Volleyball Conditioning Drills for the Serious Player
Volleyball conditioning drills help the volleyball player exceed at the game. The proper training can give you explosive power on the court, increase your vertical jump, and increase your agility and ability to react. Volleyball skills are important, but perfect technique without the right type of power will not produce the results you are looking for.
Even though the volleyball is hit with the arms, lower body power is what is needed in order to be a top player. Powerful legs are needed to be able to explode vertically to spike, block, and set. During a game, these movements are made nearly continuously by players, so having explosive strength needs to be combined with endurance. For the sport of volleyball, cardio or aerobic endurance is not as important as muscular endurance. Volleyball conditioning drills will also help reduce injuries by strengthening the muscles around the knee, which is a vulnerable joint. The goals of volleyball conditioning drills need to include creating a more powerful player and protecting the player from injury.
Short sprints are a great drill for volleyball players. It provides moderate aerobic conditioning while training the player’s muscles to explode and then to change directions quickly. Volleyball is full of lateral movements, so a drill for skiers offers a great way to teach a player’s muscles to move from side to side. Strong lateral movements will help players get to those difficult shots in the corner. For this drill, place your feet shoulder width apart with your hands behind your back. Jump side to side from one foot to the other. Do this drill for five to ten minutes at a time.
Adding to your vertical jump is crucial to being able to block well. It’s important to build jumping endurance as well as increase the height of your vertical jump. Draw a line on the wall that is the height of the top of the net. Begin by making quick jumps with your arms held high as if you are blocking at the top of the net. Keep jumping quickly for three minutes. After three minutes, begin doing power jumps looking for the best vertical height with each one. To do this bring your arms down to your sides and from a squatting position, explode upwards. Do this ten times.
The thing that you need to accomplish with volleyball conditioning drills is to create muscle memory. Volleyball is a game of quick reactions. You need to train your muscles to react quickly with the right movement and momentum. Doing drills that call for you to react to a ball, recover, and react again are your best bets for being able to train your muscles to quickly dive and dig for balls. Many drills like this require at least one other person. An option is for one person to quickly roll volleyballs in your direction while you dive, dig, and recover. Many repetitions of this drill will increase your agility.
There are many web sites and other sources that list a multitude of volleyball drills that will condition your legs off or on season. There are also programs offered through sports medicine clinics and personal trainers. It’s important to begin a training program that you can consistently do in order to get the most from it. Start with a range of drills that you can do at a moderate level. Make sure that you are getting a balanced workout. To protect your knees, muscular exercises need to strengthen all of the muscles surrounding that joint. As time goes on increase the intensity and duration of your workouts. Spend plenty of time warming up and cooling down after each conditioning session.