Digging

Digging is receiving and controlling a spike or other hard hit from the opposing team. Get to your base spot before the hitter swings, stay low, and send the ball high toward the middle of your court so your setter has time to get there.

Floor moves, step by step: How to dive and sprawl →

Role

Defensive first touch

Keys

Base position, low stable body, platform angled to the middle

Read the hitter via

Set, approach, shoulders

How to dig: technique

1. Base position. Get to your base spot before the hitter swings and be stopped, low and balanced, at contact.
2. Ready posture. Keep your weight forward and your arms out in front, apart until you need the platform.
3. Platform angle. Play the ball in front of your body and angle your platform up and toward the middle of your court, not straight back over the net. Aim high: a high, playable dig gives the setter time to get there, even if it isn't perfect.
4. Absorb the pace. Against a hard hit, keep your platform firm but let your arms give a little to absorb the hit, so the ball rebounds softly. Against a soft shot or tip, add a little lift with your legs so the ball still goes high.
5. Overhead dig. For a ball at your face or above your shoulders, dig overhead with firm hands.
6. Going to the floor. If you have to go to the floor, collapse or sprawl low to the ground instead of diving from standing.

Overhead digs and the rules: on your team's first contact, consecutive contacts in one action are allowed, but the ball must not be caught or thrown. See double contact.

Safety: wear knee pads and learn floor moves (sprawl, collapse, roll) slowly on a soft surface before using them in games. See injury prevention.

Watch: basic, overhead and hard-driven digs

Videos: Solid Seven and Elevate Yourself on YouTube. Learn Volley is not affiliated with these channels.

Where to stand

Your base spot depends on your team's defense system and on your block. Start in your base position, read the set and the hitter, and move to your digging spot so you're stopped, low and balanced, when the hitter contacts the ball. Agree with your blockers which shot the block takes away, line or cross-court, and dig the part of the court the block doesn't cover. For example, if your block takes the line, the line defender can move up behind the block for tips while the cross-court defender digs the hard angle, as in rotational defense. See both block choices step by step on the defense systems page, and how digging an opponent's attack differs from covering your own hitter.

Call "Mine!" early and loudly, and stay relaxed: tense arms make the ball fly off your platform.

Reading the hitter

Anticipating where the hitter will place the ball separates good diggers from great ones. Read the set first, then the approach and the hitter's arm:

1. Read the set and approach: a set inside the antenna or a hitter approaching from wide often means cross-court; a set tight to the net invites a tip or a block-out.
2. Watch the approach speed: a slow, flat approach may signal a tip, while a fast, aggressive approach usually means a hard spike.
3. Watch the shoulders and hitting arm: the ball usually goes where the shoulders face. A hitter who turns their shoulders across their body is going cross-court (angle); one who keeps their shoulders facing straight down the line is going line.

Common digging mistakes

• Standing up straight at contact: stay low and balanced through the dig.
• Swinging the arms: hold your platform steady and let the ball rebound off it.
• Platform angled back over the net: angle it up and toward the middle of your court.
• Watching the ball instead of the hitter: read the hitter's approach, shoulders and arm to anticipate the shot.

Digging drills

• Dig to target: a coach hits controlled balls at you, and you dig each one high to a setter target near the net, between zones 2 and 3. Take 5–8 digs in a row, then the next player steps in. To make it harder, the coach hits slightly left or right so you have to move one step, stop and dig. See the full dig to target drill.
• Reading-the-hitter drills: have teammates hit specific shots while you try to anticipate and dig them.
• Passing drills: digging uses the same platform as passing, so passing drills build the footwork, platform and ball control you need for high, playable digs.
• Game play: six-on-six practice games put your base position, reading and calls under real pressure.

Frequently asked questions