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.