Yoga For Volleyball Players: Jump, Land, Reach, And Stay Calm On Serve
By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin
What does a volleyball player need most? Legs that spring up and land soft, again and again. Shoulders that reach high to block, set and spike. And a calm head when it is your turn to serve.
Yoga for volleyball players, meaning regular yoga classes, builds all three: strong legs, free shoulders and a steady mind. In a trial of 26 volleyball players, those who added yoga twice a week improved their flexibility, balance, stamina and serving accuracy more than players who added strength work.
This page shows how: an Olympic champion’s story, what our kind of yoga is, what the trials found, the kinds of poses that help, and the easiest way to start, in Darwin or live online.
Yoga for volleyball players in short: spring, reach and calm
Yoga for volleyball players is regular yoga classes that build the leg strength, balance, shoulder freedom and focus the game asks for on every point. You can do it in our Darwin studios or live online from anywhere in Australia.
The whole page, in short:
- Volleyball is jumping, landing, reaching overhead and quick shuffles, over and over.
- Standing poses build strong legs and steady ankles.
- Poses with the arms overhead work the shoulders through their full range.
- Breath work (yogic breathing) steadies the mind.
- Three trials in volleyball players found gains in flexibility, balance, stamina, serving and attention.
- One class a week helps, and more helps more.
- Start with 2 free classes and 2 free ebooks.
Volleyball Asks For Four Things Yoga Builds
To jump, and to land.
Quick feet and steady ankles.
To block, set, spike and serve.
A steady breath on serve.
Iyengar yoga builds all four together. A simplified picture, known from practice.
Yoga for volleyball players in one picture.
Which volleyball champion does yoga?
Kerri Walsh Jennings, three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medallist, says yoga is part of her preparation. In a 2017 interview with espnW, she said she does yoga on the shoreline before every volleyball practice, to get her body and mind ready.
She said it connects her to her breath and brings her “feet back under me” when her mind is racing. Her husband got her started, with a yoga DVD he loved. She also said that through yoga she has felt discomfort and vulnerability, and that opening up to it has helped her grow and learn. (espnW, 25 May 2017)
Feet under you and a calm head when the pressure is on: that is what every player wants, on the beach or indoors. Her words are her own experience, not proof. The trials are further down.
Do you play volleyball, and do yoga? We would love to hear from Darwin players. Tell us what yoga has done for your game, and with your OK we will share your story here. Get in touch.
Want to try it? Start with 2 free classes and 2 free ebooks, in our Darwin studios or live online. Every option is in how to start, further down.
Yoga for volleyball players: legs for the jump and the landing
Standing poses build strong legs. Kim with her front thigh working and her back leg straight: the same legs push you up for a block and catch you when you land.
What does volleyball ask of your body?
Volleyball asks for jumping, landing, reaching overhead and quick changes of direction, over and over.
- The jump. Your legs push you up to block or spike. That is leg strength.
- The landing. Your ankles and knees take your weight as you come down. That is strength and balance.
- The reach. Your arms go high above your head to set, block, spike and serve. That is shoulder freedom and strength.
- The serve. One player, one ball, everyone watching. That is focus.
A review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that volleyball’s injury rate is lower than in other team sports, but follows a pattern: sudden ankle injuries, and overuse trouble at the knee and shoulder (Reeser and colleagues, 2006). The good news: in a trial of 26 volleyball players, adding yoga went with better flexibility, balance and stamina. Strong legs, steady ankles and free shoulders can be built, in class, week by week.
What is Iyengar yoga, the yoga we teach?
Who was Mr BKS Iyengar? Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props such as chairs, blocks, belts and the wall. His style is sometimes called modern classical yoga. It’s the style we teach at Flametree, in Darwin and live online. More in Why Yoga Works For Sport.
Does yoga build strength and flexibility together? Yes, and both are necessary. Iyengar yoga builds strength and flexibility at the same time. In a held standing pose your own body is the weight, and your muscles hold it there. Hold one for half a minute and your thighs know about it. That is real muscle work, and when muscle pulls on bone, the bone is loaded too.
What have trials found in volleyball players?
What The Research Shows
Three trials have tested yoga in volleyball players, and all three found gains. Two of the three were in young players, so we say who was studied each time.
