VOLLEYBALL TRAINING

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A well-structured volleyball training program can increase explosive power, vertical jump height, stamina and speed and agility around the court. Skill training alone, such as practising spikes, won’t develop the physical traits necessary to play to the athlete’s full potential (1).

Volleyball players have exceptional lower body power and perform well in the vertical jump test (2,3). Power in the legs is needed to jump explosively off the ground in order to spike, block, set and dive.

The repetitive nature of jumping movements makes power endurance an important outcome of training and the length of games and sets places a significant demand on strength endurance (4). Power and strength endurance are more important than aerobic endurance, although at elite levels, volleyball players have moderate to high values for aerobic power (2,3).

A well-designed volleyball training program will also help to reduce the incidence and severity of injury in volleyball players (6,7,8). Despite being a non-contact sport, a three study found that volleyball is the eighth most injury prone sport in the age group 14 to 20 years (5).

The articles below cover various volleyball training components useful to players at all levels. You will find sample programs for improving explosive power, your vertical jump and speed and agility – all specific to the game.


Volleyball Training Articles

The Sport-Specific Approach to Strength Training Programs
Strength training lays the foundation for successful performance in many of the athletic movements inherent in volleyball. Strength training must be specific to the sport though, so the traditional “3 sets of 10 reps” is not very effective…

How To Design Resistance Training Programs For Athletes
Here is the step-by-step process of developing a sport-specific strength training plan – one that meets the demanding nature of volleyball…

Power Training for Athletes
Volleyball players must possess good upper and lower body power. But what is the best method for its development?

Plyometric Training for Sport-Specific Power
Plyometrics is ideally suited to a volleyball training program. It can help to convert general strength training into a more volleyball-specific level of fitness. Used properly, plyometrics can increase a player’s vertical jump, speed around the court and smashing power…

Plyometrics For Volleyball Training
Here are some specific upper and lower body plyometric drills for volleyball players…

Core Strength Conditioning For Athletes
Core strength allows the body to work synergistically as a single unit. A well-conditioned core is essential for all athletes…

Speed & Agility Drills
These agility exercises can be incorporated into number of training programs across a variety of sports. Easy to set up and requiring little or no equipment…

Flexibility Exercises
Increased flexibility may reduce the risk of certain injuries. It may also allow a volleyball player to move with greater dexterity and finesse…

References

1) Gabbett T, Georgieff B, Anderson S, Cotton B, Savovic D, Nicholson L. Changes in skill and physical fitness following training in talent-identified volleyball players. J Strength Cond Res. 2006 Feb;20(1):29-35

2) Smith DJ, Roberts D, Watson B. Physical, physiological and performance differences between Canadian national team and universiade volleyball players. J Sports Sci. 1992 Apr;10(2):131-8

3) Fleck SJ, Case S, Puhl J, Van Handle P. Physical and physiological characteristics of elite women volleyball players. Can J Appl Sport Sci. 1985 Sep;10(3):122-6

4) Bompa, TO. Periodization training for sports. 1999. Champaign: IL, Human Kinetics

5) De Los M. Epidemiology of sports injuries in the Swiss organization “Youth and Sports” 19871989: injuries, exposures and risks of main diagnosis. Int J Sports Med. 1995;16:1348

6) Stasinopoulos D. Comparison of three preventive methods in order to reduce the incidence of ankle inversion sprains among female volleyball players. Br J Sports Med. 2004 Apr;38(2):182-5

7) Young MA, Cook JL, Purdam CR, Kiss ZS, Alfredson H. Eccentric decline squat protocol offers superior results at 12 months compared with traditional eccentric protocol for patellar tendinopathy in volleyball players. Br J Sports Med. 2005 Feb;39(2):102-5

8) Bahr R, Lian O, Bahr IA. A twofold reduction in the incidence of acute ankle sprains in volleyball after the introduction of an injury prevention program: a prospective cohort study. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1997 Jun;7(3):172-7