Primary school team digging question

Question
i am Eugene, i am the captain of my primary school volleyball team. i am a setter and a digger.my teamates aren't so good in digging balls that are spiked down or in th centre no matter how i teach them they don't get it how should i teach them so they can dig spiked balls?

Answer
Eugene:

Here in the US, a primary school is for the kids who haven't reached their teenage years yet.  I don't think that's what you're talking about.  

I'm going to assume that where you live, a primary school is for students in the ages of 14 through maybe 17?  

a) Do you have a coach?  Make sure you get Coach's permission before teaching your teammates anything.  Why?  Most players aren't that much better than each other, therefore, they should be teaching much of anything.  Second, your teammates are your peers and, even though you're a captain, do your teammates have to do anything you say?  If not, then teaching them may create resistance and resentment.  So be very careful.

b) Digging is a skill, in fact it's nearly an art.  Do your teammates not dig well b/c they haven't been drill enough?  Or is it because the boys you play against hit the ball so fricking hard that digging is nearly impossible.  I went to a college match last night that went 5 games.  The winning team has 91 digs.  If it had been a men's match, the winning team may have had 20 or 30.  

My point is that if your teammates aren't digging b/c they haven't had enough reps, then that really should be your coach's job, not yours.   But if your teammates aren't digging much b/c the ball is being hit too hard, then that's not their fault.  

Well, let's say that coach is OK with you teaching them, your teammates are OK, and they actually could be digging more balls if they had better skills.

I) A digger should be in ready position at the moment of the spike.  The further you are from the hitter, the more you protect your shoes.  The closer you are to the hitter, the more you protect your face.

II)  When using the platform, there must not be a poke, swing, or elbow bend during the dig......unless the digger has an emergency to their left, right, behind them, etc.  Then, at the moment the ball hits the platform, it must move back to absorb much of the force of the ball, thus keeping the ball on the digger's side of the net.  

III) Diggers should constantly try to read the opponents, but if the set is good, reading gets increasingly hard as the hitters get older and become good disguisers of their hits.  However, an outside set that goes beyond the antenna must be hit cross.  And a set that's too tight we often be tipped or rolled.  An outside set that's set too far inside will undoubtedly be hit cross.  

IV)  Unless instructed to do so, diggers should never find themselves standing behind the blockers, or behind a teammate.  Why?  B/c no balls can be dug there.  Think about.  Why stand in a spot where spikes will not be hit?  My daughter's college team plays a defense where the girls are in each other's way regularly, and 3 or 4 times a game, a ball doesn't get dug that could have been.  Having a clear line of sight to the opposing hitter will make your diggers immediately more productive.  

I hope that this helps.  If you have a moment, please visit me at www.coachhouser.com  I think you'll enjoy seeing all the smiling faces!  

Coach Houser