How To Serve In Volleyball

How to serve in volleyball is not complicated for there are three standard techniques which can be accomplished by beginners to advance players. The more you practice and play, the better your serve will be until you can score an “ace,” which means the ball hits the ground on the other side untouched by the opposing team. Volleyball is a sport for all ages so everyone should learn how to serve.

1. Underhanded. This volleyball serve technique is easily accomplished by all ages. Place one foot in front of the other. Hold the ball in the palm of one hand (left hand if you’re right-handed or vice versa) with the elbow bent and hand out in front of you. Ball a fist with your other hand and then turn your fist to face upward. Your hit spot is away from your fingers. Swing your arm behind your body then take a small step forward. Slightly toss (and we mean slightly) the ball up and swing underneath to hit the ball. The serve arcs upward high over the net. You don’t need to swing hard, but with just enough force for the ball to cross over the net. If you want to have a little fun with this serve, hit the ball as hard as you can and as high as you can. That always gets the other team heated under the collar, because it is like trying to catch a fly ball in baseball. Hilarious fun, uh, for you, but maybe not so much for the other team.
2. Floater. This serve is more for the intermediate player. Place one foot in front of the other. Toss the ball high straight up in front of you with a straight arm out. Take one small step forward and bring your other arm behind you, bent like a baseball pitcher would bend his arm. Hit the ball dead smack in the center of the it while it’s still high over your head. It’s a quick tap. You hit the ball with the palm of your hand, but for greater effect, keep your fingers spread out. The key is to hit the middle of the ball for it to “float” from side-to-side as it crosses the net. With practice, this is one fierce service technique.
3. Top Spin. This is for the experienced player who’s got the chops to pull it off. Use the same beginning technique as the floater; however, instead of hitting the middle of the ball, you hit the top of the ball as it is still high up in the air and slightly behind you. Hit the ball with the palm of the hand but with fingers glued together like in a karate chop. The Top spin requires a whip action with the wrist as you snap at the ball. The force causes the ball to spin downward as it crosses the net making it very difficult to defend.

Whether you learn how to serve in volleyball underhanded, floater or topspin the name of the game is to have fun. It also is fun to keep the opposing team guessing where the ball will land so try to aim at different sides of the opposing court. One day, with enough practice, you just might score an ace!