Four Types of Volleyball Drills For Digging Balls Up Under Pressure

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Four Types of Volleyball Drills For Digging Balls Up Under Pressure

These four types of volleyball drills for digging turn up the heat and puts the digger under pressure to dig a playable ball that the setter can run a play with

Be sure to bookmark this page because I talk about the following four volleyball drills for digging which are ways to improve your digging skills while being put under pressure in fast paced drills The types of volleyball drills for digging are...

• Pressure Repetitive Hitting Drill
• Hitter vs Digger No Block Drill 
• One Hand Set Pepper Drill
• 3 Step And Dive Digging Drill

One digger is placed in the middle of the court with myself and one or two of my assistant coaches on the same side of the net as the diggers.

Coaches are in Zone 4 and Zone 2 and sometimes in Zone 3. 

Hitters and diggers half court distance apart.

What are we working on in this drill?

Players are working on reading the ball -getting information from the spiker's arm and at the same time reacting quickly but under control while digging the ball high in a high intensity pressured situation. 

Players are also working on

• hips dropping lower than the oncoming ball
• eyes focusing on spiker's hitting arm for quick second then keying in on the oncoming spiked ball and its travel path,
• keeping platform arms straight with no bent elbows and away from the body...closer to the ball
• making a playable ball 8 -10 feet in the air..
• after the dig working on making a quick quarter turn to face the next coach that's hitting

Winner scores 10 points first

Hitter hits hard deep cross court and scores a point when digger can’t touch it or digs an unplayable ball.

Digger scores a point when they dig a playable ball.

For beginners hitter errors may not count but for more advanced players hits in the net or out of bounds are points scored for the digger.

Hitters working on

• -reducing unforced errors 
• -consistently hitting deep and sharp cross court angles 

Diggers working on

• -reading the hitter 
• -fearless reaction to the ball while not letting any balls fall to the ground without reacting to them 
• -keeping hips low while playing the ball 
• -winning the game in defense 
• 
  

Variations include adding 1 or 2 blockers the hitter has to beat in addition to the one digger

D-1 players Giselle (Duke) and Sisi (Arkansas Tech) work on this one handed set, then hit, then dig fast paced drill. 

One player works while the other digs for time or for a pre-determined number of reps...they the partners switch. 

I set up a hitting line in left front and instead of hitting all the hitters practice tipping the ball over a real or imaginary block to the ten foot line while...

A group of diggers go one by one ..starting in their base position in defense, then moving to their adjusted position as they watch the setter set the ball outside.

They let the hitter commit to their armswing before taking their first of three steps towards the ball..lowering their body to the ground as they take each step getting closer to the ball.  

For right handers ..the left hand goes down to the ground while right hand plays the ball. 

Left handers reverse. 

I don't do this drill with beginners or people who just start out with me...I do this drill with players who've been with me for quite awhile or who have experience playing advanced volleyball. 

One of the things I really have players work on is taking a big first step followed by big and fast steps to get across the half court as fast as possible..covering a lot of ground in a short amount of time. 

Drills are designed for different skill levels.

Start with beginner drills and as your skills improve, progress to intermediate and eventually to advanced drills:

**Hitter vs Digger No Block Drill** is an intermediate-level drill that focuses on improving reading skills and reacting to live hitting.

> Description: A competitive drill where diggers work on their reading and reacting abilities against live hitting. Hitters get to develop consistent deep and sharp cross court angles. The contest continues till one side (either the hitter or the digger) scores 10 points first. Variations include adding one or two blockers that the hitter has to beat in addition to the digger.

> Difficulty Level: Intermediate

**3 Step And Dive Drill** is an intermediate drill that focuses on quickly reacting to incoming balls and developing floorwork techniques.

> Description: This drill focuses on several core skills, including reacting quickly to incoming balls, hitting deep and sharp cross court angles, and reducing unforced errors. Starting in their base position in defense, diggers move to their adjusted position while watching the setter set the ball outside. They take their first of three steps towards the ball, lowering their body to the ground as they get closer to the ball.

> Difficulty Level: Intermediate

- **Pressure Repetitive Hitting Drill** is an advanced drill designed to test players' reactions and decision-making skills under high-pressure situations.

> Description: Designed to test players' reactions and decision-making skills under high pressure situations. One player is placed in the middle of the court, with coaches on the same side of the net as the diggers, in Zones 2, 3 and 4. Coaches continuously hit balls towards the digger, who must react quickly under pressure to dig the ball high into the air.

> Difficulty Level: Advanced

Each drill focuses on enhancing different aspects of the digging skill. Start with the drills that stress the basics and gradually move to the drills that simulate high pressure situations.

Remember, the key to becoming a proficient volleyball player is consistent practice with drills that are suitable for your current skill level. Patience, determination, and proper technique will help you progress smoothly and effectively.

Remember, patience and proper technique are the keys to mastering any skill in volleyball. Therefore, even if you're eager to try an advanced drill, ensure you've mastered the basic and intermediate drills first.

1. What is a defensive specialist in volleyball?

A defensive specialist is a back-row player who is usually the best on the team when it comes to defensive skills like digging, passing, serving and serve receive.

