Volleyball Pepper Pass Drill | Friends

Quick Intro

Pepper is the warm-up volleyball players do before nearly every practice. Two partners stand a few metres apart and keep a ball in the air between them, using forearm passes and overhead sets. Neither partner catches the ball. The aim is a long run of clean exchanges, and the pair count their best streak and try to beat it.

A wall will bounce a ball back, and the Catch and Throw — Partner Wall Ball uses one for exactly that. A partner’s return is never quite the same twice. Each ball arrives a little higher, lower or wider than the last, and reading that is the skill pepper builds.

What You’ll Need

A volleyball. For newer players a larger, softer ball such as a light trainer ball is kinder on the forearms.
A clear space about six metres long and three wide, with no low ceiling, lights or furniture nearby.
A flat floor or level grass.

What It Works

Pepper is low in fatigue and high in control. The work is spread through the body.

The front of the shoulder (anterior deltoid) and the triceps (triceps brachii), which hold the arms straight for the forearm pass and extend them to push a set.
Forearm flexors, which hold the hands together for the pass and firm the fingers for the set.
The outer front of the thigh (quadriceps, vastus lateralis) and glutes (gluteus maximus), which keep you in a low ready position and lift the ball with the legs.
The front stomach muscles (rectus abdominis), which hold the trunk steady so the platform stays at the angle you set it.

The Technique

The ready position

Stand with feet a little wider than the shoulders, knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet and the arms relaxed in front of you. You should be able to step in any direction straight away. Most missed balls in pepper come from flat feet.

The forearm pass

Form the platform. Lay the fingers of one hand across the palm of the other and close them, with the thumbs side by side, pointing down. Straighten the arms so the forearms make a flat surface from the wrists to just above the elbows.
Move under the ball. Step so the ball comes down in front of your body, between the hips. Reaching to the side with the arms sends the ball off at an angle.
Angle the platform toward your partner. Where the platform faces is where the ball goes.
Let the ball meet the forearms just above the wrists. Push gently from the legs as it arrives. The arms barely swing. A big arm swing sends the ball high and wild.

The overhead set

Get under it. Move so the ball will drop just above your forehead.
Shape the hands. Raise the hands above the forehead, fingers spread, thumbs and index fingers making a rough triangle you can look up through. Elbows point out to the sides.
Contact with the finger pads. The palms stay off the ball.
Push up and out together. Extend the arms and the legs at the same moment, aiming the ball in a soft arc to your partner.

A set should be clean, with both hands touching the ball at once. A ball that spins hard after a set usually means one hand touched first.

How to Play

Stand about four metres apart, in the ready position.
One partner starts with a gentle toss to themselves and a forearm pass to the other.
The other returns it with a forearm pass or an overhead set.
Keep the rally going, each partner playing the ball once per turn and mixing the two kinds of pass.
Count every clean exchange aloud. When the ball hits the floor or is caught, the streak ends.
Note the number, start again and try to beat it.

What Counts

A clean exchange is a pass or set that reaches your partner where they can play it with good technique, without lunging or diving.
The streak ends when the ball touches the floor or either partner catches or throws it. A pass so wide that your partner has to chase it ends it too.
The score is shared. You are both trying to beat the pair’s best.

Making It Easier or Harder

Easier:

Stand closer, two or three metres apart.
Use a larger, softer ball.
Allow a forearm pass to yourself between returns, for control.

Harder:

Stand farther apart, five or six metres.
Agree a fixed pattern, such as every second return must be a set.
Aim each pass at a smaller target, such as your partner’s forehead height.

Playing the Feeding Role Well

Pepper only works if each return is playable. Aim for your partner’s midline at a comfortable height, and resist the urge to test them with awkward balls. The Training With a Friend guide covers this side of partner work, where feeding at a pace your partner can handle is what makes a drill useful.

Staying Safe

Clear space with nothing to trip over or run into.
Use a proper volleyball or a softer equivalent. A heavy or hard ball bruises the forearms.
Never dive or lunge on a hard floor to save a streak. Let the ball go.
Stop for wrist or finger pain, which usually means the set is landing on the palms or a finger is taking the ball alone.

Common Mistakes

Swinging the arms on the forearm pass. Let the legs lift the ball.
Bent elbows on the platform. Lock them straight so the surface is flat.
Playing the ball beside the body. Move the feet to get behind it.
Slapping the set with the palms. Use the finger pads.

Fitting It Into a Session

Use it as a warm-up before a volleyball session or any training day, five to ten minutes in total. It also suits a light recovery day, since it raises the heart rate gently and asks a lot of attention without tiring the body.

Catch and Throw — Partner Wall Ball trains catching and throwing against a wall.
Partner Overhead Toss and Catch Feed works on tracking a ball dropping from a high arc.
1-on-1 Closeout Defense Drill is another sport drill built around a live partner.

FAQ

Why is it called pepper?

The origin of the name is unclear. Baseball has an old quick-fire warm-up game called pepper too, played at close range.

My forearms go red. Is that normal?

Some redness on the forearms is common for newer players. It fades as the skin adapts. A softer ball helps in the meantime.

What is a good streak?

For a newer pair, ten clean exchanges is a solid start. Experienced players keep pepper going for a few minutes.

Can we add a hit?

Volleyball players often pass, set and then hit the ball down to their partner. That version needs good control first, so start with passes and sets only.