All volleyball players come here!! help me?

Question

i really want to make the school volleyball team this year. im pretty good at everything.....except serving!!!!i cant get my overhand seve over the net and most of the time my underhand serve goes the wrong way! HELP!! how can i get better @ serving?

Answer 1

NEVER USE A FIST!!! your fingers make a very bumpy serface and it's a lot harder to control.  That is a horrible habit to start!  Try taking more steps in your approach (yes there is an approach in serving too!)  i'm not sure what your coach has taught you, but when i finally got it, i used the "step, toss, step hit" method.  take a step with your left foot, then toss the ball up about 2 feet (not too high or you won't have as much control over it), then take a step with your right foot while swinging through with your right hand using the palm of your hand ( NO FIST)....practicing this approach without the ball first is helpful because it makes it easier for it to flow.  When you can do that part well, add the ball and just practice up to the toss.  If you need more practice, you can practice just tossing and hitting to get your toss in your perfect spot.  If this approach still does not give enough power, then take a few steps before starting this approach.  If you keep it smooth, every step with give you more power.

Within these steps, i learned the "bow-and-arrow" method for my arms.  After you can do that approach smoothly, add this to your arms (or while you learn that so you don't practice wrong-- Practicing wrong is worse than not practicing): pretend you're holding a bow and arrow.  Then, tilt your left hand parallel to the ground (as if holding a ball).  Next, pull your right arm back as if pulling the bow back.  This will keep your body in line and help you get strength from where it is being produced (it's being produced in your steps so you don't need to rely on your arm strength).  Then bring your arm straight up, and then hit the ball.  Some players like to start with their right hand resting on the ball (that the left is holding) because it keeps them more in line.  If you do this, be sure you are not holding the ball at all with your right hand.

I never liked underhand serving.  I could never do that.  I probably still can't.  Before i could overhand serve, my coach taught me the side serve.  It is much like the underhand serve, but to your side:  Face the right side wall, hold the ball with a straight arm in your left arm around your belly botton level.  Then swing your right arm to hit the ball over the net keeping both arms straight.  If you can make a fairly flat fist, this is the ONLY time you could use it.  Since the ball is stationary when you make contact, after practicing a lot it will help.

(if you are a lefty, switch right a left every time i typed it)

i hope this helps....let me know if you need more detail and i'd be happy to word this in a different way.

Answer 2

Fist of all I was in your shoes last year and then my PE teacher helped me the whole year, and now I am the leader of my Freshman volleyball team!

1. A toss: Make it high and throw it to your hitting shoulder

2. Take a step as you through

3. Hit the ball in front of you, not behind you

4. follow through

This took me 1 month to get used to but now I am a power server

Answer 3

Draw a line (or find a line) on the wall of the gym that is about the same height as the volleyball net.  Then start by standing close to that line and try hitting the ball overhand over the line.  When you have mastered that, step back and continue doing that until you are standing the same distance from the line as you normally would from the net.  Using the wall keeps you from having to chase the ball all over the place.  Also, remember to not worry about power at first, just getting it over the net.  Eventually, you will be able to crush it over the net like I do!

Answer 4

Okay, I, like you, had a terrible time trying to serve. What I did was hire a college player and he helped me A LOT! Here's some tips:

1. You get most of your power to hit the ball by taking a step just before you hit it, and leaning into the ball as you hit it.

2. Make sure you hit the ball at it's highest extent in the air. My highschool coach says a proper sever should be standing on their tippy-toes to reach the ball

3. Before you try hitting the ball, make sure your stance is correct. If you're right handed, your right foot should be paralell with the line and your left foot should be pointing towards it, ready to take a step

4. Before tossing the ball, pick a spot in the center of the ball. I pick the area that you shove the needle in to pump air, so try that too. Place your index finger on top of it, and make sure that your eyes don't leave the ball as you toss it. When you hit the ball, your hand should be stiff and flat, smacking right on the opposite side of where your index finger was. If you hit it correctly, the ball should float over the net and you should be able to see the spot you hit the ball, so it won'nt be spinning.

5. Keep in mind that a good float serve takes practice, and it may spin for a while until you get it right

Hope that helped! I'm on the frosh/soph team at my highschool and am now learning a jump serve! Good luck making your team!

Answer 5

well what I did was take my volleyball and went outside and just started hitting the heck out of the ball (overhand). I'd hit it with all my might and if it was ok......then that would probably have been an ok serve, and underhand I just started practicing my aim and that kinda helped too, now I'm like one of the best on my team =D

Answer 6

What you need to do is go to a dance studio or someplace like that and just watch yourself as your doing it. If you cant do that just use a big rook with a net and just keep pratcing. It makes you a stronger player and more confident in yourself.

