Dig Volleyball Spikes Like They Do In College!

Keep The Ball Off The Floor With Better Volleyball Digging 

Learn to dig volleyball balls that are hit hard and fast by the opposing team's spikes!

You know..the ones that may not give you much time to react to!

Here's what you should do.

After your team has served the ball over the net....

1. Watch the pass as the other team passes the ball to their setter. 

2. Then watch the setter to see how and who she's going to set the ball to.

3. Watch the ball as it travels to the hitter. 

4. Watch the hitter to interpret quickly the best place for you to be while in the back row behind your blockers.

5. Make sure you are not behind the blockers and that you can see the hitter clearly as she hits the ball into your court. 

Watch Cat McCoy's unbelievable volleyball digs. 

Then shift your eyes to watch the ball as it comes towards you.

You are lowering your hips at the same time so they are below the level of the oncoming ball, which helps you

• direct the ball into the air and 
• keeps it on your team's side of the net once you contact the ball with your platform. 

By keeping the ball on your side of the net, now its your team's turn to run an offensive play.  

Your team's goal is to send the ball to the opposing team's court floor so your squad scores a point.  

Many times during a match, as a digger you have to dig volleyball spikes by chasing a ball, taking several steps to make a dig for a ball that was hit far from where you are positioned in defense. 

To dig a ball that's more than 2-3 steps away from you, you need to know how to dig volleyball spikes on the move, then complete your digging action and fall to the ground in a way that you get back up and keep playing without getting hurt. 

In the video above libero Autumn Finney and her teammates used the roll to dig volleyballs that were

a) low to the ground and

b) far away from the net

in order to keep the ball from hitting the floor, while they worked to get the ball closer to and eventually over the net.

If you haven't seen the video, now is the time to look at it before continuing on reading this page, 

The roll  is one of the several acrobatic individual defense techniques you can use to collapse to the ground after finishing  a dig.

This technique helps you complete your defense action safely and  most importantly...allows the play to continue without the ball hitting the floor.

The "roll" is used as a way to

• finish to the floor and
• recover your footing after digging an attacked or deflected ball you had to leave your feet and hit the ground for

In practice, you are usually taught different ways to fall to the floor when you have to dig a ball that's either a few feet a way from you or even further away.

Depending on how far you go to dig a ball, will determine what kind of technique to use to contact the floor after contacting the ball.

The roll  is a method used by players who have to leave their base defensive position to run more than several feet to chase a ball to keep it from hitting the floor of the court.

The roll itself does not get the ball up, but once a player has 

• outstretched their arm to dig the ball while at the same time
• extending their whole body to its full length to reach and make contact with the ball, 

the momentum continues to move the body forward and that player needs a safe way to fall to the ground without getting hurt. 

The key to performing the roll without getting bruised continuously is to stay low to the ground and to play the ball as low to the ground as possible.

Another key to rolling correctly is being able to keep your knees from banging the floor.

That's why kneepads are usually a required part of a player's uniform.

Notice...in the videos above, none of the players fall to their knees!

Upon contacting the ground the players roll to the sides of their body...to their hip and to the side of their lower leg...turning to their side before making impact to the ground.  

That's how Autumn and her teammates were able to land safely on the court floor after reaching to dig the ball...and still continue playing...

Learning how to dig volleyball hits in a low position means that you start in a low position and finish in a low position which keeps you only a few inches from the floor when you start and complete the roll.

When players stand up too high to dig a ball that's when they get more bruises because they now have further to fall before they contact the ground.

For more dig volleyball tips and other volleyball articles check out the links below. 

Related Links: 

Smart Tactics To Use To Control The Game

Effectively Use Your Block in Defense

Spike With Power Like The Pros

How To Dig Better

10 Floater Serve Tips

Strategies To Fix Overhand Serves

Setters Training Tips

Essential Communication Skills

Terms For Digging

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