Volleyball Dig
A defensive contact that keeps a hard-driven ball in play by passing it up off the forearms, usually from a low position.
Overview
A dig is the defensive counterpart to the spike, used to control a fast attack and keep the rally alive. The defender gets low, joins the forearms into a flat platform and lets the ball rebound upward toward a teammate.
A stable platform and reading the attacker early are more important than swinging the arms at the ball.
How to do it
- 1Read the attacker and get into a low, balanced stance.
- 2Join your hands and straighten your arms into a flat platform.
- 3Move so the ball meets your platform in front of your body.
- 4Angle the platform toward your target and absorb the ball.
- 5Let the ball rebound upward without swinging your arms.
Key points
- Join your forearms into a flat, angled platform.
- Stay low with your weight forward, ready to move.
- Let the ball rebound off the platform rather than swinging at it.
Where it’s used
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Movement patterns
- LungeA split-stance, single-leg-emphasis pattern: stepping or dropping into a staggered stance and pushing back up to build single-leg strength, balance and stability.
- CatchReceiving a moving object and securing it under control, absorbing its momentum by yielding along its path so kinetic energy is dissipated rather than rebounded away.
- ReachExtending a limb toward a distant point or object, often at full stretch, by projecting a distal segment beyond the body's resting envelope while a stabilised base preserves balance and control.
- SlideA slide is a controlled, low-friction skid of the body or foot along a surface, used to brake, extend reach, or hold a line, where managed friction and a lowered centre of gravity govern the movement.
- BackpedalControlled backward locomotion performed while facing forward, staying low and pushing off the balls of the feet in short strides to stay reactive and keep play in view.
Skills
- DiggingThe volleyball skill of controlling a hard-driven ball low to keep it in play.
- SettingThe volleyball skill of accurately placing the ball for a teammate to attack.
- CatchingThe skill of cleanly securing a ball travelling through the air or off the ground.
- BlockingThe skill of using the hands or body to stop or slow an opponent’s attack.
- PassingThe skill of moving the ball to a teammate accurately to keep possession and create chances.
Equipment
- VolleyballA soft, inflated ball struck with the hands and arms in volleyball.
- BasketballA large, inflated ball with a dimpled surface used to play basketball.
- Football (soccer ball)A round, inflated ball used to play association football and futsal.
- Tennis racquetA strung frame with a handle used to hit the ball in tennis.
- Pickleball paddleA solid, flat paddle used to hit the perforated plastic ball in pickleball.
Facilities
Rules
- Ball-handling faultsVolleyball faults for catching, carrying or double-contacting the ball rather than cleanly hitting it.
- Three-hit ruleThe volleyball rule that a team may contact the ball at most three times before it must cross the net.
- Backcourt violationA basketball rule breach for returning the ball into a team's own defensive half after it has crossed into the attacking half.
- Volleyball rotationThe rule that players rotate one position clockwise each time their team wins back the serve.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Technique
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-07-09
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