- Better flexibility, balance, stamina and serving. 26 volleyball players aged 18 to 26 kept up their normal training. Half added yoga twice a week, for eight sessions. The other half added strength exercises instead. The trial measured flexibility, strength, stamina, balance, jump height, speed and serving accuracy. The yoga group improved more than the strength group on flexibility, balance, stamina and serving accuracy, and their upper-body strength and jump height also went up. Erkan Özalp and colleagues, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 2025. Read the study
- Better attention in young players. 20 girls who played club volleyball, about 11 years old, with three years in the game. Half did children’s yoga, with poses and pranayama (yogic breathing), 24 sessions of 40 minutes over 8 weeks. The other half did nothing extra. The yoga group scored better on an attention test, their brain-wave readings shifted in a way linked with attention, and their coaches said they saw better focus. It measured attention, not match results. Baba Kaya and colleagues, Frontiers in Psychology, 2025. Read the study
- Faster, and as fast as exercise alone. 60 school volleyball players aged 15 to 17 in India, in three groups of 20. One group did 45 minutes of exercise six days a week for 12 weeks. One group did yoga poses, pranayama and meditation for 45 minutes three days a week, with exercise, for the same 12 weeks. One group did nothing extra. Both trained groups ended up faster in a timed run than the group that did nothing extra, and about as fast as each other. The paper reports results for speed only. Baidya and colleagues, International Journal of Indian Psychology, 2024. Read the study
- Mindfulness training in athletes (a mindfulness review, not a yoga trial). A review of 9 trials with 290 athletes from many sports, volleyball among them. Mindfulness training raised mindfulness scores a lot, and improved mental measures linked with performance by a moderate to large amount. The performance gains it measured were in shooting and darts, not volleyball. Bühlmayer and colleagues, Sports Medicine, 2017. Read the study
What has not been tested yet: no trial has looked at yoga in adult club or social players, in older players, in beach volleyball, or at Iyengar yoga in volleyball, and no trial has tested yogic breathing in volleyball players. The three yoga trials tested yoga in general, not Iyengar yoga. Why the difference matters: Yoga Or Iyengar Yoga? Not yet tested is not the same as not working.
Looking for mindfulness? Yoga and yogic breathing create it. Mindfulness is steady, present attention, and yoga poses and pranayama (yogic breathing) are old routes to that same state. You cannot hold a pose well with your mind somewhere else. Read Yoga And Mindfulness.
Yoga for volleyball: balance on one leg
Balance work with a block. Kim on one straight leg, the other leg lifted: balance work builds steady ankles and quick, sure feet.
What kinds of yoga poses help a volleyball player, and why?
Six kinds of practice do most of the work for a volleyball player: standing poses, balance work, poses with the arms overhead, twists, restorative poses and breath work. We name the kinds here. Your teacher shows you the poses themselves in class, adjusted to your body.
What we find: flexibility comes from extending your range of movement, and that means straightening your legs and arms. Many people in sport, and in gyms, Pilates and CrossFit, cannot fully straighten their legs or arms, because strong, short muscles hold them a little bent. For a volleyball player that includes straight arms overhead, and they never get enough flexibility there until they build that straightness through yoga. Hips and shoulders are often stiff too, from short muscles and short, tight tendons.
- Standing poses build strong legs. They work the thighs, hips and ankles, one leg and then the other. Those are the legs that push you up to block and catch you when you land.
- Balance work with a wall, chair or block steadies the ankles. You start with support and use less as you get steadier. Volleyball is quick shuffles and one-foot landings, so steady ankles matter.
- Poses with the arms overhead work the shoulders. Some hold the arms high, and some take your weight through your hands and arms. They build strength and range together through the whole shoulder, the same range you use to set, block, spike and serve.
- Twists keep the spine turning. Spiking and serving turn the body hard, mostly to one side. Twists to both sides even things out.
- Supported restorative poses help you recover. With props holding you, tired legs and shoulders can settle after a big training night or a tournament.
- Breath work (yogic breathing) steadies the mind. A slow, steady breath steadies your attention. That is our experience as teachers. No trial has tested breathing practice in volleyball players.
That is our teaching, known from practice. Every pose is done on both sides, with props so a stiff body can do it well.
Yoga for volleyball players: shoulders and arms
Weight through the hands and arms, with the arms in line with the body overhead. Poses like this build strength and range through the whole shoulder, the range a player uses to block and spike.
How much yoga does a volleyball player need?
One class a week helps, and more helps more. This is Flametree’s view as teachers, from many years of classes:
- One class a week works.
- Two or three a week work better.
- Five or six a week work better again.
The same holds for pranayama (yogic breathing) classes. Regular classes are the point. A few poses before a game, with no classes behind them, make very little difference.
Do we practise what we teach? Yes. Stuart does at least an hour of yoga and an hour of pranayama every day. Chris practises between one and three hours a day, and does pranayama almost every day.
Which classes should a volleyball player start with?
Start with a beginner class. These suit most players, whether you are at school, in your twenties or well past 40 (Darwin time):
- Beginner 1 classes: every day of the week, at Woolner (19B Bishop St, near Parap) and Coolalinga (Shop T31, Coolalinga Central), and some live online. Standing poses, balance work with props, twists and more, set for your body.
- Gentle Yoga: Fridays 10.15 to 11.15am, Woolner and live online. Slow and easy, with plenty of props, for stiff bodies and tired days.
- Yoga For Backs: Wednesdays 7.15 to 8.15pm, Woolner, open level. The whole back, from the lower back up through the neck and shoulders.
- Restorative Yoga: Saturdays 4 to 5.15pm, Woolner and live online, open level. Supported poses that rest and restore.
- Restorative Yoga and Immune System Yoga: Thursdays 5.45 to 7.15pm, Woolner and live online, open level. The timetable asks for 3 months of yoga first, or your teacher’s OK.
