Grade level: 5-8
Equipment: Volleyballs, net
Game Description: Great game to practice serving, after learning the proper technique. Lots of reps and serving accuracy is accomplished in this mini-game that groups one team up against another to be the team with the best serving accuracy. A must-try as part of a volleyball unit.
- Players from each team sit down on their side of the court, opposite from a teammate who is the starting server.
- On the signal, the server from each team keeps trying to serve to their teammates.
- If a ball is caught, the player who caught it becomes a server as well, and joins the first server.
- First team to get all players up and serving wins the round!
Do the 2 teams serve at the same time or do they take times serving?
They start at the same time because they are serving in opposite directions.
This is a great game to work on their serving and my 5th and 6th graders loved it.
Thanks!
Great game. Use it all the time in middle and high school.
We have the students lay down can't move and the ball has to hit them (defend their face if needed) We call the game dead fish.
You can probably do it either way. I have both sides serve continually, no need to wait. It does get kind of chaotic, but the more times they can practice serving the ball, the better, in my opinion.
Hysterical!
I will definitely try the dead fish game!! Thanks!
Great drill for building serving consistency!
I love how this game turns serving practice into something competitive and engaging for students. The progressive element—where each successful catch adds another server—keeps everyone motivated and involved rather than just standing in line waiting for their turn.
One thing I've found helpful when running similar drills is to adjust the serving distance based on skill level. For students still developing their technique, moving them closer to the net ensures they get more successful reps and build confidence before backing up to regulation distance.
The team aspect is brilliant because it encourages players to really focus on accuracy rather than just power. When their teammates are counting on them, students naturally put more thought into their serves.
Have you tried any variations of this? I'm thinking it could be interesting to add a "reset" element where if a serve goes completely out of bounds or into the net, one server has to sit back down. It might add an extra strategic layer without making it too frustrating.
Thanks for sharing this—definitely adding it to my PE rotation!