Dear Volleyball Mom, 
Do You Know What Sets My Private Volleyball Training Apart From Anyone In Vegas?
I invite You to read what my private volleyball training mission says before considering hiring me as a private volleyball coach because I'm not available for everyone.Dear Volleyball Mom, Do You Know What Sets My Private Volleyball Training Apart From Anyone In Vegas? I invite You to read what my private volleyball training mission says before considering hiring me as a private volleyball coach because I'm not available for everyone.

Volleyball Partner Passing Drills You Can Do To Improve Ball Control

These volleyball partner passing drills we do in Boot Camp classes are drills you can do at home in order to improve your consistency and ball control skills.

That's me coaching my Vegas Volley 18s girls team the importance of passing outside of your body line and passing the ball to the same spot every time ...

🏐 which is important because it helps your setter read your body language easier and know what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it...making it easier for her to get to the ball you pass. 
We do alot of partner passing drills to get used to controlling the ball while passing it outside of your body line.That's me coaching my Vegas Volley 18s girls team the importance of passing outside of your body line and passing the ball to the same spot every time ... 🏐 which is important because it helps your setter read your body language easier and know what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it...making it easier for her to get to the ball you pass. We do alot of partner passing drills to get used to controlling the ball while passing it outside of your body line.

               Controlled Partner Passing               Volleyball Passing Drill 



Start by passing the ball back and forth. One person is on the ten foot line and the other three feet inside the end line or back court line. .The person closest to the net, on the ten foot line, is the control “target” partner. .

This is the “target” person who never moves and where the partner who is working needs to get the ball to. .


  • Struggling with inconsistent passing?
  • Frustrated when your passes don't reach the target?

As a volleyball coach specializing in partner passing drills, I've helped countless players overcome these exact challenges through focused ball control development.

Partner passing drills are my specialty - they're the foundation of the training I provide to my private clients and Vegas Volley 18s guys and girls club teams.

Through years of working with pairs of players, I've created and refined my own drills to help players who want to improve their passing accuracy but don't know where to start.

Since becoming head coach of Vegas Volley 18s teams in November 2024, I've seen how these partner drills transform players who were once uncertain about their passing into confident ball control specialists.

Whether you're fighting for a starting position or trying to earn more playing time, these drills will help you develop the consistent passing skills coaches look for.

Let me share the same partner passing progressions captured by 'Shots by Shanty' Shantalle Demerjian during our December practices - proven drills that have helped my high school and club players earn spots on college rosters.


These aren't just repetitive exercises; they're focused skill-builders that address the specific passing challenges you're facing right now.



teespring banner

Struggling to get your passes to target?

Let's start with the fundamental partner passing setup I use in every training session - it's the same progression that helped my Vegas Volley players overcome their accuracy issues...




Volleyball Partner Passing Drills 


These volleyball partner passing drills our players do in our semi private training classes and as homework to do at home. 

It takes partner passing and ball control practice to the next level. 




My #Freeballpassingchallenge...

Beck and Kate kill it when I challenge them to a passing patience drill.

(Volume up) Touch the Floor-floor-shoulder-shoulder-quarter turn and back... then pass a free ball to your partner...using precise passing technique...

...so no swinging the arms above the belly button. no standing up and no shoulders behind your hips...

How many things can you do before passing a free ball to your passing partner .. ..while keeping good passing technique ... AND getting the ball to your targets head.. without making them move?

Lmk .. dm me...
Good luck!


(Volume up)

Floor-floor-shoulder-shoulder-quarter turn and back - then pass... watch how much time you have before you pass a free ball..,

Had some fun today with Katelyn ... adding some variety to our partner passing drills with Becky

Just working on being patient.. and not rising up to pass but seeing how much time you have ...before passing the ball.. if you quicken your upper and lower body movements.


Volleyball Drills Passing Partner Exercises To Do At Home To Improve Ball Control:


Volleyball drills, although some time monotonous are

Whether you do drills at home by yourself, or doing them in practice with your teammates, it's best to get in the habit of setting mini goals for yourself to reach in order to complete each drill.

For example, let's say you have to get 50 perfectly passed balls to the target before stopping one drill and going on to the next. Not only will you discipline yourself to perform the volleyball drills correctly, but you will replicate the pressure you will feel in a game-like situation when you absolutely have to do the skill right.

When you get in the habit of practicing game-like situations, then when you find yourself in an actual game, you have already prepared for that particularly tense and pressure-filled situation.





