Volleyball

Week 4 · Development phase · 4th grade · 60 minutes

Overhand serve & setting intro

Overhand serve mechanics · What is a set? · Setting hand position

From the Season Curriculum & Practice Plan Guide by Stephanie Abdalla, Volleyball Director

Net
6′ 6″
Ball
Volley-Lite
Serve
Underhand or overhand, from 20 ft

  1. Warm-up & ball control 15 min

    • Individual: alternate self-bump and self-set — get comfortable with overhead contact.
    • Partner: one player bumps, one player sets — switch after 5 contacts.
    • Introduce setting hand position: hands form a triangle above forehead, contact with fingerpads not palms.

  2. Serving 10 min

    • Overhand serve mechanics from close range (10 feet) — toss high, reach tall, snap wrist.
    • Progress back to the grade-appropriate line as mechanics improve.

  3. Skill focus: setting 15 min

    • Self-set: toss ball above head, set to self, catch — repeat 10 times.
    • Partner set: toss to partner, partner sets back — goal is 3 consecutive sets without catching.
    • Key cues: “Hands up early, push through the ball, extend arms fully.”

    Swap in from her drill library: Toss–Pass–Set–Catch (3rd grade and up)

  4. Team play 20 min

    • Introduce the concept of a designated setter: position 2 (right front) always tries to set the second ball.
    • Play game; encourage (but don’t require) the Pass–Set–Hit sequence.
    • Celebrate any successful 3-contact sequence, regardless of outcome.
    Pass, set, hit

    The passer calls mine and passes to the setter at position 2, the setter calls set and sets the hitter, and the hitter calls hit and sends it over.

    1. The ball comes over. The passer calls “mine.”
    2. Pass to the setter at position 2, right front. She calls “set.”
    3. The setter sets the hitter, who calls “hit.”
    4. Over the net: pass, set, hit. Three contacts.

The rule for every drill: Every player should touch the ball as many times as possible in every practice. Maximize repetitions. Minimize lines. If players are standing still for more than 60 seconds, restructure the drill.

Setting is the hardest skill to teach at this age. Don’t penalize carries aggressively — focus on the hand position and the intent. Improvement comes over multiple seasons.

Coaching tip from Stephanie Abdalla

Recap for parents

Copy this into your team chat after practice.

Week 4 at CSA Volleyball practice (4th grade): we learned what a set is, made setting hands, and started the overhand serve from 10 feet.

Ask her to make her setting triangle above her forehead: “Hands up early, push through the ball.”

Week 4 for 1st–2nd grade · 3rd grade · 5th–6th grade