Equipment Needed
- Soft trainer balls
Softer balls, better first reps
A set of soft training volleyballs makes early catch-and-toss work comfortable for first-year players.
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- Partners stand a comfortable distance apart, one ball per pair.
- No net needed — works anywhere open.
Instructions
- Partner A tosses the ball gently toward Partner B's chest area.
- Partner B moves their feet to get in line with the ball and catches it with two hands.
- Toss back and continue, gradually varying the toss location (left, right, short, deep).
- Track the pair's longest streak of clean catches.
Coaching Points
- Getting the whole body in line with the ball, not just reaching with the arms, is the key habit here.
- Two-hand catches build the same tracking skill needed for a clean set or bump later.
- Keep tosses gentle and catchable, especially early on — accuracy over difficulty.
- This is often a player's very first volleyball-adjacent activity — keep the tone light and encouraging.
Variation
Progress to bumping instead of catching once comfort is high, or add gentle movement (a step or two) before each catch.