Shuttle Passing is one of my main warmups for my teams. At the beginning of the season, we will run this drill every practice. After about a month, I will run this drill every 2 or 3 practices. It is a great drill that allows players to work on ball control and it is effective for any level team to work on ball control.

 

How to Set It Up

Each group has one ball. Have players in at least groups of 3. I prefer groups of 4, but groups of 5 or 6 can also work for this. The fewer the players, the more touches the get on the ball, however, if you only have 3 players it could potentially get a little sloppy depending on the level of skill.

 

How to Run It

Start out with a simple passing the ball back and forth. Once a player has passed the ball, they run to the opposite side. This is a continuous passing drill.

I like to use at least 5 of the following during the warmup. After about a minute, switch.

– Pass back and forth
– Set back and forth
– Pass to self, then pass to teammate
– Pass to self, set to teammate
– Set to self, set to teammate
– Set to self, pass to teammate
– Pass to self, set to self, then pass to teammate
– Pass to self, set to self, then tip to teammate
– Pass to self, set to self, then roll shot to teammate
– Pass to self, set to self, then down ball to teammate

 

Focus

Have your players focus on an even platform. Make sure they aren’t swinging their arms, their shoulders are forward, and that the player is balanced.

Have your players call “Mine” and the name of the player they are passing to get comfortable with communicating.

 

Variations

I like to give my players a goal of X in a row (10 in a row, 20 in a row)

If you are looking for a similar drill that requires playing the ball over the net, I recommend the Tennis Drill.