Free drill library · Volleyball

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

This is a free sample week of at-home volleyball training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a middle: 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

Middle: Approach Footwork and Arm Shape 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. 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.
  3. Chair Sit-and-Stand · 4 min
    Slow down, fast up. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Middle: Puddle Jumping 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. 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.
  3. Bear Crawl Trail · 4 min
    Flat back like a table. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Middle: Freeze-Landing Jumps 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Freeze-Landing Jumps · 4 min
    Quiet feet, frozen statue. 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.
  3. Crab Walk Path · 4 min
    Hips high like a crab. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
  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.

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

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.

  1. Step left, right, left in place (right-handers), swinging both arms back.
  2. Bring both arms up as you jump softly straight up.
  3. Draw your hitting arm back like a bow and arrow at the top.
  4. 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.

Chair Sit-and-Stand

Ages 6 to 10 · 5 min

Sit down to a chair slowly and stand up without using your hands. The first step of a good squat.

  1. Stand in front of a sturdy chair, feet hip-width apart.
  2. Reach arms forward and sit back slowly to touch the chair.
  3. Stand up tall without using your hands.
  4. Do 2 rounds of 10.

Coach's cue: Slow down, fast up.

Bring: sturdy chair or bench

Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.

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.

  1. Lay out 5 or 6 "puddles" of different sizes.
  2. Jump over each one with two feet.
  3. Land quietly with bent knees.
  4. 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.

Bear Crawl Trail

Ages 6 to 10 · 6 min

Crawl like a bear on hands and feet along a trail. Builds arm, shoulder and tummy strength through play.

  1. Set a start and finish 10 steps apart.
  2. Get on hands and feet, knees just off the ground.
  3. Crawl forward with a flat back, then backward.
  4. Do 4 trips.

Coach's cue: Flat back like a table.

Bring: open space

Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.

Freeze-Landing Jumps

Ages 6 to 10 · 6 min

Jump forward and freeze on landing like a statue. The first step of every jumping skill is a safe landing.

  1. Stand with feet hip-width apart.
  2. Swing your arms and jump forward a small distance.
  3. Land on both feet, knees bent and over your toes, and freeze for 3 seconds.
  4. Do 10 jumps.

Coach's cue: Quiet feet, frozen statue.

Bring: soft ground

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.

Crab Walk Path

Ages 6 to 10 · 6 min

Walk like a crab, tummy up, on hands and feet. Builds strong shoulders and hips.

  1. Sit, place hands behind you and feet in front.
  2. Lift your hips off the ground.
  3. Walk forward, backward and sideways along a path.
  4. Do 4 trips of 10 steps.

Coach's cue: Hips high like a crab.

Bring: open space

Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.

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)

More plans