- Pranayama (yogic breathing): for calm and focus. Once you have some beginner classes behind you, your teacher will tell you when to add one.
See every class time. For more on yoga for athletes and men, see our Yoga For Athletes notes.
A word on Darwin heat. Pace yourself on hot days on the court or the sand, and stop when you need to.
Yoga for volleyball players: rest after a big week
A supported restorative pose: Kim resting her head and arms on a bolster across two chairs. Restorative poses let tired legs, back and shoulders settle after training.
Can volleyball players do yoga online?
Yes. You can join our live interactive online classes from anywhere, with a teacher who can see you and guide you. See our live online classes.
Yoga for volleyball clubs: a group class at your club, at our Woolner studio or live online, is a simple way for your team to try it together. Details are in the offers below.
How do I start yoga for volleyball in Darwin or online?
- 2 free classes, plus 2 free ebooks. New to Flametree, or back after 3 months or more? Choose 2 free ebooks (the sport and men’s book is Stay In The Game) and get 2 free classes, live online or in our Darwin studios. Claim them here
- Or just come along, at the studio or online, and your first class is free. That is one free class. Register first and you get two free classes and two free ebooks, plus a few short reminders and tips to help you get started. So registering gets you more. See the class times
- Then the half price beginner 10-pass with 2 free. 10 half price classes plus 2 free, $59.50. That is 12 classes, $4.96 a class, in our Darwin studios or live online.
- Then the unlimited beginner weekly pass, to come as often as you like: studio, $17.95 a week; studio and online, $21.95 a week; online only, $10.95 a week.
- A private lesson: private class pass, $109, or 5 private lessons at 10% off. Talk to us to set a time.
- For volleyball clubs and teams: group class, $149 a session, at your club, at our Woolner studio or live online. Book 10 sessions together for 10% off: contact us.
Once you have started: the 2027 Yoga Masterclasses are where you learn much more about how this yoga works. Six masterclasses with Chris, from Monday 28 December 2026 to April 2027, in Darwin and live online.
Come to classes, learn more about yoga, and build your strength, fitness, flexibility and calm. Then you can see for yourself whether it works.
Yoga for volleyball players questions, answered
Is yoga good for volleyball players?
Yes. Volleyball asks for strong legs, steady balance, free shoulders and a calm head, and Iyengar yoga builds these together. In a trial of 26 volleyball players, those who added yoga twice a week improved flexibility, balance, stamina and serving accuracy more than players who added strength work.
Can yoga help volleyball players’ shoulders?
Yoga builds strength and range together through the whole shoulder. Poses with the arms overhead, and poses that take your weight through your hands and arms, work the same range you use to set, block, spike and serve. That is our teaching, known from practice. In one trial, players who added yoga also gained upper-body strength.
Does yoga help volleyball players with jumping, landing and their knees?
Standing poses build strong thighs, hips and ankles, and balance work steadies the ankles. In a trial of 26 players, the yoga group’s balance improved more than a strength-work group’s, and their jump height went up too. Tell your teacher about any sore knees, and they will adjust the poses to suit you.
Is yoga good for beach volleyball players in the heat?
Yes. Beach volleyball adds soft sand, sun and wind. Olympic beach volleyball champion Kerri Walsh Jennings says yoga connects her to her breath and brings her feet back under her. In Darwin heat, pace yourself and stop when you need to.
Can yoga help players stay calm on serve?
In our experience, yes. A steady breath steadies attention, and holding a pose trains you to stay present. In a trial of 20 young volleyball players, yoga went with better attention scores, and their coaches noticed better focus. No trial has tested yogic breathing in volleyball players yet.
Is there yoga for volleyball players over 40?
Yes. Many people start yoga in their 40s, 50s and beyond, and Iyengar yoga uses chairs, blocks, belts and the wall so a stiff body can do each pose well. Start with a Beginner 1 class or Gentle Yoga. One class a week helps, and more helps more.
Where can a volleyball player try yoga in Darwin?
At our Darwin studios in Woolner (19B Bishop St, near Parap) and Coolalinga (Shop T31, Coolalinga Central). New to Flametree? Claim 2 free classes and 2 free ebooks. Clubs can book a group class at the club, at our Woolner studio or live online, at $149 a session.
Can volleyball players do yoga online from home?
Yes. Our live interactive online classes work from anywhere in Australia, with a teacher who can see and guide you. A club can also have a live online group class for the whole team.
More for sportspeople: golf yoga, yoga for lawn bowls, and the whole Yoga For Sport section.
Sources: espnW (Katie Barnes), Kerri Walsh Jennings talks yoga and next steps in Q&A, 25 May 2017; Reeser and colleagues, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006; Erkan Özalp and colleagues, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 2025; Baba Kaya and colleagues, Frontiers in Psychology, 2025; Baidya and colleagues, International Journal of Indian Psychology, 2024; Bühlmayer and colleagues, Sports Medicine, 2017. Research via PubMed and the journal’s own site. Athletes’ stories are their own accounts, not proof. This page is general information.
