How to Practice Volleyball at Home: 5 Solo Drills for Beginners

You only spend a few hours a week at your volleyball club, but the best players know that real improvement happens in the driveway, the basement, or the backyard. If you want to make the school team or move up to a rep program, practicing at home is essential. Here are 5 simple, highly effective solo volleyball drills you can do without a net or a court.

Why Solo Practice Matters

Volleyball is a game of repetition. Muscle memory is built by contacting the ball thousands of times. By doing solo drills at home, you isolate specific mechanics—like your platform angle or hand shape—without the pressure of a live game. This accelerates your progress when you return to your regular sessions at Volley Vibes Club.

1. Wall Passing (Forearm Control)

Find a flat brick wall or a sturdy garage door.

• The Drill: Toss the ball to the wall, and pass the rebound continuously without catching it.

• The Focus: Keep your feet moving. Don't swing your arms; instead, use your legs to push the ball up and keep your platform (forearms) angled toward your target.

• Goal: Try to get 20 passes in a row without the ball dropping.

2. Self-Setting (Hand Shape and Soft Hands)

This is the best way to develop "soft hands" and reduce double contacts.

• The Drill: Lie flat on your back on the floor or sit in a chair. Set the ball straight up into the air.

• The Focus: Keep your elbows out and use all 10 fingers. The ball should have almost no spin when it goes up. Lying on the floor forces you to use your wrists and fingers instead of cheating with your legs.

• Goal: 50 clean sets straight up and down.

3. The Perfect Toss (Serving Prep)

A bad serve almost always starts with a bad toss. You don't need to actually hit the ball to practice this!

• The Drill: Stand in your serving stance. Hold the ball in your non-hitting hand. Practice tossing the ball slightly in front of your hitting shoulder, letting it drop to the ground.

• The Focus: The toss should have no spin and drop exactly where your hitting foot would step.

• Goal: Do 20 perfect tosses a day. When you get back to the gym, your serve consistency will skyrocket.

4. Line Jumps (Footwork & Agility)

Volleyball is 70% footwork. If you can't get to the ball fast enough, you can't pass it.

• The Drill: Find a line on the driveway or use a piece of tape on the floor. Jump quickly back and forth over the line with both feet. Then try side-to-side.

• The Focus: Stay light on the balls of your feet. Keep your knees slightly bent in a ready position.

What You Need for a Home Setup

You don't need expensive gear to get better at home.

Equipment	Cost	What It's Good For
Standard Volleyball	$30 - $60	All passing, setting, and tossing drills.
A Brick Wall	Free	Rebound passing and hitting control.
Painters Tape	$5	Marking targets on the wall or agility lines on the floor.
Jump Rope	$10	Building fast-twitch muscles for vertical jumping and quick lateral movement.

Bring Your Skills to the Court

Practicing at home builds your mechanics, but you still need a court to develop game IQ and teamwork. Bring your improved skills to Volley Vibes Club in Markham! We offer beginner to advanced training programs designed to take your hard work and translate it into real-game success.

Call +1 416 543 5661 to book a tryout or join our next developmental session.