Free drill library · Volleyball

At-home volleyball drills for 14 year olds and older: middle

This is a free sample week of at-home volleyball training for 14 year olds and older, for a middle: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 15 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 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Read and close the block 13 minutes

  1. Read a parent's toss direction · 4 min
    Eyes on the setter, then the ball
  2. Slide and block jump · 5 min
    Close next to your partner's spot
  3. Landing and reset · 4 min
    Two feet, knees bent, face the court

Session 2

Middle: Partner Nudge Balance 15 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Partner Nudge Balance · 5 min
    Absorb and recover. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
  3. Goblet Squat with Light Load · 5 min
    Chest proud, knees out. Safety: Only with a coach or trained adult watching. Light load only, never a maximal lift. Stop the set when form slips.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Middle: Tempo Run Blocks 15 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Tempo Run Blocks · 5 min
    Comfortably hard, not all out. Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.
  3. Goblet Squat with Light Load · 5 min
    Chest proud, knees out. Safety: Only with a coach or trained adult watching. Light load only, never a maximal lift. Stop the set when form slips.
  4. 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.

The drills in this week

Partner Nudge Balance

Ages 13 and up · 8 min

Stand on one leg on a soft pad while a partner gives gentle nudges to the shoulders. Trains quick balance reactions.

  1. Stand on one leg on a folded mat.
  2. Your partner gives small, gentle pushes from different sides.
  3. Stay steady without hopping.
  4. Do 3 rounds of 20 seconds per leg.

Coach's cue: Absorb and recover.

Bring: partner, folded mat or pad

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

Goblet Squat with Light Load

Ages 13 and up · 12 min

Hold a light weight at your chest and squat with perfect form. Load is added only when every rep looks the same.

  1. Hold a light weight against your chest.
  2. Squat down between your knees, heels flat, chest up.
  3. Pause at the bottom for 1 second, then stand.
  4. Do 3 sets of 8; add weight only with your coach, never to failure.

Coach's cue: Chest proud, knees out.

Bring: light dumbbell or kettlebell

Safety: Only with a coach or trained adult watching. Light load only, never a maximal lift. Stop the set when form slips.

Tempo Run Blocks

Ages 13 and up · 25 min

Run at a comfortably hard pace for 3 to 5 minutes at a time with easy jogs between. Raises how long you can work hard.

  1. Jog 5 minutes to warm up.
  2. Run 4 minutes at a pace you can hold but cannot chat at.
  3. Jog 2 minutes easy.
  4. Do 3 blocks, then jog and walk 5 minutes.

Coach's cue: Comfortably hard, not all out.

Bring: field or track

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 14 and up

  • Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced 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)

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