Players work in pairs and face each other, moving sideways along the court. While moving, players keep their knees bent and throw the ball underhand to each other.
This exercise requires strong footwork and proper defense position; ball throws imitates digging.
You may introduce a second ball to have players make steps faster.
Coaches spend hours correcting arms in serve receive when the real fault is almost always the feet. Fix the movement and the platform fixes itself.
Most teams win the dig and then hand the point straight back with a slow, predictable transition swing. The best 2026 sides treat the moment after the dig as their sharpest scoring chance, feeding the middle in transition and running first-tempo attacks off a defensive ball.
When the first pass breaks down, most teams collapse into a high ball straight into the opposing block. The best 2026 sides are building structured out-of-system offences that turn broken plays into scoring chances using libero sets, left-side options and disciplined hitter routes.