returning a hit?

Question

digging is hard for me!
well you see when the ball comes toward me really hard & fast your supposed to let it touch you correct? and not move your arms..only a little nudge. but its hard for me to get it to the setter...mine always go over the net. so...
-what can i do to practice it?
-what can i do to dig better?
-and how can i not get it over the net but a perfect pass to the setter??

thanks a million =]

Answer 1

Wow, I think that I'm the right person to answer this question... I'm a libero and basically the defensive guru on the team, so i'll tell you what I do.
You are correct when you say that if a ball is hit at you, you should not move you arms, or you will put to much force into it. What you want to do is you want to make sure that you have a good platform, so that way the ball will go where desired. To achieve this you have to make sure that you stay low to get under the ball, and get your platform as flat as possible, elbows locked, not bent. From there all you will have to do is point your hips in the desired direction.
For the question on how you can get a perfect pass to the setter, you're going to want to practice what i told you before. The next step will be to take some of the power from the hit off of the ball, for that you will have to learn the dig&pull. What this is, is when a very hard hit ball is hit at you, and even if you put no more force into the ball then there was from the hit, you're going to have to let the ball hit your arms, but after this intial contact is made, retract your arms back towards your body. This will take force from the ball. You can practice this by having someone hit at you, and even if it is not that hard of a hit, still try the dig&pull. This should also help your digging skills. The only other tips i can say about digging is to ALWAYS stay on the move, and the other is that if the ball is a hard one to dig, do not obsess over the perfect pass, just make it playable.
Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Try raising your platform. If the ball is consistantly going over the net, that means your platform is low. If the ball is going high, and not to the net, that means your platform is too high...find a happy medium. The only for sure way to get better in this part of the game, is touches on the ball. You get a feeling of great passes, and it's like riding a bike...once you get it down, you're never going to forget. Practice, Practice Practice. If you can get in with a team that has solid hitters...hitters that can hit hard, and somewhere in your area...ask them if you can play defense while they hit. Put a hoola hoop or a basket in the setters (target) area and see how many you make in the basket or hoop. It's a feeling and technique...Good Luck

Answer 3

Try practicing your bumps against the gym wall first off to get get comtrol of the movement secondly try having a friend throw the ball against the net lengthwise your job is then to bump it as it leaves the net to arrange a good "set" or have the friend hit the ball to you over and over and over for parctise on digging remeber don;t be afraid to slide or dive for the ball as you have knee pads on and you won't get hurt if you do it properly otherwise talk to your coach and ask her where your weaknesses are and what you can do to change them

Answer 4

you should try not moving your arms at all and square your shoulders up to the setter....this just takes practice, but at least your hitting the ball over the net and not shanking it off to the side!

Answer 5

Just remember to keep really low and keep your hands still and sturdy. If the ball is coming hard enough at you it will just bounce right up to your setter.

Answer 6

Cally G has answered it all for you.
Find one team mate to dig' with you, practice and practice for sure! Make sure you bend down your knees and butt!
I've been in Volleyball for almost 8 years but i have not practice much these days. But i still love this game!

Answer 7

What you need to do is stand up a little more so it wont go over the net.

Answer 8

practice.....you do exactly not move your arms just a little bit your arms must not be leveled with your shoulders because it will automatically go to the next court.don't panic relax.but most important PRACTICE.

Answer 9

when the ball hits your arms, pop your wrist up (like sort of bending your wrist toward you a TINY bit) so that it goes higher than it goes further.

Answer 10

You should ask one of your teammates to practice w/ your digging to try and pass it to them so they can set it. Good luck. =)