Mae Gordon

Over our time away, it’s important to make sure we stay active and focus on our interests. One of the things I have been focusing on during this time is Volleyball. Without access to a gym, I have been doing some at home drills and workouts that are designed to have benefits that will help me become a better player!

The first workout I am doing is a two mile run with 30 second sprints. This will work your core and upper leg. It also increases mental durability. After the run, I will do a simple, yet advantageous leg circuit. It starts with 30 seconds of fire hydrants, then 30 seconds of donkey kicks, and finally 30 seconds of squat jumps. Do this three times for a total of a minute and a half of each exercise. If you still feel up to it you can repeat the circuit to make it more challenging!

For the first drill, I am doing two minutes of bumping against a wall. For this drill, focus on ball control and where the ball is going. Also focus on your body and legs. Next, I am doing two minutes of setting against a wall. For this drill, focus on you accuracy and your ball control. You can speed up and slow down your sets, and even work on passing them slightly to the left or right. Lastly, I am finishing by combining a bump, set, and spike. Start with a over head toss and bump it to where you can set it. Focus on keeping the ball controlled, keeping in mind how you need to set yourself up for the next hit. After setting, spike the ball against a wall and try to bump it back up to a set.

As simple as these workouts and drills sound, they are very successful in increasing accuracy and keeping you in shape!

The second workout this week is a variation of the first workout. It starts with running a mile but this time instead of alternating sprints focus on pace and mindset. Your pace should stay the same throughout the first mile and it shouldn’t fluctuate dramatically. After the first mile, you can do a simple core circuit. It starts with 50 crunches, 25 Russian V sits, and lastly a minute plank. The workout says to do this in three reps, but you can repeat the circuit to push yourself and strengthen your durability. Lastly, finish by running a second mile and stretching.

For todays drill I am going to focus on bumping. First, I am going to start by bumping to myself for 3-5 minutes. As you are doing this be mindful about where the ball is going, and focus on passing the ball above your head and using your forearms. Next, I am going to bump the ball against a wall and focus on accuracy. Do this for 5-10 minutes. Lastly, bump the ball above your head and set it back to a bump. Repeat this for 5 minutes.