How to Improve at Volleyball: Every Position Needs Its Own Training

To get better at volleyball you have to train what your position actually asks of you on court: the libero works on passing and reactivity, middles and outsides on jumping and power, the opposite on elevation and hitting, the setter on precision and quick feet. Training everyone the same way is the fastest route to improving at nothing.

Here's what changes position by position, and what applies to everyone.

The four variables of volleyball performance

Before positions, the big picture. Performance in volleyball comes down to four things that feed into each other.

Athleticism

Agility, coordination, balance, strength and speed. It's the base that lets you execute clean technique even when you're tired or out of position.

Technique

Posture, hitting mechanics, ball handling. Messy technique holds up in practice and falls apart in a match, when the ball comes in harder and you have less time.

Reading the game

Knowing where the ball is going before it gets there. You train it by watching matches, playing a lot and talking to your teammates — not by doing more reps.

The mental side

Staying focused after a mistake, handling the pressure at 22-22. This is the part that decides the end of sets.

On top of all four sits regular training. Without consistency, the rest is theory.

The libero

The libero lives off the first contact. The job is reactivity and positioning, not power.

• Physical: agility, change of direction, balance and speed over the first two metres. You also need eccentric leg strength to brake and go again.
• Passing: low, stable posture, platform angled before the ball arrives. Reading the opponent's serve is worth more than reflexes.
• Communication: calling the ball and organising the defence. A quiet libero is worth half.
• Setting: when the setter takes the first contact, it's the libero's turn to set. High, soft sets to the outside need to be trained too, even if it isn't "your" skill.
• The mental side: it's the position where mistakes are most visible. Turning the page after an error is part of the job.

The middle blocker

The middle jumps more than anyone in a match, almost always from a standstill or with very short approaches, and moves laterally along the net on every rally.

• Physical: lower-body strength and repeat jumping. It's not just how high you jump once: it's how high you jump on the twentieth jump of the same set.
• Blocking: reading the timing, quick lateral movement, firm angled hands. Blocks are missed on timing far more often than on centimetres.
• Attacking: quick sets and fast attacks need timing with the setter more than power.
• Communication: with the setter for attacks, with the outsides to close the block.

The opposite

The opposite is the one who gets the hard balls when the rally breaks down. They have to jump high and hit hard even off awkward sets.

• Physical: maximal strength and power, because their jump comes off a full approach. Weight room work and plyometrics carry a lot of weight here.
• Attacking: range of shots. Hard hit, tool off the block, tip. If you only have one shot, the block reads you after two sets.
• High ball: training attacks off imperfect sets is almost more useful than training them off perfect ones.
• Shoulder and knees: this is the position with the most load on the arm and on landing. Prevention work isn't optional.

The setter

The setter is the position where precision matters more than strength — but strength still matters, so you can hold the last set at the same quality as the first.

• Physical: foot speed, balance and control. The earlier you get under the ball, the cleaner your set.
• Technique: accurate setting off the floor and jumping, front, back and lateral. Jump setting sends the ball out faster and gives the opposing block less time.
• Distribution: reading the opposing block and picking the hitter. That's what separates a setter from a good setter.
• Communication: with the middle, the outside and the libero. The team's rhythm runs through here.

The outside hitter (position 4)

The outside is the most complete position: passing, attacking, defending and blocking. That's also why it trains on more fronts than any other.

• Physical: approach jump and the ability to repeat it for a whole match. You need elasticity, not just brute strength.
• Attacking: hitting technique, using the block, angles. Plus the ability to attack off a bad pass.
• Passing: on many teams the outside covers half the court. If your passing is shaky, your attack never comes.
• The mental side: it's the most exposed position: you make a mistake and everyone sees it. You need aggression that doesn't turn into rushing.

Don't have a position yet?

If you're starting out or you play a bit of everything, work on the base. It's never wasted time, whatever position you end up in.

• Regular training: strength, agility, coordination and speed, plus the technique of the five basic skills.
• Actual playing: volleyball is learned by playing. Scrimmages aren't the reward at the end of practice, they are practice.
• Sleep and nutrition: recovering is part of the programme. An athlete who sleeps badly trains worse, full stop.
• Vertical jump: it's the quality that carries across everything. You need it attacking, blocking and serving, in every position except libero.

Measure first, train, then measure again

Whatever your position, if you want to know whether the physical work is doing anything, you need a starting number.

For the jump it's immediate: film a 2-second jump with your phone, upload it to the vertical jump test and you get the height in centimetres, worked out from flight time. It's free and the video never leaves your device.

Then follow a programme for the weeks it takes. Then redo the test under the same conditions. Without the "before", the "after" tells you nothing.

JHP programmes, based on what you need

• Jump Higher Program — 10 weeks on the jump, bodyweight only. €60.
• JHP Gym Edition — 16 weeks in the weight room, for opposites and outsides who want strength and power. €60.
• Spike Revolution — 16 weeks on the spike. €60.
• Volley In-Season Workout — 16 weeks across pre-season and in-season, to hold up all year. €90.
• Knee Power — knees and jumper's knee, useful for middles and opposites. €40.
• JHP Team Performance — 4 weeks for teams and coaches. €50.

With the JHP membership you get access to 13 programmes with WhatsApp support, €99/year, cancel whenever you want. Full catalogue in the JHP courses collection.

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