At-home volleyball drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home volleyball training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 to 14 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of volleyball for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Quick feet to the ball 12 minutes

Split step on a clap · 3 min
Small hop, land ready
Shuffle to cones and touch · 5 min
Stay low, do not cross your feet
Sprawl-to-stand on a soft surface · 4 min
Roll through, pop back up

Session 2

Digging: Lean-and-Go Starts 14 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Lean-and-Go Starts · 5 min
Lean from the ankles, punch the knees. Safety: Warm up first. Take a full walk-back rest between runs; fast running when tired is how pulls happen. Stop if anything hurts.
Eyes-Closed Stand · 5 min
Small ankle moves, still body. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Passing: Eyes-Closed Stand 14 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Eyes-Closed Stand · 5 min
Small ankle moves, still body. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
Talk-Test Steady Run · 5 min
If you can talk, the pace is right. Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 volleyball plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Lean-and-Go Starts

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

Stand tall, lean forward until you must step, and turn that fall into a quick 10-yard acceleration.

Stand tall with feet together at a cone.
Lean forward from the ankles, body straight.
When you start to tip, drive out with short, powerful steps for 10 yards.
Walk back; do 6 to 8 starts with full rest.

Coach's cue: Lean from the ankles, punch the knees.

Bring: cones

Safety: Warm up first. Take a full walk-back rest between runs; fast running when tired is how pulls happen. Stop if anything hurts.

Eyes-Closed Stand

Ages 9 to 14 · 5 min

Balance on one leg with your eyes closed. Without your eyes your ankles and inner ear do more work.

Stand on one leg near a wall.
Find your balance, then close your eyes.
Hold as long as you can, up to 30 seconds.
Do 3 tries each leg and note your best.

Coach's cue: Small ankle moves, still body.

Bring: wall nearby

Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.

Talk-Test Steady Run

Ages 10 to 14 · 20 min

Run steadily at a pace where you can still talk in sentences. This is how an aerobic base is built.

Warm up by walking for 3 minutes.
Run at a pace where you can say a full sentence.
If you cannot talk, slow down or walk.
Keep going for 12 to 15 minutes, then walk 2 minutes.

Coach's cue: If you can talk, the pace is right.

Bring: safe route or field

Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: volleyball

Knee pads and court shoes; a lighter ball and lower net for young players.
An ankle brace after a sprain if a doctor suggests it.
Jump and land on your own side, under yourself. Never cross the centerline (landing on a foot is the top cause of sprains).
Keep jump sets short and land softly with knees over toes.
Keep serve and hitting sets short; stop if your shoulder hurts.
Diving and sprawling: only on a clean, dry floor or a mat, once a coach has taught it.

For every sport and age (7)

Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 28 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Volleyball: governing bodies, safety and development (8)

Youth athletic development and safety (20)