Answer 7

the first thing u need ta know about serving is...u have to get a good toss!! if u r right handed u would hold the ball in your left hand ...& if u r left handed hold tha ball in your right hand...then extend your arm & toss the ball into the air...extend your ..right/left arm & hit the ball open handed...try to hit tha ball w/ the palm of your hand....once you get if over 10times from a position close to tha net..move back 5 steps & get tha ball over 10times from that position ...& continue....if strength is the issue then try lifting weights or doing pushups..

hope this helps ya...good luck~!~

Answer 8

when serving, try not to throw the ball up, it might help. also, hit the middle of the ball and aim toward the middle of the other side.

Answer 9

Well the first step to over hand serving is knowing wether or not you are strong enough to get the ball over. For this, try and throw the ball over head with one hand to see whther or not  the ball can really go over. If it can, the main thing to remeber is to keep your elbow high. First just try and see if you can pop the ball over the net, it does not matter wether it is a lolipop serve, because you can work on that. But if the ball does not go over, then its a matter of strength. so work on your arm muscles. and when you hit the ball step into the ball, but do not pass the ball so that you hit the ball behind your head.

Answer 10

Most people have a hard time getting the ball over the net on an over-hand serve due to the toss. You don't need much power. When you toss the ball, don't toss it directly above you because then you have to arch your back and you're really hitting the ball behind you. Start by just tossing the ball. When the ball falls, it should bounce on the floor about 12 inches in front of you foot, on the side of your serving arm. Once you got your toss down, just start hitting it. Also, if you place the hole (where you pump the ball up) facing towards the ceiling and can toss the ball without a spin, that'll help carry the ball. Anytime you place the hole in a certain spot, it'll cause the ball to do different things. Once you get the hang of the over-hand serve, try placing the hole down, once the ball travels over the net, you'll see a rapid drop. By placing it on either side will cause the ball to wiggle back and forth as it travels, making it very difficult to receive. Good luck with the team!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 11

Rich C

Level 2

At your age you want to stay away from a jump serve. There are 2 way to generate an effective over-hand serve first is a flat serve where you strike the ball as squarly as possible in the center of the ball. You want to cause no rotation of the ball. This has the same effect as a knuckle ball in baseball. The other is a heavy top spin serve the reason you want to serve with top spin is that it allows you to serve harder and still get the ball in. To generate topspin you need to strike the ball with in the center of the ball just above your wrist, as you follow through you snap you wrist through the ball and this generates the top spin. You can practice this by yourself up against a wall. Stand 6-8 feet from the wall and strike the ball with as much top spin as you can trying to make it land 2 feet from the wall and then kick up as it comes back to you strike it again you can do this over and over to get the feel for putting top spin on the ball. Good Luck.

Answer 12

go out into your garage ( hopfully u have one) and practice serving the ball from about 30 feet back from the wall, then try to get it as high as u can without touching the ceiling, i have the same problem as you i'm good at everything except serving, and this helped me a lot, also don't just hit it over when you are at a game, consentrate and think about what you are doing, you've got enough time! i hope you do well!

Answer 13

keep practicing and maybe do some stuff to make that arm stronger. just keep ur wrist firm and dont twist or come across ur body. trust me it will work i was one of the best servers on my team when i was playing a couple of years ago!

Answer 14

just keep practicing and practicing and i know that you will make the team.

i played volleyball last year

but i had surgery over the summer and i didn't make it in time for the try outs and plus i didn't practice all summer

Answer 15

You should practice everyday and try your best. You should start as far back away from the net and serve over hand then scoot back when you get ten serves over and just keep on doing that over and over.

Answer 16

draw a line and what you do is you have a 2 sticks or somthing about 5 feet and 3 inches tall. Practice serving the more you practice the better you are at it. You can also take a volley ball and put it in your right hand if your a lefty and put it in the left hand i your a righty. Take the opposite hand and lightly tap it. Every time you tap after about every ten hit a little harder and keep doing that untill you get over those sticks. You don't really need the sticks unless you want to practice. Do the same with over hand toss it up than just lightley tap it with your fist but exept 10 do every 20 to you think you're to serve overhand.

Answer 17

maybe use a fist ion the serving overhand gets more power

Answer 18

When overhand serving, your key words should be:

toss and draw, step and swing.

Most the time, girls forget to draw their arm back therefore they are just half swinging making the ball barely hit the net.

Make sure you have good contact on the ball, too.

If you don't throw a softball correctly, it is difficult to overhand serve. You may want to stick with the underhand serve or overhead, sidearm floater...which is the easiest.

Answer 19

when i was trying out for my team...i had a similar problem...what i started doing was taking my time...i realized that everytime i was serving i was rushing myself...i also just practiced hitting the ball harder...after i worked on those 2 things...my serve just started getting better, and now i am one of the best servers on my team!