How to be better at volleyball serve

Here are volleyball serving tips to help teams improve chances of scoring points, limiting the opponents options for offense, and getting a free ball in return. 

Today, the serve is still among the most important ways that an individual player can contribute to a team succeeding. 

Serving is important because a service error in today's game results in a point for the opponent. 

Players need to develop confidence in serving consistently and effectively to a 1) specific player or 2) weak area of the opponent's serve receive pattern. 

Think of serving as attacking your opponent. Serving should be seen as an opportunity to give your team a strategical advantage. 

Two Types of Serves - Volleyball Serving Tips

The two basic types of serves are 1) float serves and 2) spin serves.

The float serve results in an unpredictable movement on the ball. With the ball dancing around in the air, this makes it more difficult for the opponent to get into the correct position to pass.

Since most players focus on serving floaters, the spin serve can be difficult to pass because often the receiver doesn't have a lot of experience passing the spin serve. 

Sometimes younger players will begin with an underhand serve. However, I believe this to be a mistake. The ability to serve the ball underhand won't be useful because this skill isn't like any other movement in volleyball. 

Unless you're going to learn how to serve a sky ball, learning to serve the ball underhand is a waste of your time. With every repetition you spend serving under, that could have been time spent learning to serve overhead. 

To be strong at serving overhead, you should develop strength for the overhead throwing motion. 

Create a Serving Routine - Volleyball Serving Tips

One of the goals for becoming successful at serving is to become a consistent server. 

To be consistent, it's best to create a consistent routine for serving.

Developing a rhythm and sequence for serving is much like a free throw shooter in basketball. This involves clearing the mind and visualizing a successful serve.

Some players like to bounce the ball a couple times before they serve. It doesn't matter what you decide to do, just be consistent.

Also, it's best to keep the routine as short as possible. The more steps you go through, the more there is a chance to mess up. So, you want your routine to be short and simple so you will less likely make errors.

How to Serve - Volleyball Serving Tips

The toss. Toss the ball above or slightly in front of the striking shoulder. It's a good idea to practice tossing the ball before you attempt to serve. Focus on a low toss. The lower the toss, the easier it will be to time the hit.

Hand Position/Contact. To float the ball, contact the ball with the fingers pointed up. To put topspin on the ball, focus on wrapping the hand over the top of the ball, then the fingers finish pointed downward. You want the entire hand on the ball. You want to hit the center of the ball. If the ball has side-spin, then you missed the center. 

Arm Action. Think of bow-and-arrow motion to the ball. The arm should move straight through the center of the ball in the direction of where you want it to go.

Serving Drill. If you are struggling to serve the ball over the net, then start by practicing the serve near the net. Start at the 3-meter line and aim for a spot on the ceiling above the opponents court. After you get 5 serves in a row over the net, then take a couple steps back. Serve again until you get 5 in a row over, then take a couple steps back. Repeat this until you are serving from beyond the end line. 

How to Serve with More Power. Pull ups, push ups, over head presses, and medicine ball throws are strength exercises that can help you improve upper body strength for serving. If you haven't ever played other sports that involve over head movements such as throwing a ball, then throwing will likely help you. Throwing a volleyball, basketball, baseball, or another type of weighted ball will help you improve your overhead throwing strength. 

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The serve in volleyball is the ultimate offensive weapon in this sport because you alone control the outcome of this skill.

Become an aggressive server and you can score points by yourself for your team from the service line. 

Here's a ten-step checklist you can follow to increase your serving efficiency and drastically impact your point scoring  ability which increases the contributions you make to your squad. 

Volleyball Serve Tip No.1: Find Balance 

Place your right foot behind your left so your right foot is perpendicular to your left and both feet are four (4) to five (5) inches apart.

Make this a comfortable, balanced stance so you do not feel like falling over. 

Volleyball Serve Tip No.2: Point Your Feet 

Point your left foot in the exact direction you want to serve.

Point your left foot, hips, and upper body straight ahead if you want to serve down the line.

Turn your left foot, hips, and upper body facing cross court if serving there. 

Volleyball Serve Tip No.3: Face-Time

Face your target when performing the float serve. Show everybody in the gym where you intend to serve your floater.

Pointing to one spot and serving another rarely "fakes out" the opposing serve receive players.

You will always be off-balance, increasing your chances of serving out. 

Serve in Volleyball Tip No.4: Move Forward

Place your front foot, hips, shoulders, and tossed ball in the direction you plan to serve.

You can create more force and velocity when all your energy is going in one direction (which is ball speed in this case) than when different body parts are going in different directions. 

Volleyball Serve Tip No.5: Keep Your Weight Back

Put all your body weight on your back foot before the toss.

Serving requires only a small amount of lower body movement after you toss the ball. 

Volleyball Serve Tip No.6: Shift Gears 

Shift your body weight from your back foot to the front foot once you've tossed the ball.

Shift your body weight from your back foot to the front foot once you've tossed the ball.

Although this movement doesn't seem like much, when it's combined with your arm swing, it's enough to give the ball the momentum needed to get over the net. 

Volleyball Serve Tip No.7: The Magic Spot 

Toss the ball with an open-palmed left hand two (2) feet above your head and one (1) foot in front of your front foot.

This magical combination of "two feet up and one foot in front" keeps your body balanced so you only have to transfer weight from your back foot to your front foot, quicken your arm swing, and make solid contact with the ball's middle panels. 

Serve in Volleyball Tip No.8: Elbows Up 

Keep your elbow high, above the level of your ear, when performing your serving armswing.

This increases the chances of getting the ball over the nine-foot net when you pull or draw your arm back to float serve. 

Volleyball Serve Tip No.9: Rinse and Repeat

Toss the ball the same way every time you serve.

Create a ritual you perform each time you serve so you don't rush your serve. That could be bouncing the ball three times in a row, then taking a breath, and pointing your foot in the direction you want to serve before serving.

Work it out so you do the same thing every time, whatever it is. 

Volleyball Serve Tip No.10: Slow Down

Eight seconds is a long time. You have eight seconds to complete your serve in volleyball routine and get back in the court.

Remember this is the only time that you completely control the game.

Maintain control by taking your time and being completely aware of everything you plan to do before you serve the ball.

Do You Follow Me on Instagram?

Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball serving drills we do in class with my followers.

Many of these volleyball practice drills you can do at home by yourself or try at your next practice with your teammates.

If you're a B team or JV player trying to make varsity next year...your goal should be to complete 1000 reps a day of at least three of the basic skills on your own...volleyball passing, serving and setting should be at the top of the list. 

           10 Ways To Improve Your                                  Volleyball Serve:                  Where do you go from here?

Your three options are: 

1. You can learn more about Serving by visiting the related links below.                            
2. Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
3. Or visit the pages in the How to Play Volleyball section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get started.