Volleyball Blocking Drills

By Riku Pelkonen•Last verified October 6, 2026

At a high school match, a blocker who gets a hand on the attack and then brushes the net on the landing, with the ball still alive, has lost the rally. NFHS rules make contact with the net, its cables or the antennas a fault at any moment, unless it is loose hair or an opponent's hit driving the net into the player. So a blocking drill that counts touches and ignores the net is teaching your players to give away points.

Blocking is a front-row player reaching above the net to stop or slow an attack, and it breaks into five skills you can coach one at a time. Stance and timing get the hands up at the right moment. Hand technique decides where a touch goes, footwork gets the blocker there, reading tells them where "there" is, and the double block joins two players into one wall. To improve your block, find the weakest of the five and drill that one first.

The fifteen drills below follow those five skills from a standing jump to a live double block. Our volleyball drills for every skill cover everything else, including the setter drills behind the sets your blockers will read.

How to Block in Volleyball, Broken Into Five Skills

Your blocker reads the set, moves along the net, jumps on time and presses over with firm hands, often beside a teammate. Each of those pieces can be drilled and scored on its own.

Two rules shape every drill on the page. A net touch ends the rep as a miss, because in a high school match it is a fault. And only your front-row players block in these drills, since the rulebooks let nobody else complete one. The full rule table follows the drills.

The drills are grouped into five skills, in the order a young blocker learns them. The one-line descriptions are this article's own.

Block Stance and Timing. Ready position, then a jump that puts the hands over the net at the moment of the hit.
Block Hand Technique. Reaching over, pressing down, and turning the outside hand so touches stay in.
Lateral Block Movement. The step-close for short moves and the crossover for long ones, finishing square to the net.
Reading the Attack. Eyes on the setter and then the hitter, so the feet move early.
Double Block. The outside blocker sets the spot and the middle closes the seam.

A coach who sets up volleyball in Striveon with its starter content gets a Blocking skill set with these five names. Any drill in the drill library can be tied to it.

Every card's target climbs with its level. A Beginner card asks for about 6 in 10, more right than wrong on a motion your player is still learning. An Intermediate card asks for about 7 in 10, roughly where you would start to trust the skill in a scrimmage. Advanced cards add speed, a live hitter or a late call, and ask for about 8 in 10, because that is the version a match serves up. In that starter content, the default 1 to 10 scale describes level 5 as consistent execution in practice about 70% of the time and level 7 as about 80% under pressure, the same bars the Intermediate and Advanced cards set.

Block Stance and Timing Drills

Plenty of blocks fail before anyone leaves the floor. Hands that start at the hips arrive late. A blocker who stands a full step off the net reaches up instead of over. And a jump on the setter's release, a habit young blockers fall into easily, has the blocker on the way down when the ball is hit.

Start every blocker in the same ready position, close enough that the hands can reach over without touching the net. Then teach the trigger. Against a high outside set, let the hitter jump first. Your blocker goes second. On a fast set the two leave the floor almost together. Each card has an Add to plan button, and your picks collect in the last section of this page.

Net Stance Check

Block Stance and TimingBeginner

Pairs7 minNet, floor tape

Builds: A ready position that jumps straight up and lands in place

Tape a small box on the floor about a forearm's length from the net. The blocker stands in it with feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft, and both hands already up in front of the face, palms toward the net. On the partner's clap the blocker jumps straight up, reaches over the tape, and lands back inside the box. The partner watches only the feet and the net.

Reps: 4 rounds of 10 jumps, switching roles after each round

Target: 6 of 10 landings inside the box with no net touch, each round

Coaching cues

Hands up before you jump · Up and down in the same box

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: The hands start at the waist and swing up during the jump, so they arrive late and the forearms brush the net on the way past.

Fix: Freeze the hands at forehead height before the clap and jump with no arm swing at all for the first five reps.

Box Hitter Timing Jumps

Block Stance and TimingIntermediate

Line of 6-87 minOne sturdy box, balls, net

Builds: Jumping off the attacker's arm swing

From a sturdy box across the net, a coach hits down off a self-toss, straight ahead and never toward a neighboring station. A ball cart sits beside the box, and one of your players stands there handing balls up. Blockers line up and take turns: each starts in the ready position opposite the coach's hitting arm and jumps so the hands are over the tape as the coach's hand meets the ball. The blocker who just jumped slides the ball beneath the net to the feeder and rejoins the line, and the feeder swaps into the line every few hits.

Reps: About 8 hits per blocker, in turns

Target: Hands over the tape at contact on 6 of 8 hits

Coaching cues

The arm swing is your trigger · Toss, swing, jump

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Jumping on the toss, so the blocker is already falling at contact.

