During a volleyball match, the ball won’t always go to the setter. That’s why former Ohio State coach Jim Stone trains all of his players to set the hitter.
The "dig to the middle" drill helps by teaching players to run an out-of-system offense. Here’s how it works:
- Player 1 hits a line shot toward player 2 in the back row.
- Player 2 digs the ball high to middle court.
- Player 1 becomes the setter and must send the ball to a 3 foot x 3 foot square on the outside.
- In the meantime, player 2 moves to the outside hitting position to retrieve the ball and restart the drill.
As players move continuously from one side of the court to the other, they learn to react quickly to the out-of-system situation and put the offense in motion.
