The Volleyball Dig: What Is It, When To Do It and How To Dig A Ball

The volleyball dig or digging a volleyball up in defense means that you are able to keep an attacked ball by the opposing team off your court floor.

What is a volleyball dig? When both arms are held together at the wrists so your arms form a flat surface, called a "platform" for the ball to bounce off of.

To dig a volleyball or by digging a volleyball up in defense you are keeping a hard or softly attacked ball by an opposing team's hitter off of your volleyball court floor.

This keeps them from scoring a point, while at the same time you are setting your team up to run an offensive counterattack against them so your team can try to score a point.

How Do You Hold Your Volleyball Hands, Wrists and Arms When You Dig A Ball?

How do you hold your volleyball hands, wrists and arms when you dig a ball?

Both arms are held together at the wrists so your arms form a flat surface, called a "platform" for the ball to bounce off of.

To volleyball dig both arms are held together at the wrists so your arms form a flat surface, called a "platform" for the ball to bounce off of.

Your Wrists

To keep both wrists held together

a digger places closed fist inside the palm of the other hand and wraps the fingers around the closed fists so both thumbs are now together side by side.

Your Elbows and Arms

This keeps the elbows and arms straight throughout the entire digging action.

You contact the ball on your platform above the wrists and below the inside of your elbows.

This area on your arms in volleyball terminology is called your "platform" and its what you use to contact and control balls that are below your waist.

You use your platform to contact the ball when you're

passing a ball and
you use it to complete a volleyball dig in defense.

Your Hips

Just before you dig a ball

you lower your hips so they are below the level

of the oncoming ball and you present your platform in front of you blocking the path of the ball so its deflected up in the air towards the middle of your court close to your team's ten foot line.

Volleyball Dig: Where Do You Need To Be On The Court In Order To Dig A Volleyball Up?

As a digger its your job to place yourself in the path of the oncoming ball that's been hit by an opposing team's hitter. (Ralph Arvesen)

The Volleyball Dig: What Is It, When To Do It and How To Dig A Ball: As a digger its your job to place yourself in the path of the oncoming ball that's been hit by an opposing team's hitter. (Ralph Arvesen)

Where do you position yourself on the court to dig a ball up?

To contact the ball you watch the hitter hit the ball into your court and as a digger its your job to place yourself in the path of the oncoming ball that's been hit by an opposing team's hitter.

Depending on the defense that your team is playing this may mean that you stand in the shadow of your blockers or you have to place yourself in the seam of the block so if the hitter hits between the two blockers the digger will pick up that ball in the back court

Thanks for visiting. Be sure to check out more of my volleyball passing articles by clicking one of the links below! (April Chapple)

Do You Follow Me on Instagram?

Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball serving drills we do in class with my followers.

Many of these volleyball practice drills you can do at home by yourself or try at your next practice with your teammates.

If you're a B team or JV player trying to make varsity next year...your goal should be to complete 1000 reps a day of at least three of the basic skills on your own...volleyball passing, serving and setting should be at the top of the list.

How To Play Volleyball:
Where Do You Go Now?

Okay here's where you need to go now! There are three options:

Learn more about Digging and Defense by clicking the Related Links below. .
Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
Or visit the pages in the How to Play Volleyball section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get started.
Before leaving this page Say "Hi" to Miss O.I Gotchu the Octopus wearing the #8 jersey below. Miss O.I. is the libero for the All Beast VolleyBragSwag All Star team.