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6 Drills To Improve Volleyball Skills in Digging and Defense Technique

These six drills to improve volleyball skills in digging and defense technique are exercise we do in boot camp classes and trainings to improve ball control. 

These six drills to improve volleyball skills in digging and defense technique are exercise we do in boot camp classes and trainings to improve ball control.

Are you having a problem digging balls that're hit right at your feet? 

One digging issue you may have is that you are putting your hands together to form your platform...too late. 

Once the hitter commits to their armswing, that's when you as the digger should have your hands together to form your digging platform.

Many times players wait too long and still have their hands apart after the hitter has contacted the ball...by then its too late. 

Putting your hands together earlier creates a platform with both forearms to dig the ball with and something to keep the ball off the floor earlier. 

When I use my phone to show players what they’re doing wrong more times than not they can see what I’m telling them to correct and they fix it fast. 

I showed this group of middle school liberos Dafne, Delaney and Selena on Day 2 of our first clinic how long it was taking them to put their hands together before digging. 

If you wait too long to put your hands together before you dig the ball.. it gives you less time to make minor tweaks and corrections to your platform angles. 

Keeping your platform arms a ball’s distance away from your body and putting your hands together once you’ve landed in your adjusted defensive position is the key to touching more balls hit right at you and controlling those balls so they’re more likely to reach their target.

Working on Libero Training digging three types of attacked balls...

• digging the hard hit

• reading then chasing down the tip while trying to stay on your feet

• running down the deep shot to the far Zone 5 corner while trying to stay on your feet

• digging a settable ball (high in the court as near to Zone 3 - middle front- as possible) if not possible then to the middle of the court

• getting comfortable covering the entire zone 5 left back area of the court while taking only 3-4 steps to get to each ball

• reading fast and reacting fast while controlling our body parts so we can control the ball

Usually done during warmups in order to get warm-up to play defense in the match.

When you are digging you should be working on three things

• first getting the hips under the ball fast        
• second keeping arms further away from the body (you should be able to fit a volleyball under your arm pits-that's the perfect distance!)                                                             
• third digging the ball from a lower point without rising out of your/her squat Two keys to remember..                                                          
• eliminate extra body movements that don’t help you perform the skill get comfortable staying lower to the floor In this video, all the players are learning to be comfortable playing the ball without rising out of their squat which

-eliminates extra movement while digging       

-the player views the ball from a lower point     

-the player plays the ball closer to the floor which allows more time for better ball control   -player keeps arms a balls distance away from their body which covers more court around them

Diggers dig. Defense back row.

Hitters vs. diggers no block. 

Working on reading the Hitter.

Working on tracking the Ball that’s tossed to the Setter.

• Then watching what set the Setter delivers to what Hitter ( this case Zone 4)
• then watching the Ball that’s set to the Hitter (is it a high ball?, is it a hut? Is it a ‘go’?)
• before watching (eyes go back to the Hitter) the Hitter to get clues as to where to be on my side of the court to dig the ball they hit. 

In other words BALL- Setter- BALL - Hitter

Working on fearlessness. Getting comfortable facing a hard hit ball while dropping hips below the level of the oncoming ball. .

Getting comfortable letting the ball come down low (belly button level) before playing it...staying in your lower defensive position without rising up out of your squat ...to play the ball.

Digger works on being stopped...once the Hitter starts their armswing

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 

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.

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TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS!

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