Fix: Have the blocker say the three beats out loud (toss, swing, jump) and only leave the floor on the third word.

Make it harder

The coach varies the toss height so the gap between toss and swing changes from rep to rep.

Live Tempo Timing

Block Stance and TimingAdvanced

Groups of 48 minBalls, net, setter

Builds: Adjusting the jump to the height of the set

A setter feeds a pin hitter in zone 4 while a single right-side blocker faces the hitter. The first five sets are high, the next five are medium, and the last five are fast and flat. On a high ball the blocker waits for the hitter to leave the floor. On a fast set the gap shrinks until the two jump almost together.

Reps: 15 swings, rotate the blocker

Target: Hands over the tape at contact on 12 of the 15 sets, across all three heights

Coaching cues

High set: hitter goes, then you go · Fast set: go together

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Using one jump timing for every set height, which is early on the high ball and late on the fast one.

Fix: Run the high sets until the delay is automatic, then mix tempos without telling the blocker which one is coming.

Hand Technique Drills: Reach Over and Press Down

Watch where a touch lands. A firm press sends it into the other court, and a soft one comes back at your own blockers. The blocker reaches across the net, fingers spread and wrists firm, and presses the ball down. If you leave a gap at the tape, the ball slips down the near side of the net onto your floor.

The pin needs one extra habit. A hitter who cannot get past a block aims for the outside hand and tries to wipe the ball off it out of bounds. The FIVB and USA Volleyball books both list a ball sent out off the block as the blocking team's fault (Rule 14.6.4). Teach your pin blocker to angle that hand back toward the court.

Held-Ball Press

Block Hand TechniqueBeginner

Line of 6-87 minOne sturdy box, ball, net

Builds: Reaching over the net and pressing the ball down

From a sturdy box across the net, a coach holds a ball just above the tape and slightly over it. Blockers line up and jump one at a time, reaching across to press both hands onto the ball with fingers spread and wrists firm, as if pushing it down into the coach's court. The coach never lets go, and the next blocker steps in as the last one lands.

Reps: About 8 jumps per blocker, in turns

Target: Both hands on the ball over the tape, no net touch, 5 of 8

Coaching cues

Reach over, then press down · Spread fingers, firm wrists

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Hands go straight up beside the net with no reach across, leaving a lane for the ball to drop between the hands and the tape.

Fix: Shrug the shoulders forward toward the ball as the jump tops out so the arms angle into the other court.

Outside Hand Turn-In

Block Hand TechniqueIntermediate

Groups of 36 minSturdy box, balls, net, antenna

Builds: Keeping deflections inside the court at the pin

The blocker sets up at the pin, close to the antenna. A coach on a box across the net hits at the blocker's outside hand, the way a smart hitter aims to wipe the ball off the block. The blocker turns that outside hand in, thumb up and palm angled back toward mid-court, so a touch drops back inside the sideline.

Reps: 10 hits at the outside hand

Target: Deflections land in the court on 7 of 10 touches

Coaching cues

Outside thumb up and in · Hands on the ball, not beside it

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: The outside hand stays flat or opens toward the antenna, and the ball deflects out of bounds for a point to the hitter.

Fix: Line the outside hand up on the ball itself, then turn only that hand in. The inside hand stays square.

Seal the Tape

Block Hand TechniqueAdvanced

Groups of 36 minSturdy box, balls, net

Builds: Closing the gap between the hands and the net

A coach on a box hits sharp, downward balls aimed at the tape right in front of the blocker. The blocker starts close, jumps, and gets the arms over the net early enough that nothing fits between the forearms and the net tape. Any ball that drops straight down on the blocker's side counts as a miss.

Reps: 10 hits per blocker

Target: No ball through the gap between hands and net on 8 of 10 hits

Coaching cues

Arms over early · Close to the tape, never on it

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Starting too far off the net, so the arms rise straight up and leave a gap a ball can fall through.

Fix: Move the starting box a few inches closer and reach over at the peak, keeping every rep free of net contact.

Lateral Block Movement Drills

Your middle blocker covers the whole net, so their feet decide whether there is a block at the pin at all. Two patterns cover nearly every move. A step-close handles a short shift of one big step. A crossover handles the longer trip from the middle to either pin. Both end the same way, with the hips square to the net before the jump.

The landing is where footwork turns into a rule problem. A blocker who carries sideways speed into the air drifts along the net and lands on a teammate's foot, under the net, or in it. High school rules are stricter than FIVB and USA Volleyball here. Any body part other than a foot or a hand touching the floor across the centerline is a fault. Stop the momentum on the last step and the jump goes straight up.

