Volleyball Conditioning
Do you know the best way to train?

Volleyball conditioning is much different than conditioning for other sports.

Best way to condition for volleyball

How you condition for volleyball is much different than most other sports.

First of all, you don't have to be in great "shape" to play volleyball. Great "shape" meaning, you don't need the aerobic endurance you need for most other sports. Volleyball is much different than sports like basketball and football in that there isn't a lot of running and sprinting.

Volleyball is definitely a sport where technical skills are critical. 

For example, you can't just get away with being real athletic. It's very important to develop specific skills for playing volleyball. Most athletes can't just hop onto the volleyball court and play the game without developing specific techniques.

Also, coordination is especially important for volleyball.

Getting in Shape for Volleyball

Agility and Movement Drills

Volleyball isn't a sport that has a lot of running and sprinting. To be successful at volleyball, you need to be fast over very short distances. During most plays, you only take a couple steps.

You also need to be quick at changing directions.

Obviously, you need to condition the way you play the sport.

Stay away from long distance running and wind sprints. These aren't movements specific to volleyball.

The following are great agility drills for volleyball conditioning.

• agility ladder drills


• power skips


• cone hops


• fast feet cone agility drills

Improving Your Jump

Jumping drills are also important for volleyball.

If you play across the front row, you need to be able to get high to spike and block. The higher you can reach, the easier it is to penetrate the net and block your opponents spikes.

Jumping high is especially important for spiking because the higher you can contact the ball, the more options you have for spiking the ball down into your opponents court.

Your volleyball conditioning should involve various jumps.

Spiking a Volleyball

The following jumping exercises help players build endurance for jumping which allows players to continue to jump well throughout long matches and tournaments.

• reverse squat jumps


• frog jumps


• Russian freezes


• volleyball approach jumps

Preparing for tryouts and team conditioning

Often it's a good idea to get in better shape for the up coming high school volleyball season.

Many "old school" volleyball coaches still have players running long distances as a form of volleyball conditioning.

Some coaches use this method to discipline players and make them mentally strong.

If you feel you need some conditioning to prepare yourself for this kind of situation, it's better to do sprints than long distance runs.

Even if your coach is going to make you run a mile for time, I wouldn't spend too much time to prepare for this by running long distances. You would be better off preparing for this by sprinting short distances and resting between sprints.

Sprinting 200 meters (half way around a track) will prepare you for any kind of running you'll have to deal with at school.

Each sprint should take about 40 seconds. After each sprint rest for 2 minutes. Start out at 5 sprints a day the first day. Do the sprints every other day and increase by 1 each workout. By the 10th workout you should be in pretty good shape and ready to handle any kind of conditioning your coach throws at you.

Volleyball Conditioning Related Pages

Jump Training
Volleyball jump training exercises and workouts specific to volleyball. Learn why jump training is important and how to design the best workout programs for volleyball. 

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Stretches
Stretches for beginners. Learn the important stretches improve your flexiblity. Volleyball is an explosive sport and having your muscles...

Workouts
Workouts specific for volleyball. In order to be a great volleyball player, you need to know how to train the best way for volleyball. Conditioning is important. Exercises...

Workout
Workout tips and advice for improve speed, strength, and vertical power for volleyball. Discover how to jump higher and hit harder.

Volleyball › Volleyball Conditioning