Shoulder, arm, hand and finger stretches for volleyball players

For a volleyball player's shoulders, arms, hands and fingers you want stretches held 20-30 seconds per side, done after training or in a separate session — never cold, before you spike. Before a match you use active mobility; long stretching comes after, when the muscles are warm and you need to bring tone back to a normal level.

Below you'll find the exercises, how to do them properly, and where to slot them into a week that's already full of training.

Why these areas matter more than they look

Think about what your upper limb does in a match: serve, dig, set, attack, block. That's hundreds of reps, almost all of them overhead, almost all of them at high speed. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body and for that reason the most exposed: its stability comes from muscles, not from how the bones fit together.

Fingers and wrists take repeated impacts in reception and at the block. The forearm works in constant contraction. None of these areas "sorts itself out" between one training session and the next if you don't take care of them.

What regular stretching actually gives you

• Recovery of the range of motion you lose over a season, external shoulder rotation in particular.
• Less residual tension after hard sessions, so less stiffness the next day.
• Better circulation in the area you work on, useful in high-load phases.
• A freer technical movement: an arm that gets further back in the cocking phase has more room to accelerate.

What stretching doesn't do: it doesn't replace strength work, and it doesn't make a shoulder stable. If you already have pain, stretching on its own isn't enough.

The exercises, one by one

Hold them 20-30 seconds per side, breathing. You're looking for a stretching sensation, not pain. If the muscle shakes or you hold your breath, you've gone too far.

1. Triceps and shoulder stretch

Arm up, elbow bent behind your head. With the opposite hand grab the elbow and pull it slowly back. Keep your torso upright: the temptation is to lean sideways to gain fake centimetres.

2. Posterior shoulder stretch

Bring one straight arm across your chest, towards the opposite shoulder. With the other arm push gently above the elbow. This works the back of the deltoid, the part that shortens in people who spike a lot.

3. Forearm flexor stretch

Arm straight out in front of you, palm up. With the other hand pull the fingers down and towards you. Then repeat with the palm down, to stretch the extensors. They're two different exercises, do both.

4. Hand stretch

Sitting cross-legged, place your hands on the floor in front of you with the fingers pointing towards your body. Slowly shift your weight back, keeping your palms on the floor. Great after a session with a lot of reception.

5. Finger stretch

Hand out in front of you. With the other hand take one finger at a time and pull it gently back. The fingers take the most direct impacts and they're the part nobody ever stretches.

6. Chest opener at the wall

Rest your forearm on a door frame or the wall, elbow at shoulder height, and rotate your torso the other way. A short pec is one of the most common reasons a shoulder "doesn't get there" in the cocking phase.

When to do them during the week

• Before training: active mobility and arm circles, not long holds. You need to prepare the movement, not relax the muscle.
• After training: 5-8 minutes on the areas you used most. It's the best moment, you're already warm.
• Lighter day: a longer session, 15-20 minutes, whole body. This is where you get back the range of motion you lose over a season.

Frequency counts more than duration. Five minutes every day is worth more than forty minutes once a week.

Above and below: why it makes sense to measure your jump too

The arm is the end of the chain, but attacking power starts from the ground. If you work on upper limb mobility while the explosive side stays where it is, the movement only improves halfway.

The simplest way not to work blind is to have a number. The principle is the one we use in every JHP program: first you measure, then you train, then you measure again. With the free jump test you upload a 2-second video and get the height in centimetres, calculated from flight time. The video never leaves your device. Write down the value today, take the test again in a few weeks, and you'll know whether you're moving forward or just changing exercises.

The relevant JHP programs

• The Stretching Bible — over 50 stretching exercises for the whole body, upper limb included, with instructions on how to do them. €20.
• Volley Powershot — bodyweight work on arm power in attack. The natural follow-up to mobility: first you free the movement, then you make it stronger. €40.
• Spike Revolution — 16 weeks on the spike, from the approach to the contact. €60.
• JHP subscription — €99/year, 13 programs included (The Stretching Bible among them), WhatsApp support, cancel anytime. Here you'll find all the courses.

You might also like: Causes and prevention of shoulder pain in volleyball players · Stretching in volleyball: better performance and fewer injuries