It is easy for a coach to come up with volleyball drills to simulate the basic movements required of a hit. Toss the ball into the air and have a player spike it and they will know the basic movements associated with the spike. The same holds true for any type of hit. However, in a game, the ball is not going to be tossed to a single place every time in order for a player to spike it. There are several ways that you can modify volleyball drills to simulate real games, and that will help your players feel more comfortable when it comes time to play.
There are many pass, set, spike volleyball drills that have been used since the sport began. However, in a real game, nothing is as predictable as it is in a drill. In order to simulate this game play, you can have the team form up in groups of 6, 3 on each side of the net. The two squads will essentially play a small game of volleyball. Have one server serve the ball over the net and have the receiving players pass the ball to the setter, who will set to the spiker, who in turn spikes the ball back over the net. The other team then must do the same. Once both teams have hit the ball over the net, have the second team then start with the serve. Rotate the serve this way a couple of times to get the players loose and ready for real game play. As you can see, this combines several different types of volleyball drills into one big drill.
Another set of volleyball drills is the precision hitting, both passing and setting. The coach tosses the ball to a player who then must pass or set the ball to a target player. A great way to help with real game simulation is to have two sets of two players, one set on each side of the net. The first player serves the ball, the receiver must then pass or set the ball to the target. Once the target has the ball, the passer moves to his spot, the target runs to the serve line and serves the ball back over the net. Adding this into your set of volleyball drills is a great way to get your team warmed up quickly before games. They are running back and forth from the server/receiving/target positions while keeping the ball moving as much as possible.
Not all volleyball drills need to actually simulate a game and still give the players that feeling of randomness. This drill is perfect for teaching players to be flexible and move to position their body in the best place in line with the ball. Have your team pair up and play a one on one game. The trick is to make the court size narrow but long. They must still play with the basic rules, such as no crossovers, but have only one hit to get the ball back over the net. This is a great way to have your players learn to hit the ball from different angles, from in front of them or even from the side and still maintain ball control. This teaches the things that most common volleyball drills teach but gives the realism of playing off of another player, with their randomness, in order to give a real sense of the game.
Traditional volleyball drills are excellent to get your players prepared for the movements required of any particular play. Modifying the same volleyball drills into something that can more realistic in the game will help your players also get into the mindset of the game. Knowing the proper way to pass the ball is important, knowing how to pass the ball off of a potential killing spike will take your team to greater heights than they could possibly imagine.