Step-Close Shuffle

Lateral Block MovementBeginner

Solo5 minNet, floor tape

Builds: A short move along the net that stays square

Tape two marks on the floor one big step apart, parallel to the net. The blocker starts on one mark, steps sideways with the lead foot, closes the trail foot beside it on the second mark, plants, and jumps. Land, then shuffle back. The feet never cross and the chest faces the net the whole time.

Reps: 5 jumps each way

Target: Square hips and an in-place landing on 6 of 10 jumps

Coaching cues

Step, close, up · Chest to the net

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Carrying the sideways momentum into the jump, so the blocker drifts along the net in the air and lands a step past the mark.

Fix: Make the closing step a hard stop: both feet land together, knees bend, and only then does the jump go straight up.

Crossover to the Pin

Lateral Block MovementIntermediate

Solo6 minNet, floor tape

Builds: Covering the distance from the middle to the pin

The middle blocker starts at mid-net with a tape mark at each pin. To travel, the blocker opens with the lead foot, crosses the trail foot over in front, then plants the lead foot and turns the hips back to face the net before the jump. Alternate pins so both directions get the same number of reps.

Reps: 5 to each pin

Target: Square to the net at takeoff on the pin mark, 7 of 10, no net touch

Coaching cues

Step, cross, plant square · Hips face the net before you leave

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: The hips are still turned toward the sideline at takeoff, so the blocker jumps sideways into the net or into a teammate.

Fix: Slow the last step down until the plant foot points at the net, then build speed back up over the round.

Called-Side Footwork

Lateral Block MovementAdvanced

Pairs6 minNet, floor tape, coach

Builds: Choosing the right footwork for the distance

The coach stands across the net and points to one of four spots at the last moment: one step left or right, or the far pin on either side. The blocker picks the footwork that fits the distance, a step-close for the short move and a crossover for the long one, plants square, and blocks.

Reps: 10 calls, random order

Target: Right footwork and a square landing on 8 of 10 calls

Coaching cues

Short is a step-close · Long is a crossover

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Using the same footwork for every distance, usually a long string of shuffle steps to the far pin.

Fix: Count the steps out loud for a round: two for the short move, three for the crossover, and anything more means the wrong choice.

Reading the Attack Drills

Fast feet are useless if they leave in the wrong direction. Reading fixes that. Blockers learn a sequence for the eyes: the pass, then the setter as the ball arrives, then the set as it leaves, then the hitter's approach. Each look answers one question. Where is the ball headed, and who is swinging at it?

The setter gives a lot away. Posture, where the ball meets the hands, and which way the shoulders face all hint at a front or back set before it happens. The hitter's approach angle and hitting arm tell your blocker where to put the hands. These drills start with calling the set and end with lining up on a live swing, and a scrambled pass makes all of it easier, which is what our volleyball serving drills aim for.

Setter Read Call

Reading the AttackBeginner

Groups of 5-87 minBalls, net, setter

Builds: Calling the set direction off the setter

A coach tosses to a setter standing in the middle of the group's stretch of net. The setter sets either forward or backward with no hitter, keeping both sets short and high so they come down inside that stretch, where one of your players on each side catches them. Blockers line up across the net opposite the setter and take turns, each shouting "front" or "back" while the set is still rising. Catchers swap into the blocker line every few sets.

Reps: About 8 calls per blocker, in turns

Target: Correct call before the peak of the set on 5 of 8

Coaching cues

Watch the setter, not the set · Call it early, call it loud

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Watching the ball the whole way, so the blocker only knows the direction once the set is already gone.

Fix: Look at the setter's posture and hands as the ball arrives, then pick up the ball again once it leaves.

Eye-Sequence Narration

Reading the AttackIntermediate

Groups of 57 minBalls, net, passer, setter, hitter

Builds: A repeatable order of where the eyes go

Run a live pass, set, and attack across the net. The blocker says out loud where the eyes are at each moment: "pass" as the ball is passed, "setter" as it arrives at the setter, "set" as it leaves, and "hitter" as the attacker approaches.

Reps: 10 rallies per blocker

Target: Set in the hitter's lane before the plant on 7 of 10

Coaching cues

Pass, setter, set, hitter · Eyes move, feet follow

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Locking onto the ball and never looking at the hitter, so the blocker ends up under the ball and not in front of the swing.

Fix: Freeze the drill at the set once or twice and ask your blocker where the hitter is. The answer tells you where the eyes were.

