Posted on: 7/10/24

Last updated: 7/10/24

Author: Thalia Urena

4 free ways to practice volleyball in the off-season

Volleyball is a sport that should be played year-round to keep your skills sharp, especially after your regular season ends. The time after your regular season is often called your “off-season”, and many talented athletes choose to practice volleyball in their off-season as well. You can learn and improve a lot during those off-season months, and not continuing to get touches/reps could stunt all that work you just did in the regular season.

Many athletes tend to sign up for off-season club teams which can look great for college recruiters, and help you get extra coaching in the off-season. However, with the high price often associated with club volleyball teams many athletes cannot afford to get those necessary reps without paying a big price.

Thankfully there are many ways you can practice volleyball that won’t cost you any (or very little) money.

In this blog post I will go over 4 ideas to help you get reps in the off-season without any (or very little) money:

1) Captains practices

2) Outdoor/beach volleyball

3) At home drills (with or without a net)

4) YMCA (or any gym with a court)

1) Captains practices

Cost: Free

While some schools may have a different name for this, captain’s practices are exactly what you think they are… practices run by the regular season’s captains. Coaches are not allowed to coach in the off-season due to my area (MIAA) athletic association rules of conduct (High school teams playing in the USA have similar rules, but ask your school’s coaches what their off-season rules are if you’re unsure).

This keeps training opportunities fair no matter the socio-economic status of a school since some teams may not have the same resources to coach in the off-season as others. So… we give the floor to our captains to run the show!

As the coach I am often in the gym as my captains still need an adult present to be in the school’s gym, or our school's athletic director is present. I often sit there and work on my laptop, still abiding by the “no off-season coaching” rule for my area.

At captain's practices, new, or returning players get free access to the school’s gym with leadership from the program’s captains. This gives players the amazing opportunity to get those necessary reps in the off-season, but also create (or maintain) connections to players who are already in the program.

Weekly captains practices in the off-season can look like:

• Monday practice, 1:00pm-3:00pm (with net and volleyball’s)

• Wednesday workout, 9:00am-11:00am (weights, floor workout, etc)

If you are a new player be on the lookout for your schools volleyball program to have an interest meeting where hopeful players can sign up to receive emails about off-season practices like the ones I listed above.

Captains practices (or off-season practices in your schools gym) should be your main resource for free training. Be sure to be in touch with your school’s captains, athletic director, or coach in order to get more information on off-season captains practices!

2) Outdoor/beach volleyball

Cost: Free (Just need a volleyball to bring)

Some beaches have free volleyball nets included, making a fun and free way for players to get a great workout in the off-season. It’s important to note that beach volleyball is different than indoor, so just be prepared to make some adjustments as you go from playing indoor, to outdoor, etc in the off-season.

You will need at least one other partner to do this, but you can play doubles (2 vs. 2), and you can also still run a team of 6 with beach volleyball. Any way you choose you will get a great workout with this option!

You will need to ensure you (or any people showing up) have a good quality volleyball to play with for this option.

3) At home drills

Cost: Free

While this may seem like a no-brainer, it is important to list this option within our ideas for free off-season training. Many people forget to utilize their creativity to work out in the off-season, and that often starts at home.

Without a volleyball:

• Work out’s (with or without) weights (Always work out safe, and consider watching/trying a Youtube work out video that fits your current level of activity)

• Watch free volleyball games online (watching is an effective way of learning in the off-season, and you can do this while eating, relaxing, etc for free on Youtube or any streaming platform you already have!)

With a volleyball:

• Find free volleyball home work outs online (Youtube, Tiktok, etc)

• Pass with a wall (Don’t disturb anyone!)

• Setting (You can do this while laying in bed… see how easy it is if you use your creativity!)

4) YMCA/gym membership

Cost: $21-$37 monthly membership cost (Location prices may vary)

(I have no affiliation with the YMCA, and am aware this is an option that does cost some money if you don’t already have a membership) but this is a great idea given to me by my high school athletes.

In the off-season (and sometimes even after regular season practices) my athletes will go to our local YMCA to utilize their volleyball net or to use their weights/gym equipment.

Many of my players already had a membership through their family before playing volleyball so this is a “free” off-season option for them. Including this was important since some people may already have a membership and just don’t utilize it for their local gym. Even if your gym doesn’t have a volleyball net, you can work on your strength with weights or gym equipment.

In conclusion…

Everyone should have access to training in the off-season with or without money. It is great that athletes who can afford clubs or camps in the off-season utilize it, but it is also amazing when athletes who cannot utilize that option find ways to still train in the off-season.

As a kid, I worked all summer to be able to afford some day camps, and my mom paid for a club team my junior year… so I know how both ends can feel. Either way, I got useful reps and training for my upcoming regular season, and I was always working hard to improve in my favorite sport (volleyball).

Use your creativity to work on your volleyball skills, just like you are doing now by reading this blog post! You’re already doing amazing things to improve in the sports, keep it up!

See you in a future blog post!

-Coach T