisit key themes like serve receive, transition, or defense, but you should vary how you train them. For instance, if you’re working on transition, one week you might start with static drills, the next with live digs, and later add scoring or time pressure. The focus can remain the same, but change the way players experience it. These small adjustments keep them alert, challenged, and motivated.

How do I balance skill and tactics in a single session?

Start your session by focusing on individual or small group techniques, such as passing, hitting mechanics, or setting. Once players are warmed up and locked in technically, move into more tactical situations where they must apply those skills in a team context. For example, you can begin by practicing footwork for blocking and later move into a scrimmage where players must read and respond to opposing hitters. Connecting the technical and tactical aspects creates continuity and helps players understand how their individual actions affect the team’s strategy.

What if I don’t have enough players for full team drills?

Even with small numbers, you can run very effective practices. Instead of full 6v6 gameplay, use smaller-sided formats like 3v3 or 4v4. These force players to communicate more, cover more court, and be more involved in every action. You can also rotate players between drills and recovery moments, or involve coaches and assistants in active roles during drills. If needed, modify the drill to focus on ball control, spacing, or reading the play, rather than full system execution. With creative adjustments, you can still run high-quality sessions with fewer players.

Should players know the plan in advance?

Yes, sharing your training plan with players helps build trust and increases engagement. When players understand the goal of the session, they are more mentally prepared and more likely to focus on the right details. You can explain the plan briefly during warm-up or write it on a whiteboard at the start of training. Some coaches also share their sessions through team apps or group chats. This creates transparency and gives players a sense of control over their own development. At the end of training, you can reflect together on what was learned and how it connects to the bigger team goals.