5 Volleyball Beginner Passing Drills I Use To Improve Passing Skills

These are 5 volleyball beginner passing drills you need to see that show you what to do and what not to do in order to learn how to improve your passing skills quickly.


These are 5 volleyball beginner passing drills players should remember to do or not do in order to improve their passing skills including

  • avoid scooping your arms and winging your platform
  • keep platform arms straight and don't bend elbows
  • don't keep your arms too close to your body
  • beat the ball to the spot dont time the ball

Volleyball Beginner Passing Drills Players Should Avoid Scooping or Swinging Your Platform When Passing




While passing many beginner passers think its a good idea to bend their elbows to scoop the ball to the target or they swing their platform when passing thinking that's what's going to help get the ball where they want it to go.

You want to keep from doing either of these two movements because you won't be able to control the ball especially when you come up against tougher faster serves. 

Keep your elbows straight when passing no matter what... 


Volleyball Beginner Passing Drills Players Should Keep Straight Platform Arms and Avoid Bending Elbows




When you form your platform with your forearms and thumbs pressed together side by side and pointed to the ground this keeps your elbows straight. When passing you always want to keep your elbows straight and not bend them when you're contacting the ball. 


Volleyball Beginner Passing Drills Players Should Avoid Swinging Their Platform When Passing




Your "platform" is where the ball contacts your forearms  in order to transfer the ball to your intended target.

You want your platform to be held stable and sturdy and not pass the level of your belly button once you've passed the ball. 


Volleyball Beginner Passing Drills Players Shouldnt Swing Arms Or Keep Their Platform Too Close To Their Body





When you keep your platform too close to your body you are forced to swing your arms when you contact the ball.

When using correct passing technique you want to avoid swinging your arms when you pass because you are in less control of the ball and you increase the probability of the ball going right back over the net or staying close to you instead of being directed to the setter who's waiting at the net.


Volleyball Beginner Passing Drills Players Should Beat The Ball And Work On Not Timing The Ball




As a passer you should work on

  • reading the server's body language,
  • armswing, then
  • tracking the path of the ball 

and getting enough information from what all these things are showing you so that once the ball is served you visually follow the path of the ball when its travelling to the net and then move to where you see the ball is going to land once it gets to your side ...and move fast enough to that spot BEFORE the ball gets there. 

That's what we call beating the ball to the spot....

If you get to the spot at the same time as the ball ..that's considered "late' because now you have to rush to pass the ball but if you're at the spot BEFORE the ball it gives you more time to get set up and create your perfect passing platform.


3 Important Volleyball Drills To Improve Your Passing Skills Today  

These volleyball drills to improve your passing skills are the answer to the players asking the question "how do I improve my passing skills?"





These volleyball drills to improve passing are to help you when you pass...

When passing don't forget you want to

  • stay very focused and concentrated on the ball starting when it's in the opposing team's server's hands and
  • ending when it's bounced off of your platform and heading to your setter's hands


Remember, to pass a ball, you should

  • get to your spot quickly,
  • beat the ball to where you think its going to land
  • be stopped and balanced without leaning to one side or the other
  • angle your platform
  • before you make the pass

It does happen quickly, but as your forearm passing gets better by using this sequence, you'll see a marked improvement in your passing skills and your ability to get the ball to the target.


Volleyball Drills To Improve Passing 
Two Servers vs One Passer
Server vs Passer Drill

Two servers vs One passer server vs passer drill

One server is at full court and one is at midcourt and as soon as the passer passes the second server serves so there's a specific rhythm for a predetermined amount of total serves.

Passer must get a certain amount of passes to the target.

Servers can work on

  • -serving to the right of the passer
  • -serving to the left of the passer
  • -serving deep seam to the right or left of the passer
  • -serving short seam to the right or left of the passer

Volleyball Drills To Improve Passing 
One Server vs One Passer
Full Court Server vs Passer Drill




Volleyball Drills To Improve Passing
3 Person Passing With A Throw




Two groups of three players

  • One is target who catches the pass
  • One is the passer and
  • One is a server/thrower

Goal: To review the passing responsibilities in each passing zone - left back and right back passers. 

Left back passers passing in Zone 5 have to take the their deep left seam and short balls in front of them while right side passers work on passing their left deep seam (depending on where the server is, right deep seam if the serve is coming from Zone 5.)

I'll instruct the throwers to throw 10 balls to work the left deep seam so throwing to the left of the passer to make them have to shuffle deep to the end line before passing the ball with good technique. 

Everyone rotates so the target passes next, the passer goes to throw and the thrower is now the target catching passes. 




After three warmup rounds with throws...remember I'm also coaching and checking the thowers to make sure their throwing arm is using the same correct technique used when doing a float serve. ...then the first server goes back and now serves again using a standing floater.

After everyone does this then one more round with the server working on their jump float serve. 

Volleyball Drills To Improve Passing 
Pass To Yourself Set A Hut To Your Partner Warmup Drill



This is a great passing warmup drill in order to practice controlling the ball. 

During warmups I give players several callouts so they can pass to themself and then

  • set a high ball to their partner or 
  • set a hut to their partner
  • set a Go to their partner 

Another combination of bump-set-spike call outs I'll make during warmups will include a way to side set, front bump and back bump. 







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A volleyball passing drill can help you work on reading the server, learn your passing responsibilities in each position and how to cover the court much faster.A volleyball passing drill can help you work on reading the server, learn your passing responsibilities in each position and how to cover the court much faster.


Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball serving drills we do in class with my followers.

Many of these volleyball practice drills you can do at home by yourself or try at your next practice with your teammates.

If you're a B team or JV player trying to make varsity next year...your goal should be to complete 1000 reps a day of at least three of the basic skills on your own...volleyball passing, serving and setting should be at the top of the list. 


Volleyball Beginner
Passing Drill: 

Where Do You Go From Here?


Your three options are: 

  1. You can learn more about Drills by visiting the Related Links below.  
  2. Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page  Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
  3. Or visit the pages in the How to Play Volleyball section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get started. 




  1. Improve Your Volleyball Performance with Vegas VB Coach April Chapple
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  3. Drills For Setters, Hitters, Liberos, Passers and Blockers
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