🏐 How to Dig in Volleyball (The Right Way)

🏐 How to Dig in Volleyball (The Right Way)

🏐 How to Dig in Volleyball (The Right Way)

💡 What is a “dig”?

A dig is when you stop or "dig up" a spiked or fast-hit ball from hitting the ground, usually with a forearm pass or emergency move. It’s the defensive lifesaver that keeps the play alive.

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🔧 Step-by-Step Digging Technique

1. Get in the Right Stance

• Feet shoulder-width apart

• Knees bent, low athletic stance

• Weight slightly forward on the balls of your feet

• Arms ready, out in front of you

Think of it like you're about to spring into action. You're loaded and ready.

2. Platform Arms

• Bring your arms together, elbows locked straight

• Hands either:

  • Palm-in-palm, thumbs parallel

  • Or hands stacked (if your coach teaches that way)

• Flat surface from wrists to elbows = digging platform

✅ Don’t swing your arms — just guide the ball with your platform.

3. Read the Hitter

• Watch their eyes, shoulders, and approach

• Are they tipping? Smashing? Line shot or cross?

• Anticipate before they hit — good digging is part mental game

4. Move Your Feet

• Shuffle, don’t cross-step

• Beat the ball to the spot

• Stay balanced and low

You can't dig what you can't reach — get there fast!

5. Absorb & Control

• Let the ball hit your platform and guide it up gently

• Don’t swing or slap at it

• Keep it controlled so your setter can get it next

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🔥 Emergency Dig Techniques

Sometimes things get wild. Here’s how to survive chaos:

• Dive: Slide forward on your chest, hands out, dig while falling

• Pancake: Slide your hand flat under the ball as it hits the floor — it pops up if timed perfectly

• One-arm dig: Reach with one arm when you can’t get your platform up in time

• Roll: Dig, then roll to absorb the fall

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💪 Digging Tips from Real Players

• "Stay low — if you’re already on the floor, you don’t have to fall far."

• "Read early, move fast, stay confident."

• "The ball doesn’t hit the floor unless I say so."

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🧠 Mental Part of Digging

• Confidence: Don’t flinch — trust your training

• Hustle: Every ball is yours until it hits the ground

• Communication: Yell “Got it!” to avoid crashes with teammates

• Resilience: You might get hit. You might mess up. Keep digging.