Volleyball Stretches Before Practice
Dynamic Warm Up Drills

Volleyball stretches before practice will help you play better volleyball. Of course, there are different kinds of stretches. 

Some stretches can slow you down and hurt your performance while other stretches will actually improve your performance.

Did you know there's a stretch that will warm up your muscles and increase your vertical jump?

I'm going to explain what stretches are best before and after volleyball practice.

Warming up and cooling down are important strategies preparing your body to perform safely and help prevent injury.

Dynamic stretching will activate your nervous system, waking up your muscles for training.

Dynamic vs Static Stretching

Static stretches will turn off muscles which is not ideal when you are getting ready to workout or play volleyball.

The best dynamic stretching movements are the exercises similar to the type of activity you’ll be doing during your workout.

For example, bodyweight squats will help a volleyball player preparing for jumping to hit.

Bodyweight lunges will help the receiver and defender when getting in position to pass and dig.

Throwing a volleyball will help warm up the arms and shoulders dynamically to prepare for serving and hitting.

Many people grow up believing that stretching before exercise is important, but don't actually know the correct way to stretch.  

Did you know the wrong stretches can actually put you in danger of causing injury? 

Static stretches are a type of stretching where you hold a stretch for a long period of time. The purpose of the stretch is to increase the length and relax the muscle. The result is a less responsive muscle.

This isn't a good thing to do before volleyball practice because the static stretch will reduce the ability to produce strength and power.

Dynamic stretches on the other hand, help prepare you for movement by increasing your ability to produce strength and power. 

Key Benefits of Volleyball Stretches Before Practice

Stretching before a volleyball practice has 5 key benefits.

Promotes Blood Flow. Dynamic stretching increases the temperature of your muscles. You can also decrease joint stiffness and decrease muscle soreness. This will help you perform at a higher level. Lets get the blood flowing so your muscles will produce more energy for volleyball practice.

Increased Nerve and Muscle Function. A dynamic stretch stimulates nerve and muscle function to help you move more efficiently.

Strengthening Through a Full Range of Motion. Dynamic stretches use movements that lengthen your muscles while strengthening them. Taking your muscles and joints go through a full range of movement has added benefit. For example, a lunge would be better than jogging because the lunge activates the muscle through a bigger range of motion. 

Decreasing Injury Risk. Dynamic stretching can help to increases mobility and muscle flexibility which may help prevent injury.

Preparing Mentally. Movements before practice can help you get ready mentally. By focusing on your body, you become more aware of tension and tightness. Body awareness helps you get in the right frame of mind for volleyball practice which will help increase your performance on the court.

Dynamic Stretches for Volleyball

To help prepare the body for dynamic movements such as jumping and quick steps, it's recommended to perform a series of dynamic stretches. 

The key is to strengthen while moving. This type of movement will help "wake up" your body. You'll increase blood flow and likely improve joint mobility. 

These kinds of stretches allow you to stretch muscles without impacting your performance in a negative way.

To prepare for volleyball, use dynamic movements that mimic the movement that you're going to do in volleyball. 

You're basically rehearsing the movement patterns that you'll be performing out on the court. Getting your muscles excited will help improve power and coordination. 

You may be thinking, what are the best volleyball stretches before practice?

Best Volleyball Stretches Before Practice

Here are 3 dynamic stretches that will help prepare a volleyball player for upper body movement of serving and spiking.

Scapular wall slides: Do this movement to warm up the muscles attached to the shoulder and upper back. This helps turn on muscles attached at scapula, which is important for spiking a volleyball.

Start by standing with the upper back on the wall and feet pointed away. Your lower back, hands, and elbows are touching the wall.

Exhale and slide your hands down the wall. Use this motion to drive your shoulder blades. 

Band Pull-Apart: Hold a resistance band with both hands. Start with arms straight out in front of you. Pull the band apart, keep the arms straight and focus on bringing your shoulder blades together. Slowly release the tension.

Overhead Standing Band Press: This exercise is just like a military overhead press except with this exercise, you're using a band. Start by standing on the center of a resistance band with both feet. Hold the band in a stretched position at shoulder height. Perform an overhead press by pushing the band straight up overhead.

Medicine ball Overhead Throws: Perform a two hand overhead throw 10 times. If you don't have a medicine ball available, use a volleyball.

Medicine Ball Push Ups: The push up on the medicine ball will activate all the tiny muscles around the shoulder blades. If you don't have a medicine ball available, use a volleyball.

Quick tip: Did you know you can increase your vertical jump by performing dynamic stretches before you jump?

This is not just an advantage in practice and volleyball matches but, this is also a way to have an advantage for the vertical jump test. 

Here are 7 dynamic stretches for the lower body. 

1. High Knees

2. Butt Kicks

3. Carioca

4. Side Shuffle

5. Hip Cradles

Take a hold of the ankle and knee of the non plant leg. Pull the leg upwards while keeping the head and chest high and plant leg extended.

6. Forward Lunges

7. Hand Walk Out

From a standing position, bend at your hips and put hands on the floor front of your toes.

Slowly walk your hands forward as far as you can. Slowly walk them back into the starting position.

Static Stretching After a Volleyball Practice

Static Stretching after a volleyball practice or workout will help move lactic acid out of your muscles. Stretching can also help decrease muscle soreness.

These types of stretches can also help relax muscles and help you recover faster for your next training session. 

If you enjoyed volleyball stretches before practice and would like to keep them close to you, just save this pin to your Pinterest Volleyball Training Board.

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