How to Perfect a Volleyball Serve

By Pakmen Volleyball Staff

A serve is a key element of a volleyball game. Whether you play volleyball professionally or play recreational volleyball, you have to master the art of serving. Every volleyball team has its own servers. Volleyball players should constantly try to improve their serve.

Volleyball players should get the most out of a serve during the match. A serve can become an effective tool for a volleyball team. With a powerful and an accurate serve, a volleyball player can organize an effective attack from the very beginning.

In this blog, we are going to provide tips that volleyball players need to follow to perfect a volleyball serve. We’ll tell you what it takes to be a good server. In addition, we’ll explain what type of volleyball serve training you need and what you can do to get better at serving.

So, let’s get started.

Learn the Basics of a Volleyball Serve

Mastering the art of serving begins with learning the basics. Initially, you have to learn how to serve a ball. After that, you have to develop an advanced serving technique.

A serve requires some preparation. First of all, a volleyball player has to position himself/herself on the court correctly. An athlete has to stand on the court with one foot forward and try to achieve balance.

At the next stage, a volleyball player has to toss the ball with one hand. Also, an athlete has to pull other his hand back. Volleyball player’s elbow has to be bent.

A volleyball player has to select the right moment to serve the ball. When a moment to serve the ball comes, a volleyball player has to swing his/her arm forward and hit the ball quickly.

It’s crucial for a volleyball server to contact the ball correctly. It’s necessary to serve the ball when it’s high. A volleyball player has to hit the ball in the center. Make sure that a ball will have a flat trajectory after a serve.

Improve Toss for a Serve

A serve begins with tossing a ball. A volleyball player will be able to make an ideal serve only if he/she tosses the ball correctly. On the other hand, it will be hard to make an ideal serve if don’t toss the ball for a serve in the right way. If you would like to perfect a volleyball serve, you have to perfect toss.

When you toss the ball, the ball shouldn’t go either too high or too low. If the ball goes too high, you will find it difficult to contact the ball and make the perfect serve. If the ball goes too low, you will make a weak serve. In this case, you will have no time to make a serve.

It would be great for a server to practice toss regularly. This type of training will allow you to learn how to toss the ball correctly over time. So, a ball will constantly go to the same place. As a result, you will manage to make the perfect serve and hit the ball forcefully and accurately.

Master Different Types of Serves

There are different types of serves in the sport of volleyball. Keep in mind that your opponents will find it difficult to predict your game if you serve differently during the game. It would be great to learn different types of serves such as jump serve, float serve and topspin serve. If you learn these types of serves, you will manage to add variety to your strategy. Bear in mind that your opponents will make mistakes if you have different types of serves in your arsenal.

Different situations may happen on the court during the game of volleyball. So, you have to serve the ball depending on the situation. If you master different types of serves, then you have to analyze the situation carefully during the game and make the ideal serve.

Do you need to make an aggressive serve during the game? Have you tossed the ball too high? If so, you have to make a jump serve. This type of serve requires a jump. It’s necessary to approach to the ball, jump high in the air and make a serve.

Would you like a ball to go in an unpredictable direction after a serve? If so, you have to make a float serve. When making a float serve, it’s incredibly important to have a solid and even contact with a ball. In this case, spin will be minimized.

Would you like to make a serve after which a ball will drop down quickly? In this case, you have to make a serve that combines hitting the ball and topspin. In other words, you have to make a topspin serve. Keep in mind that your opponents will find it difficult to handle a fast-moving ball. So, you will have a chance to earn an additional point and contribute greatly to your team’s success.

Practice Serving to Different Parts of the Court

When serving a ball, you have to make it difficult for your opponents to handle the ball. That’s why you have to serve the ball to different parts of the court. As a result, it will be difficult for your opponents to guess where the ball will go and where it will be landed on the court.

Volleyball players can cause their opponents to move on the court. If, for example, you make short serves, then your opponents have to move closer to the net. However, your opponents will have to go back if you make deep serves.

Strengthen Core Muscles and Shoulder Muscles

It’s difficult to handle a hard-driven ball after a serve. That’s why it’s so important to serve the ball with a lot of power. It’s important to know that the power of serving depends a lot on certain muscles.

It’s necessary to strengthen serving muscles for volleyball. If you have strong core muscles and strong shoulder muscles, then you will find it easy to make the perfect serve.

A volleyball server has to get the right type of training. Exercises like planks, shoulder presses as well as the exercises with a resistance band have to be a part of volleyball player’s training program. If you perform these volleyball exercises regularly, then you will be able to make powerful and accurate serves over time.

Learn From Experienced Volleyball Servers

You should watch how experienced volleyball players make serves and analyze their serving techniques carefully. This type of analysis will help you improve your serving technique, develop serving skills successfully and, most importantly, become a better volleyball server.

There are different ways to learn from experienced volleyball servers. It’s a good idea to attend volleyball matches. So, you’ll be able to see the performance of volleyball servers in real time. It would be great to watch videos of volleyball matches online as well. While watching videos of volleyball games, you’ll see how servers do their work on the court. You can watch videos slowly to analyze the most important moments of the game carefully. While watching videos of volleyball games, you can make a pause when such a need arises.

Develop Volleyball Serving Skills Regularly

It’s crucial to develop volleyball serving skills consistently. Regular practice makes it possible for volleyball players to develop volleyball serving skills. A volleyball player should spend some time to develop serving skills during training sessions. It’s necessary to add serving drills to volleyball player’s training program. A volleyball player has to work on his/her serve regularly to make it perfect.

Get Ready for a Game Mentally

You have to be mentally well-prepared to be able to make perfect serves. While making a serve, you need to concentrate on the technique. It would be great to bounce the ball couple of times before making a serve. It’s a good idea to take a deep breath before making a serve. You can also visualize the path of a serve before hitting the ball. This will help you plan a serve successfully in advance. You can practice volleyball serving drills at home or attend a gym to join a volleyball team. Mastering the art of serving requires some planning. So, develop a training plan and stick to it.

Final Thoughts

Thank you so much for reading this article. Every volleyball team needs strong servers. Every volleyball server has to train hard to be able to make perfect serves. You shouldn’t fall into despair if you can’t develop a serving technique quickly. Keep in mind that it takes some time to become a better volleyball server. If you would like to become a better server, then you have to train consistently and keep special focus on serving skills. Follow our tips to get the most out of your training efforts and improve your serving skills.

Best of luck!