Hitting-Arm Read

Reading the AttackAdvanced

Groups of 48 minBalls, net, setter, hitter

Builds: Lining the block up on the hitter's swing

A setter feeds a pin hitter who may swing line or cross. The blocker reads the approach angle and sets the hands across the line of the hitting arm, away from the hitter's head. The coach stands behind the hitter and grades only the block's position at contact, whether or not the ball is touched.

Reps: 10 swings, rotate hitters

Target: Hands in line with the hitting arm at contact on 8 of 10 swings

Coaching cues

Block the arm, not the body · The approach angle tells you where

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: Lining up on the middle of the hitter, which leaves the hitting arm a clean swing past the block.

Fix: Tell the blocker which arm the hitter uses before each rep at first, then make them call it themselves.

Double Block Drills

The rulebooks call it a collective block: two or three players close to each other, completed when one of them touches the ball (Rule 14.1.4). "Close to each other" is the coaching problem. A hitter who sees a seam swings straight through it. The double block works when roles are clear. The outside blocker sets the spot at the pin and does not move once it is set. The middle travels, closes beside them, and jumps on the same beat.

Most double-block trouble is a middle who arrives late or stops a step short. Teach the close at walking speed before anyone jumps, then add timing, then add the read that sends the middle out of the center in the first place. Run these after your players can already block well alone, since the double block is every other skill on this page performed beside a teammate.

Close the Seam Walk-Through

Double BlockBeginner

Groups of 36 minNet, ball, floor tape

Builds: Two blockers forming one wall with no gap

The outside blocker takes a spot at the pin and stays put. The middle travels to them and closes so the two inside hands sit side by side. Walk it first, no jumps: the coach pushes a ball toward the seam between the two players, and it should not fit. Then add a jump together.

Reps: 5 walk-throughs, then 10 jumps

Target: No ball-sized gap at the seam on 6 of 10 jumps

Coaching cues

Outside sets it, middle closes it · Hands touch, shoulders don't

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: The middle stops a step short and jumps beside the outside blocker, leaving a seam a hitter can swing straight through.

Fix: Tape a closing mark beside the pin spot and require the middle's lead foot to land on it every rep.

Paired Box Jumps

Double BlockIntermediate

Groups of 46 minSturdy box, balls, net

Builds: Two blockers leaving the floor at the same moment

A coach on a box across the net hits from the pin. The middle starts in the center and closes to the outside blocker, and both jump so their hands arrive over the tape together at contact. The outside blocker calls "up" to set the timing, since the middle is the one arriving on the move.

Reps: 2 rounds of 5 per pair

Target: Both pairs of hands over the tape at contact on 7 of 10

Coaching cues

Outside calls the jump · Arrive, plant, up together

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: The middle arrives late and jumps late, so the outside blocker is landing as the middle goes up.

Fix: Start the middle a step closer to the pin and move them back toward center only once the timing holds.

Live Pin Double

Double BlockAdvanced

Whole team: 5 working, the rest dig and shag15 minBalls, net, setter, two hitters

Builds: Closing the double block after a read

Put a pin hitter and a middle hitter across the net. The setter chooses: a quick set to the middle or a high ball to the pin. The middle blocker reads the setter, blocks the quick if it comes, or travels and closes the double at the pin if the ball goes high. A touch off a closed double scores for the blockers. Everyone else digs behind the block or shags, and a new pair of blockers steps in every three sets.

Reps: Swap blocker pairs every 3 sets for 15 minutes

Target: A closed double at contact on 4 of every 5 high sets to the pin, counted across the group

Coaching cues

Read first, then travel · Close the seam, then jump

Common mistake & fix

Mistake: The middle leaves early to beat the high ball to the pin, and the quick set goes through with no block at all.

Fix: Make the middle stay until the set leaves the setter's hands. You can fix a late close, and an empty middle gives the quick hitter a free swing.

The Blocking Rules Your Drills Have to Respect

Most of Rule 14, the blocking rule in the FIVB rules(opens in new tab) and the USA Volleyball rulebook(opens in new tab), never comes up in practice. The six rules below change how you score a rep. High school differs on three of them, and that column comes from the 2025 PAVO chart comparing NCAA, USA Volleyball and NFHS rules.

