Volleyball Dig Definition Digging Terms Defensive Players Liberos Know

The volleyball dig definition and terms digging, defense, up, tagged, touch, lip, libero, pancake, pepper, roll, six pack, facial, chester, and chicken wing

Volleyball Dig Definition: Volleyball digging is what liberos, defensive specialists and six rotation players back court players do to keep the ball off the court floor. (Rraiderstyle)

Volleyball Dig Definition Digging Terms Defensive Players Liberos Know 

• dig
• defense touch
• lip
• libero
• pancake
• pepper
• roll
• six pack
• facial
• chester
• chicken wing

Volleyball digging is what liberos, defensive specialists and six rotation players back court players do to keep the ball off the court floor.

Libero

A libero is an expert in digging, serving, passing and backrow defense.

This player position calls for them to be the one back row player to enter games for a front row player, when that player has to go serve in the backrow without having to be "substituted" in.

The libero's  jersey is always a different color shirt color than her teammates  to make it easier for the ref and officials to differentiate her from her teammates since she only plays in the back row.

Volleyball Dig Definition: An "up" comes as a result of a player who is continuously digging volleyball hits, tips and attacks that stay off the floor. (Michael E. Johnston)

Up

A "nice up!" is a great defensive save or dig. 

It's in the same category of phrases or terms describing an incredible volleyball dig,  like the term "nice lip" is.

An "up" comes as a result of a player who is continuously digging volleyball hits, tips and attacks that stay off the floor.

Tagged

When a ball "tags" a player it means that they couldn’t get out of the way of a hard hit ball which touched him or her before it landed out of bounds.

Volleyball Dig Definition: When a ball "tags" a player it means that they couldn’t get out of the way of a hard hit ball which touched them before it landed out of bounds. (Al Case)

Touch

A "touch" is when a player contacts the ball. 

An example of a  "touch" happens when a player on a team on defense is the last person to voluntarily or involuntarily touch the ball while on defense or while blocking, before it goes out of bounds.

Roll

- a method a player uses to complete a defensive dig or save by falling to the ground in a safe manner that allows him/her to get up quickly and continue playing 

Barrel Roll

The barrel roll is the most common "roll" used among elite and collegiate players. 

After taking 2-3 steps to get a ball up thats several feet away from you, you use the momentum to finish your landing on your side and then do a full body roll..also known as a barrel roll...a 360 degree turn while on the ground and then you come to your feet and pop up ready to dig or defend again. 

Dive

a dive is a move a player makes to keep from crashing to the floor after contacting the ball in midair in order to keep it off the floor

Sprawl

A sprawl is an emergency digging technique used by a player as a last minute effort to keep the ball off the floor.

The sprawl is used when you don't have time to take a step before dropping your body to the ground to beat the ball to the floor.  

This list of volleyball words is named for food that describe digging actions.  

Pepper 

But pepper in volleyball is a pre-game warm up practice drill used by teammates who partner up and perform all three basic volleyball defense and setting, passing and spiking skills in different combinations.

Pepper is a pre-game warm up practice drill used by teammates who partner up and perform all three basic defense and setting, passing and spiking skills in different combinations. (CharlieJ)

How does the pepper volleyball drill work?

Players partner up and one will

• set a ball to their partner then
• the partner will pass the ball back and then
• the first partner will control a down ball hit to their partner who
• control digs a ball back to the partner who starts this pattern again with a set. 

Pancake

With a very flat hand well-placed under the ball on the floor, the ball will bounce straight up from your hand, as if it contacted the floor. 

Volleyball Dig Definition: With a very flat hand well-placed under the ball on the floor, the ball will bounce straight up from your hand, as if it contacted the floor. (Aversen)

If you have completely extended yourself to get to a ball this is often the only option left to put your hand out, on the floor, so the ball hits it, instead of the floor.

Chicken Wing

In beach volleyball defense, this move is used by a player who uses a bent elbow to defend a hard hit spike that's aimed right at her head and shoulder area.

Usually she will chicken wing a ball because she doesn't have time to get both her arms out to form a platform.

Six Pack

The six pack describes how a player can dig a ball without using their hands.

It means you get hit in the face by a spiker on an opposing team who hit a ball that hit you hard in the face.

A player can be 'six packed' in serve receive by a server on the opposite team with a strong jump serve.

Or they can get 'sixpacked' while on defense and they get hit by a ball attacked by a spiker with a fast arm swing. 

Facial

A "facial" is another slang term for a "six pack" when a digger gets a hard attack hit to the face. 

Lip

Most commonly "dig lips" or "digging lips" refers to a defensive player who digs a hard hitter more than once in the same play. 

If a teammate says "Nice lips" they mean you did a great job making back-to-back amazing digs in a rally.

Some players who want to compliment a teammate who's digging well say that player is "digging lips".

Chester

A "chester" is in the list of vocabulary slang terms in defense used to describe what happens when a player gets nailed in the chest  by a hard spike.

A chester can be a playable ball if it doesn't come to a complete stop on a player's chest. 

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3. Volleyball Dig Definition Digging Terms Defensive Players Liberos Know

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