Drills
Volleyball
For 9 year olds

Volleyball drills for 9 year olds

What a 9 year old can practice at home: drills the app opens at this age, what changes in volleyball this year, how long and how often, what to have at home, and a free week to start.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

USA Volleyball places players by birth date, with July 1 as the cut-off, in divisions from 8 & Under up; the net and the ball change at 10 & Under, at 11 and 12, and again at 13 and 14.

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At 9

The age at a glance

This year: In 10 & Under competition the net is 6 ft 6 in and the ball is the VB-Lite; the youth rules keep teams of two, three or four a side.
Drills this year: Beginner drills. Developing drills start at 11, 2 years from now.
Net and ball: In 10 & Under competition the net is 6 ft 6 in and the ball is the VB-Lite; the youth rules keep teams of two, three or four a side.
Blocking: In youth volleyball only one player jumps to block (USA Volleyball's youth rules, ages 3 to 11).
At 9: Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 9 hours for a 9 year old, with two rest days a week.
At home: SSTracker keeps one home session for a 9 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between. That is up from 30 minutes and 3 days at 8.

29 drills

Drills for 9 year olds

Every drill here is one the app opens for 9 year olds, at the level for the age. Each page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a practice log to print.

Digging

Hitting

Passing

Serving

Setting

Blocking

What you need at home

What you need at home at 9

32 of the 32 volleyball drills for 9 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: volleyball (19 of the 32 drills), wall (5), balloon (3), net or rope (3), cones (2), chalk (1), flat surface (1), hoop (1). 2 drills need nothing but space. 5 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.

A week to start with

A free week of volleyball at home

1Spiking: Standing Down Ball15 min
2Setting: Wall Sets15 min
3Digging: Jump and Land15 min

The week, with steps and fridge cards The age group's plans and sources

The research behind it

USA Volleyball's youth rules for ages 3 to 11: two, three or four players a side, a light ball, and a net from five to six feet for younger players to seven feet for 12 and unders. USA Volleyball Simplified Youth Rules
In youth competition the ball is the VB-Lite; the net is 6 ft 6 in for 10U and 7 ft 0 in for 11U and 12U. Ohio Valley Region supplement to the USA Volleyball Domestic Competition Regulations
Players are placed by birth date with a July 1 cut-off; in boys' volleyball the net rises from 7 ft 4 1/8 in at 14 & Under to 7 ft 11 5/8 in at 15 & Under. USA Volleyball Junior Player Age Definition, 2026-2027
Ages 6 to 12 are the "sampling years": high play, low deliberate practice. Côté and Vierimaa 2014
Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week. NATA youth sport specialization recommendations

Free printables

Weekly planner (PDF) Parent and player card (PDF) All free printables

Questions parents ask

Volleyball for 9 year olds: questions and answers

What volleyball drills can a 9 year old do at home?

How long should a 9 year old practice volleyball?

Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 9 hours for a 9 year old, with two rest days a week. SSTracker keeps one home session for a 9 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between. That is up from 30 minutes and 3 days at 8.

How high is the volleyball net for 9 year olds?

In 10 & Under competition the net is 6 ft 6 in and the ball is the VB-Lite; the youth rules keep teams of two, three or four a side.

How many players block in volleyball at 9?

In youth volleyball only one player jumps to block (USA Volleyball's youth rules, ages 3 to 11).

What changes in volleyball at 9?

In 10 & Under competition the net is 6 ft 6 in and the ball is the VB-Lite; the youth rules keep teams of two, three or four a side. Beginner drills. Developing drills start at 11, 2 years from now.

Free for families and teams

Save this plan to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free volleyball week for 9 year olds opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits for the age, with progress your child sees against their own start. Coaches can send the same drills to the whole team as homework.

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