At-home volleyball drills for 7 to 10 year olds: hitter

This is a free sample week of at-home volleyball training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a hitter: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 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 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Hitter: Wake-Up Starts 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Wake-Up Starts · 4 min
Pop up and push the ground away. Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.
Flamingo Stand Count · 4 min
Eyes on one spot. 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 2

Hitter: Puddle Jumping 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Puddle Jumping · 4 min
Swing the arms, land like a cat. Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
Wake-Up Starts · 4 min
Pop up and push the ground away. Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Hitter: Approach Footwork and Arm Shape 12 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Approach Footwork and Arm Shape · 4 min
Arms back, arms up, bow and arrow. Safety: Land softly with knees over toes on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
Tightrope Line Walk · 4 min
Arms out, slow steps. 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.

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

Wake-Up Starts

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Start a short run from lying, sitting or kneeling, the way an animal jumps up when it wakes. Race only your own clock.

Set two markers about 10 big steps apart.
Lie on your tummy, sit or kneel behind the first marker.
On "go" get up as fast as you can and run past the second marker.
Walk back slowly; do 6 to 8 starts, trying a new start position each time.

Coach's cue: Pop up and push the ground away.

Bring: two cones or markers

Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.

Flamingo Stand Count

Ages 5 to 10 · 5 min

Stand on one leg like a flamingo and count how long you can stay steady. Try the other leg too.

Stand on one foot, the other foot lifted near your knee.
Hold your arms out to help.
Count how long you can stay without touching down.
Do 3 tries each leg; try to beat your own count.

Coach's cue: Eyes on one spot.

Bring: none

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

Puddle Jumping

Ages 5 to 10 · 8 min

Pretend lines or towels are puddles and jump over them with two feet, landing quietly like a cat.

Lay out 5 or 6 "puddles" of different sizes.
Jump over each one with two feet.
Land quietly with bent knees.
Go through the course 4 times, making the puddles wider if it feels easy.

Coach's cue: Swing the arms, land like a cat.

Bring: chalk, rope or towels

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Approach Footwork and Arm Shape

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn the approach steps and the bow-and-arrow arm shape of an attack, in place and with no ball.

Step left, right, left in place (right-handers), swinging both arms back.
Bring both arms up as you jump softly straight up.
Draw your hitting arm back like a bow and arrow at the top.
Land on both feet; do 3 sets of 6.

Coach's cue: Arms back, arms up, bow and arrow.

Bring: none

Safety: Land softly with knees over toes on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Tightrope Line Walk

Ages 5 to 10 · 6 min

Walk along a line on the ground like a tightrope walker: forward, backward and on tiptoes.

Lay a rope or draw a line about 4 yards long.
Walk heel to toe along it.
Then walk backward, then on tiptoes.
Do 3 trips each way.

Coach's cue: Arms out, slow steps.

Bring: rope, tape or chalk line

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

Safety for ages 7 to 10

Plans for this age group use beginner 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)