Major & Sub Questions

What are the biomechanics underpinning an accurate and effective volleyball dig?
The reasoning behind an accurate dig in volleyball is simple, it sets up the team for a powerful attack rather than possibly sending the ball out of court and the opposition receiving a point (Ackerman, 2014). This may be the case but how many different ways are there of performing the task? Most people do it differently to the next although there are different cue points used in these.

The angle on which the volleyball is hit on the curvilinear flight down is important.

If the ball is hit on an angle which is less than 80 degrees to the body it is more likely to propel forward rather than upward (Lenberg, 2007). It works the same if the ball is hit more than 95 degrees to the body but the ball will be hit backward rather than up.

Image 1: An example of the volleyball being dug at the correct angle between 80 and 95 degrees to the body. Reprinted from VOLLEYBALL: Floyd Central too tough for Stars in, Hoosier Hills Conference Sports, September 2013. Retrieved 14 June, 2014, from: http://thehhcsports.com/volleyball-floyd-central-too-tough-for-stars-3/.

If the athlete uses their whole body the accuracy will be greater compared to if just the swing of the arms is the only motion.

When the movements from the body are timed right and the body's joints are progressed at the right time a summation of forces occurs (Coacher organization, n.d.). This summation of forces increases the power which the ball is met with as it's push-like motion uses the strength from the whole body, legs, torso and shoulders. This movement pattern can also be referred to as the kinetic chain.