Initial serving strategy could include the following objectives: serving to the weakest receiver in the opponent’s team; serve between two players; serving short; serving to the deep third of the opponent’s court; serve to the front-row attackers in the opponent’s team; challenge the strongest attacker to pass the ball, then attack.

Highly skilled players can control the ball on offense and attack at a high rate of efficiency. Strong, effective serves are needed to force an opponent to unpleasant situation, leading to a less successful attack from the opponent. At a lower or intermediate level, effective serving may require a high percentage of serves simply to be in play, since the opponent’s offense may not be powerfull.

Target serving

For successful, consistent serves, practice serving for control and accuracy. Servers take the ball and serve to hit a target. For target you cauld use mattress or you can position some players, so the servers have to hit them.

Serve deep

Once you’ve mastered the basic service, it’s time to practice serving for power by accelerating the hand to the ball. Position the mattress near the endline. These mattresses provide a deep-court target zone for the servers. So, tell your servers to hit them with their serve.

The main difference is that instead you attack a set from a teammate, you attack the ball that is thrown high by yourself. Hold the ball in front of your serving shoulder as you prepare for the toss. Use a one-handed toss, but toss the ball with your serving arm. You will launch yourself into the air to attack the toss, so toss the ball high in front of you. It is essential to coordinate the toss with a sequence of steps, allowing you to jump and swing naturally. Step forward on your nondominant foot as you toss the ball.

Think of the toss in the under- J hand serve as a release. Create a pendulum motion with your arms. As the hand holding the ball drops, your serving hand moves forward through the ball.

Contacting an underhand serve from a toss can be difficult. Keep the fingers of your serving hand pointing behind your body to expose the heel of your hand to the ball. This will allow you to contact the ball with the meaty part of your hand. Many players attempt to use a fist for an underhand serve, but this often causes inconsistent contact. In addition, the open hand leads to a more natural progression from the underhand serve to the overhand floater.

Ready position

Now, lets start with basics…

To execute an overhead floater serve, stand comfortably with your nondominant foot slightly forward. Be sure that your weight is on your back foot. Hold the ball with your nonserving hand in front of your serving shoulder.

Slide your front foot forward and feel your body weight shift from your back foot to your front foot. As you step forward, toss the ball directly in front of your serving shoulder high enough to force you to reach with your serving hand.

Toss the ball

The toss requires a lot of attention because many errors result from inconsistent location of the toss. Experienced players commonly use the one-hand toss.

The one-hand toss allows you to place your serving arm in a ready or cocked position with your elbow above your shoulder.

Keep the height of your toss near the height of your reach. When you toss the ball to this location, you will need to accelerate your hand to the ball. Accelerating your hand to the ball creates power.

Before tossing the ball some players perform certain actions: throw the ball in the air, hitting on the ground several times, applauded by her etc.. These are actions serve as the movements of introducing a service. They grow in a habit and soon become an integral part of service.

Arm swing

An effective arm swing has a whiplike action. The arm swing begins as you draw your elbow behind your ear with your attacking hand open and palm facing out. Your elbow should remain higher than your shoulder throughout the whiplike action.

The floater serve is most effective when follow-through is limited. After accelerating your serving hand to the ball, allow the hand to lower naturally to your side. A long follow-through may generate too much power, causing the serve to travel out of bounds. Limiting the follow-through helps provide the floating movement of the serve as it travels to the opponent. This movement is often compared to a knuckle ball.

Contact with a ball

Be sure to reach high and in front of you as you contact the ball. Make contact with an open hand. Use a strong hand, keeping your wrist firm throughout contact. Contact the ball with the meaty part of your hand right in the center of the ball. Your fingers should be slightly spread, allowing you to contact more of the surface of the ball.

The sequence of the toss and contact should be rapid. Remember, your hand is accelerating to the ball. As soon as the ball leaves your hand for the toss, the whiplike action or throwing motion of the arm must follow. Contact with a ball should more stoke than push. Also,  begginers that learn how to serve can start drills using the fist, because it would be much easier for them, but after a short time they should make contact with an open hand.

There are other ways to put the ball in play than with the overhead floater. The important thing is to use the serve that gives your team the best chance to win a point. Try these variations on the serve and find the one that works best for you and your team.

Many players take several steps prior to serving. Keep in mind that you will commit a foot fault if you step on or inside the endline prior to contacting the ball. If you choose to take more than one step before serving, establish a consistent starting point behind the endline to avoid faults by stepping on a basic line.

Taking more than one step does not provide any advantage. The  final step forward provides enough transfer of weight.

The Overhand Serve

For a right handed server, start with your left foot in front of your right and the ball in your left hand. Hold the ball up at shoulder height, arm stretched out but with a slight bend in your left elbow. Pull your right arm back so that your right hand is just in front of your face with the palm facing down.

To serve, tilt your right arm up as you pull your right elbow back. At the same time, slowly move your left arm up to toss the ball. Keep you left hand and arm steady throughout its movement to avoid spinning the ball.

With your left foot take a short step forward and shift your weight onto this foot as you swing your right arm forward to meet the ball. You should contact the ball just above your head and when the ball has reached its peak and at your highest reach. Work on your ball toss, to ensure that the height is correct.

Using your open and firm hand, strike the ball with your palm. To avoid the ball from spinning, do not follow through the serve but rather, stop as soon as contact has been made.

A good serve is vital to a teams volleyball game so be sure that all players are sufficiently skilled to get their serve in 100% of the time regardless of the method they use. A great way to improve your serve is to have a coach watch you serving and to point out errors. Repetitive practice and adopting the coach’s advice will delivery results in the shortest possible time.

Float serve

Stand roughly a foot behind the endline.

Face a forty five degree angle with your front foot pointing forward and your opposite foot almost point sideways with the weight on your back foot.

Hold the ball in the hand that is not hitting the ball straight in front of you at about waist height.

Have your hitting arm slightly bent, pointing upwards behind your head.

Toss the ball a little over head height about one foot in front of you with no spin.

Shift weight to front foot or step forward and hit the back of the ball straight on with your palm.

Finish with your hand facing forward, do not follow all the way through.

You can change the distance of the serve by slowing down (shorten) or quickening (lengthen) your arm swing.  Make sure that you do not step over the end line, that it a foot fault. You may want to adjust where you stand if this is a problem.  Keep your eye on the ball,  it will help keep you from mishitting the ball.  Keep your wrist firm so as not to absorb any of the power behind the ball.

Jump serve

Position yourself. Stand behind the back line so when serving you try to approach the line.

Start with your right foot forward if you are right handed and your left foot forward if you are left handed. You will take a three step approach just as if you were going to spike the ball. left, right, left. Put the ball in the same hand you will hit it.

Look at the positions the players on the other side of the net are standing. Try to aim and hit where it may be opened.

Toss the Ball in the air. Make sure the toss is in front of you. Throw it high enough but not to the point when you can’t reach the ball or miss it.

Jump when the time is right so you won’t miss the ball.

Extend your arm and hit it. Hit the center of the volleyball for a good throw. When hitting it try to hit it with your hand flat on the palm of your hand. This is like attempting a spike.