They're crucial team members who help defend their court by preventing opponents' attacks from hitting the floor and scoring and help to maintain the rally momentum with precise ball control.

2. How is a defensive specialist different from a libero?

While both positions focus on defense, defensive specialists follow regular substitution rules and attack the ball from the backrow, whereas liberos have unique substitution privileges but cannot serve in most leagues.

Unlike the libero, defensive specialists can jump and hit the ball from the backrow, and they wear the same colored jersey as the other members on the team and must be substituted within the substitution zone, following standard volleyball substitution rules.

3. What skills should a defensive specialist focus on?

What my defensive players focus on during private training lessons with me include:
- Reading opponent attacks and anticipating where the attacked ball once it passes the blockers hands will land in the court and be there ahead of time to dig the ball back up
- Quick upper and lower body to the a ball or to the ground reaction time in addition to being agile and quick enough to make diving saves to keep the ball off the floor
- Developing precise volleyball passing technique for serve receive and increased ball control skills during long rallies
- Excellent communication skills with teammates in order to talk about quickly what is happening and what is about to happen during a rally
- Strategic positioning and court awareness 
- Developing a consistent serving ability in order to be a dependable point scoring player on the team 
- Working on forward backward and side setting volleyball skills from the left side of the court

4. Why did you choose an alligator to represent defensive specialists?

First of all I love reptiles and I chose the alligator because of its natural defensive characteristics including

• lightning-quick reflexes 
• low-to-ground positioning
• incredible reaction speed
• the ability to barrel roll repeatedly while controlling their body parts and not get dizzy 

Just as alligators protect their territory with unbelievable laser focus and aggressive response, defensive specialists are responsible for guarding their court with similar intensity and determination.

5. What are the key defensive positions on the court?

The main back row defensive positions include:

• Position 5 (left back): Primary defense against outside hitters
• Position 6 (middle back): Central defensive coordinator
• Position 1 (right back): Defense against opposite hitters

Defensive specialists must improve all three of these player positions to effectively contribute to the team's defense.

6. How can I improve my defensive reactions?

Enhance your defensive reactions through:

• Regular agility drills
• Vision training exercises
• Platform control practice
• Quick-response drills
• Game-like scenario training
• Consistent footwork practice
• Mental preparation techniques

7. What equipment does a defensive specialist need?

Essential equipment includes:

• Knee pads for floor protection
• Comfortable, lightweight shoes with good grip
• Moisture-wicking clothing
• Position-specific training aids
• Protective gear for diving practice
• My motivational alligator shirt for mental preparation and motivation

8. How do I know if the defensive specialist position is right for me?

You might be perfect for this position if you:

• may not be the tallest on your team but love the challenge of keeping balls off the floor
• have quick reflexes and good court reading skills and enjoy analyzing which balls will be your responsibility and which ones will be for your teammates on defense
• enjoy the strategic aspects of defense which include anticipating where and how fast the opposing team's setter is going to run their offensive plays and deliver sets to which hitter 
• don't mind diving, hitting the floor, getting dirty and doing the 'dirty' work

• 
  excel in high-pressure situations which often happen in long rallies and with tie scores close to game-point situations where one point or two points needed to sideout can make a difference with a missed pass or a serve that's out 
• communicate well with teammates both on serve receive and on defense

9. What are the most important defensive drills?

Some critical volleyball defensive drills include:

• Down-ball reaction drills like the Hit and Dig drill
• Diving and rolling exercises which I include in my pre-game warmup team drills and pre-practice client drills so my players have hit the floor a number of times before we even begin our sessions or the game

• Cross-court defensive coverage in drills that focus on digging the cross court hitters because that's where the majority of the balls are attacked to
• Tip coverage drills because diggers need to be able to cover the court quickly with the least amount of steps to dig balls tipped over the block close to the ten foot line 

• Serve receive drills so that primary passers and defensive specialists know where to be in each serve receive passing rotation when running plays on offense like the 5-1 offense or the 6-2 offense 
• Out of system drills that rehearse emergency plays that happen when the first pass doesnt get to the setter 
• Team defensive formations like the man-back defense, the man-up defense or the rotation defense

10. How can wearing your position-specific gear possibly help improve your mental performance and self confidence?

My volleyball position inspired shirts, posters, aprons, stickers, hoodies and sweatshirts like my alligator shirt can:

• Boost confidence through position identity
• Remind players of their defensive mindset
• Create team unity through shared symbolism
• Reinforce defensive specialist pride
• Maintain focus on defensive responsibilities
• Inspire peak performance through visual motivation
• Improve and grow self confidence among shorter players who're often the 

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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. 

If your athlete struggles with consistent serve receive, gets subbed out, or is overlooked for playing time—this is the fix you’ve been looking for.

Struggling with passing consistency?

I help talented passers tired of getting pulled from games because of inconsistent serve receive skills  BUILD passing confidence without expensive private lessons using the same 3-step system that's helped dozens of my athletes get recruited.

Download my eBook for $17.99 and start building the passing confidence that keeps you on the court—and gets you seen by college coaches.

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