Whether you live to hit the floor or find you find yourself feeling uneasy as a big hitter on the other team goes up for a swing, improving your digging and defense will help you not only be confident but also lead your team to more wins.
Step 1: Change Defensive Your Mindset
Every good defender has one thought “I will get the ball up.” To prove to your coaches, your teammates, and your opponents that you are the best there should never be a single dig that’s impossible to you. Reading and reacting time will improve your game and lead to better digs. But, how do you read the ball? How can your predict what is going to happen? Well, that is where your volleyball IQ comes in to play.
Step 2: Beef Up Your Volleyball IQ
When digging an opponent, it is important to quickly gather some information. Which hitters are right-handed and which are left? This will make a huge difference in the angle you place yourself in as you dig. What offense are they running? If the setter is back row, they cannot attack the ball and you can focus on the 3rd hit. If they are front row, do they have any tells that they may attack on the 2nd contact?
It is also important to understand how the body works when hitting a ball. Watch and see how a player’s shoulders face when they hit down the line, or when they hit a sharp angle ball. Look at their body language for a tip. Analyzing the players on the other side of the net will help you be prepared instead of being surprised. You must also understand what offense your coach runs with your team. You will need to know where other players are in relation to you and what your zone of coverage looks like. Be willing to ask questions, communicate and learn. Growing your volleyball knowledge is an invaluable skill for any position at any age.
Step 3: Try These Drills To Improve Your Digs
Ready to get to work? A great dig is a product of repetition, reading the ball, and reaction time.
Reading Drill
- The tosser will hold two tennis balls in their hands with their arms out at shoulder height.
- The passer will start in a defensive position and as soon as they see a tennis ball released will move to catch the ball in a single bounce.
Ideally, the passer should run through and catch as their reaction time increases. The further apart the partners are, the more challenging this reaction drill becomes.
Reacting Drill
- The tosser will start behind the passer and they will both face the wall.
- The passer will start in a good defensive position.
- The tosser will throw the ball at the wall and as it comes into view, the passer will dig the ball up.
The harder and lower the toss, the less time the defender has to react so the difficulty can be changed as needed.
Repetition Drill
While it may seem like a good idea to hit as HARD as you can at your defenders at practice, this often leads to some ugly digs. It’s more important to train the good, playable dig.
- For this drill, you will want to tape of a “box” on the floor where you want to digs to be passed.
- The smaller the box, the more challenging the drill will be.
- A hitter or coach will swing at the defender and they must dig the ball and catch it inside the box to be considered a “good” dig.
This could be done for points as a team or individually (ex: first individual 10 digs in the box).
Step 4: Take Hints from the Greats
Want to see what incredible defense looks like? Watching film of players doing the right thing can give you clues into what good movement, read, and reaction looks like at the top level. Some of the greatest of all time can lend you an insight:
- Justine Wong-Orantes, University of Nebraska and Team USA
- Erik Shoji, Stanford, Team USA
- Tiffany Clark, Wisconsin, U.S. Junior National Team
