The key to enhancing performance on the volleyball court is a balanced cross-training program with a variety of conditioning drills.

Here are a few of the biggest physical conditioning challenges you face on the court.

As well as some simple training strategies and volleyball conditioning drills you can use to break through those obstacles - and win the game:

Volleyball Conditioning Drills - Endurance

The Problem?

The opposing team is ahead on the fourth set and your lungs are on fire after an exhausting long rally. Sweat is pouring into your eyes and your legs are starting to shake with exhaustion.

The serve comes your way but your reflexes are slow from fatigue. You shift forward for a bump only to knock the ball out of bounds. Your body is running short on energy and it’s costing you the game.

The Solution: Endurance training

Traditional Cardio

A minimum of 20 minutes worth of running, swimming or rowing per day will allow you to reach VO2 max. The longer your body remains at maximum oxygen consumption per day, the higher this factor will rise, allowing for improved exercise economy throughout a match or a workout.

Just be sure you alternate upper and lower body centric endurance exercise. For instance, if you swam or rowed yesterday, run or do some lower body circuit training today. This will help alleviate prolonged stress on any region of the body, preventing injury and maximizing recovery.

However, the Best Volleyball Conditioning Drills to Build Endurance Are..

It’s important to realize, however, that there are some weaknesses in traditional cardio training and why it’s not always the best possible endurance training for volleyball.

In volleyball, the play is not constant. There are 5 - 15 second bursts of action followed by a short break. Plus there are timeouts and breaks between each set.

Therefore the best volleyball conditioning drills imitates those bursts of action and breaks.

Low impact plyometrics, such as ladder drills, dot drills or low impact jumps work very well for that purpose.

High intensity interval training:

This will improve endurance by alternating intensity levels and allowing your heart rate to hit various peaks unattainable by standard endurance training. Typically, high intensity interval training involves jogging briskly for 60 seconds followed by 30 seconds of sprinting.

An upper body equivalent? One full lap of light backstroke followed by one half lap of full intensity breaststroke. Complete five to ten sets of this per day for a solid high intensity interval-training workout.

Plyometics Training to Improve Endurance for Volleyball:

Plyometric training is a great way to improve your volleyball conditioning.

Use 5 – 15 second bursts of action followed by the little 5 - 10 second breaks between the repetitions. Complete various repetitions in a row.

Include various sets of plyometric training into each workout: low impact jumps and various footwork drills (such as ladder drills, dot drills, etc.) Allow a couple of minutes of rest between the sets.

The total length of the training can be anywhere from 20 minutes to more than one hour depending on intensity.

You may want to add a couple of longer 1 – 2 minute higher intensity sets of plyometric exercises into the mix. Traditional basketball dot drill exercises work well for those.

Read more about plyometrics in the bottom of the article in the agility section.

The Problem?

The volley just came to your team’s side in an unexpected return.

The setter plays off the return and takes the opportunity to give you the assist, setting the perfectly placed ball at the net.

You have moved in for the spike, ready to use the opportunity to smack the ball…but your jump isn’t explosive enough and your response isn’t fast enough!

This chance to smack the greatest spike becomes a classic missed opportunity. Your legs and arms just didn’t work fast enough.

The Solution: Strength Training

Hitting exercises like the squat, dead lift and bench press once or twice per week can dramatically improve the explosiveness of that jump and spike.

Beginners should focus on development of form and slow twitch muscles early in the off-season and gradually work into more explosive sets with 2 - 6 repetitions per set then 90 seconds or more rest.

Volleyball Conditioning Drills - Olympic Lifting:

These exercises are significantly more complex and power-oriented than those featured in standard strength training. They are excellent exercises to build up explosive power, which is essential for volleyball players.

Exercises like the snatch or clean and jerk involve taking a barbell from the floor and throwing it over your head, certainly an impressive feat. What makes these exercises great for volleyball conditioning is that they force you to use maximum power in order to leverage your body weight under the barbell as you push it over your head.

These are not beginner exercises by any means! Messing up a clean and jerk can certainly land you under a heavy barbell with a dislocated shoulder or a broken collarbone, pushing back the progress of your training. Beginners should stick to simpler exercises like the push press, squat or hang cleans before moving into these.

Volleyball Conditioning Drills - Ballistics:

The term ballistics refers to anything of a projectile nature. In a fitness context, it means any exercise that involves throwing an object or pushing your body weight off the floor.

It refers to exercises, which are performed with an explosive matter. An athlete should keep the motion speed high through the whole range of motion. That is the reason why they are perfect to increase your vertical jump or spiking power.

Good ballistic exercises include squat with medicine ball throw, squat jumps, and explosive push-ups. These exercises are essential when it comes to increasing your vertical jump height.

The Problem?

A quick return just came your way in the opposite direction you were expecting it to. You pivot off the opposite leg and prepare to dive down under for a spike, but can’t shift your weight quickly or accurately enough to return the ball.

The Solution:

Plyometrics:

This term refers to any sort of strength training involving short, concise movements to generate maximum power using only body weight or light resistance in a circuit. It’s a similar form of exercise as ballistics. The main difference is that plyometrics focus more on lateral motion and weight shifting rather than bouncing or throwing to generate dynamic resistance.

A typical plyometrics exercise might involve squatting and shifting side to side in a low stance like in a lateral leapfrog squat or shifting your hand position side to side in a plyometric push up.

Exercises like ladder drills, dot drills and various footwork drills, which quicken the footwork by fast lateral movements are referred as low impact plyometics.

Experienced and well-conditioned athletes could also add high impact plyometrics, such as drop jumps and hurdle jumps into the training program.

These exercises make excellent volleyball conditioning drills by strengthening muscle features that increase your ability to shift and respond explosively on the court.

The beginner volleyball athlete can make a difference by doing just one form of training mentioned above. But for serious athletes, it is recommended to include a comprehensive application of each method.

And don’t underestimate the importance of training around the year to keep your body ready for competition. Champions are made during the off-season