Improve your overhead pass (at home)
The overhead pass, also called the set, is one of the most important skills in volleyball. It allows you to give a playable ball to an attacker and often structures the construction of a point. Without a clean and regular pass, the team loses speed, precision and efficiency.
This article offers a complete training session to work on your overhead pass at home, with little or no equipment. Whether you train alone or with a partner, these exercises will help you gradually improve your precision, consistency and positioning.
Before starting: a few important rules
Before each session:
warm up PROPERLY for at least 10 minutes with light movement, mobility work and preparation for the shoulders, wrists and knees
work on a stable surface
the quantity and the quality are both essential factors. It is important to repeat the movements many times, but maintaining maximum concentration and intention throughout each exercise.
The exercises suggested here are accessible to everyone, even without a volleyball (though it’s better with one). All you need is a wall, a light ball, or even just to go through the motions in your mind (the art of visualisation) – you can make progress!
The main aim is to ensure you have no excuse not to practise. The more often you practise your technique, the more natural these movements will become.
Exercise 1 - Wall pass
Objective: work on precision, consistency and the quality of your touch and wrist action.
Stand about 1-2 meters from the wall
Perform a 10-finger pass against the wall
Let the ball come back to you
Take the next pass while controlling the trajectory without stopping
Format :
No particular rule. Prioritise long series (50–100 passes). Take a break or stop if the quality of your movement or your concentration becomes too unstable.
Tip :
mark a point on the wall where you want the ball to touch; it helps you visualise your target. Obviously, the exercise can be done differently, especially if you do it outside. If you have enough space and access to a high enough wall, you can move further away from the wall (3–6 metres) and do the same exercise while trying to aim at the same point on the wall.
Exercise 2 - Floor pass
Objective : work on the same movement but from a different angle
Lie down on your back
Perform a pass with your 10 fingers (like in the previous exercise)
Exaggerate the movement: try to make the ball come back down just in front of your face
Format :
Since this is a more difficult exercise, first aim for series of 10 uninterrupted passes if you are starting out.
If you already feel comfortable, follow the philosophy of this training: prioritise long series (50–100 passes) and stop when your concentration or the quality of the movement decreases.
Astuce :
focus on the quality of the finger contact. Do not try to create too much height in your passes.
Exercise 3 - Pass while moving
Objective : work on your body positioning and coordination.
Start standing, ball in your hands
Throw the ball above your head and start making small passes (a movement similar to the previous exercise)
Start moving forward while continuing the chain of passes
Make sure the ball still comes back down above your head, even while moving
Format :
Same logic as the previous exercise. Set yourself a goal if you are starting out, otherwise, make sure you get enough training volume.
Exercice 4 - Lying-standing pass
Objectif : work on the abdominal belt and coordination.
Start standing, ball in your hands
Throw the ball above your head and start making small passes (a movement similar to the previous exercise)
While staying in place, start going down until you reach a sitting position while maintaining the sequence of passes
Once seated, lie down on your back, still continuing the passes
- Once lying down, perform the same movement in reverse: get back up to a sitting position and then stand up completly, while preserving the quality of the passes
Format :
Same logic as the previous exercise.
To conclude...
The exercises presented here are the basics of individual overhead pass training. Master them. Once these movements start to feel natural, it is possible to create many variations of these exercises.
It is essential to change your training ! The human body needs different forms of stimulation to progress.
Be creative, vary the angles, the constraints, the height of the passes, etc. YouTube, TikTok and, more generally, the internet will be your faithful allies if you need inspiration to find new exercises.