Rule	FIVB and USA Volleyball	High School (NFHS)	What It Changes in Your Drills
Who may block	Only front-row players may complete a block. A back-row player or the libero who completes a block, or takes part in one that touches the ball, commits a fault, and the libero may not even attempt one (14.1.1, 14.6.2, 14.6.6).	Same as USA Volleyball (no difference in the chart)	Block with front-row players only. The libero joins blocking drills as a digger behind the block.
Blocking the serve	Forbidden (14.5).	Same as USA Volleyball (no difference in the chart)	In serve-receive drills, front-row players stay on the floor when the serve crosses the net.
Block touch and team hits	A block contact is not a team hit, so three hits follow, and the blocker may make the first of them (14.4.1, 14.4.2).	Same as USA Volleyball (no difference in the chart)	After a soft block, play the touch out with three contacts instead of stopping the rep.
Reaching over the net	Hands may go beyond the net if they do not interfere with the opponent's play. Touching the ball beyond the net before the attack hit is a fault (14.3, 14.6.1). USA Volleyball adds its own conditions under 14.3.	A ball entirely on the opponent's side may be blocked once the opposing team has had an opportunity to complete its attack.	Press over on attacks. Never reach across for a set or a pass.
Touching the net	Contact between the antennae is a fault during the action of playing the ball, which includes the takeoff, the hit or attempt, and the landing (11.3.1).	Contact with the net, net cables, or antennas is always a fault, except loose hair or the net pushed into a player by an opponent's hit.	Count any net touch as a failed rep, every time, in every blocking drill.
Landing over the centerline	FIVB: part of a crossing foot must stay on or above the centerline, and other body parts above the feet may touch the other court if they do not interfere (11.2.2.1-11.2.2.2). USA Volleyball: any body part, a whole foot included, may touch it while some part of the body stays on or above the line, with no interference and no safety hazard (USAV 11.2.2.2).	Feet or hands only, with part of them on or above the centerline. Any other body part on the floor across the line is illegal.	Land on two feet, balanced, under the jump. Drifting along or under the net is the fault waiting to happen.

One detail the table compresses: a back-row player who reaches above the net and misses has only made a block attempt. If the ball touches that player, or a teammate in the same block, it is a fault. Your front-row three change every rotation, and our 5-1 rotation diagrams show who stands where in each one.

Fitting Blocking Into a 15-Minute Practice Slot

The minutes on each card are for one group. With 12 to 16 players, one net, one box and one assistant, run your early- and mid-season slots as two stations instead. Divide your roster into two groups. The head coach takes one half of the net with the box, the assistant takes the other half with a drill that needs no box, and the groups switch after seven minutes. That makes seven, one to switch, and seven.

Early season, 15 minutes. Held-Ball Press at the box (7), Net Stance Check in pairs along the other half of your net (7). Each of your blockers gets about 8 presses and 20 stance jumps.
Mid season, 15 minutes. Box Hitter Timing Jumps at the box (7), Setter Read Call with the assistant tossing to a setter (7). Each of your blockers gets about 8 timed jumps and 8 calls.
Late season, 15 minutes. Live Pin Double on the full net (15), one drill for the whole team. Five players work, the rest dig behind the block and shag, and a new blocker pair steps in every three sets.

In your station lines, the players who are not jumping shag, feed the ball back, or watch a partner's feet, so nobody stands still for long. Whatever you picked while reading is listed below with its total. Save it as a picture, print it from the panel, or paste the copied rows into your own practice sheet. The volleyball practice plan page gives blocking and defense their own row next to serving, passing and team systems.

Your Volleyball practice plan

Add drills from the sections above to build a session you can export, print, or copy

What's Next?

Put This Into Practice

Drill Library

File each blocking drill under a Blocking skill set, write your coaching cues into its Implementation text, and drop it into any practice on your calendar.

Athlete Development

Invite your assistant coaches and they see the same ratings you do, so the whole staff talks about each blocker from one set of numbers.

Volleyball Blocking Drills

How to Block in Volleyball, Broken Into Five Skills

Block Stance and Timing Drills

Net Stance Check

Box Hitter Timing Jumps

Live Tempo Timing

Hand Technique Drills: Reach Over and Press Down

Held-Ball Press

Outside Hand Turn-In

Seal the Tape

Lateral Block Movement Drills

Step-Close Shuffle

Crossover to the Pin

Called-Side Footwork

Reading the Attack Drills

Setter Read Call

Eye-Sequence Narration

Hitting-Arm Read

Double Block Drills

Close the Seam Walk-Through

Paired Box Jumps

Live Pin Double

The Blocking Rules Your Drills Have to Respect

Fitting Blocking Into a 15-Minute Practice Slot

What's Next?

Put This Into Practice

Drill Library

Athlete Development

Keep Reading

Volleyball Drills (Complete Library)

Volleyball Serving Drills

Volleyball Positions Explained

Sources & References