Volleyball Drills Passing Partner Exercises To Do At Home To Improve Ball Control


Here are drills for players to start improving ball control.

Start by passing the ball back and forth. One person is on the ten foot line and the other three feet inside the end line or back court line. . . The person closest to the net, on the ten foot line, is the control “target” partner.

. . This is the “target” person who never moves and where the partner who is working needs to get the ball to. . . If you’re the “working” partner then your job is to get the ball to the head of the “target” without making the target move.

If the “target” partner has to move more than one step to get to the ball that you are passing, setting, or digging to them then you need to improve your ball control . . This is a volleyball player’s target practice.

Being able to get the ball right to the target you are aiming for
without the target moving
 is what you are practicing to do. Get the ball to the target
without the target having to move. . .

Now that you're developing more consistent straight-ahead passing, let's tackle another common challenge - moving to off-target serves.

This lateral movement drill has helped countless players stop getting caught flat-footed during serve receive...


Volleyball Partner Passing Drills -
Shuffle Right and Shuffle Left 


To practice moving laterally with quick foot work to your right and to your left the “control” partner passes the ball to the right of the “working partner’ who has to take a shuffle step to the right to pass the ball . .

Tired of getting aced on short serves or struggling with deep balls?

This next progression specifically addresses those challenging serves that force you to move forward and backward.

My Vegas Volley players used these exact drills to improve their court coverage...


Volleyball Partner Passing Drills -
Short and Deep





The control partner passes a high ball 6-8 feet in the air. The “working partner” takes 2-3 steps forward to get feet and hips to the ball and passes the ball to the control partner after which they back pedal 2 -3 big steps backwards to pass a deep ball from the “control partner”.

The goal is to pass short and deep balls to the head of the target partner without making them move at all. . .

If you're having trouble maintaining control while moving, this advanced variation will help.

It's the same drill that transformed my players from hesitant passers into confident ball control specialists who can handle any serve...



Volleyball Partner Passing Drills -
Forward Pass, Backward Pass


The control partner passes a high ball to themself  then to the working partner who passes a high ball to themselves then does a half turn to back bump the ball to the target partner
without making them move. .





Partner Passing Drills That Get Results: Your Next Steps

These partner passing drills have helped my Vegas Volley players and private clients overcome their passing challenges and develop into confident ball control specialists. If you're ready to continue improving, these drills are just the beginning of your development.

Want to expand your passing skills further? Check out my recently updated articles on '4 Passing Drills For Volleyball' and 'How to Pass a Volleyball' for more solutions to common passing problems.


Ready to transform your passing technique?

Join my email list for weekly training tips and be the first to know when I post new drills and techniques.

I share the same advice that's helped my players earn college roster spots - information that can help improve your game too.


Do You Follow Me on Pinterest?


Follow me on Pinterest Volleybragswag 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 Partner
Passing Drills

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. 



Learn more about volleyball drills on these pages!


teespring banner footer

From Lady Vol to Legend: Coach April Produces Powerful Passionate Players...is that you?






What Are You Looking For?

Hi there!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you learned something today that will help you reach your volleyball goals.

Be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter so you can learn more each week!

Stay strong! Stay motivated!

-Coach April


SUSCRIBE

to my email newsletter below!




Vegas Volleyball's Unsung Heroes: Celebrating Moms with Peace Love Volleyball Shirts


Ready to energize your volleyball mom journey?

Subscribe to my 'Producing Powerful Passionate Peaceful Players' email list above on ImproveYourVolley.com.

You'll receive energy-boosting tips, exclusive insights from me,        Coach April Chapple on maintaining momentum in volleyball.

Let's power up the Vegas volleyball scene together!


Recent Articles

  1. Types of Volleyball Hits: 5 Attack Techniques I Teach My Club Hitters

    Apr 25, 25 01:28 AM

    unctarheelsspikerno15jersey.jpg
    Discover in this article, how I show you the different types of volleyball hits I teach my Vegas Volley club 18s players-from basic spikes to strategic shots.

    Read More

  2. 5 Volleyball Passing Tips: Essential Techniques to Fix Common Mistakes

    Apr 21, 25 05:34 PM

    volleyball-pass-passer-dan-morgan
    These are 5 volleyball passing tips beginner players need to see that show how to improve your serve receive skills

    Read More

  3. 5 Beginner Passing Drills Volleyball Players Should Know

    Apr 21, 25 04:36 PM

    volleyball-pass-passer-dan-morgan
    These are 5 beginner passing drills volleyball players need to see that show how to improve your serve receive skills

    Read More