Hit with palm or whole hand?

Question

When executing an overhand serve, is it best to hit the ball with your whole hand (fingers and metacarpal area) or just with the palm?

Answer 1

It really depends on what type of serve you are trying to do.  

The floater is contacted with the palm (best way) or the heel of the hand.  Your hand should be flat.  Any contact with the fingers will cause some spin.  Any spin on a floater limits the effectiveness.  An attempted floater with a little spin is easy to pass.  

The topspin serve is contacted just like the spike.  Use the entire hand.  The fingers will help put the topspin on the ball and will bring it down into the court.  Your hand should be cupped.  Whatever you do on a topspin serve, do not "try" to force it to spin.  That usually means a serve that hits the back wall.  Your contact with the hand will make the spin.

Answer 2

our coach tells us to hit with our whole hand, but i tend to hit with my palm and i still have plenty of power.

Answer 3

Either way will work if your more comfortable with just hitting with your palm then do it. Though hitting the ball with your whole hand will give you more power and better direction. And even when you hit with your whole hand the majority of the contact should be with the palm

Answer 4

The lower part of your hand. Just above your wrist. When I tried out for the volleyball team in school, I had never played tennis before. I saw all these other girls that look natural while serving but I just couldn't get it over the net. I asked this girl how to serve it good and she showed me. So I used as much force as I can and smacked it and "luckily" it went over. It didn't work the second try because I had no idea where on my hand to hit it best. It helps it get over the net.

Answer 5

The ball should be contacted with your whole hand, fingers spread.  It should make the shape of the ball.  You will have much more control.

Answer 6

If you use your whole hand you can generate spin (top, side or back), The fingers make contact therefore more surface area is affected by the action. This also leads to more control for both distance and accuracy. If you use you palm it does increase the power, it also make the ball "float" if hit with out spin. This method is less accurate though. It really depends on what you want to get out of your serve and the weaknesses the opposition have in service receival.

Answer 7

Just the palm.   If you meet the ball with your fingers and the palm, it actually decreases the power because the force is spread out over more area of the ball.   Striking with just the palm delivers more speed at impact.

Answer 8

Well, the core of your it is the palm, but usually the whole hand will come into contact with the ball as well, so I say whole hand.  It's the same as hitting.  It makes it easier to snap if you want topspin and just a more solid hit in general.

Answer 9

Depends upon the type of serve.  Floating it will have less of the hand contacting it, where a serve that has topspin will need more of the hand to contact it for the spin.

You also need to remember that the more of the hand that contacts the ball, the more control you have over where it goes.  I would experiment to see what works for you.  Personally, I use my entire hand for my serve.  It comes hard, and it drops fast.  Not too many like to return my serve because of that.  I also have a floater, but I use my strong serve more.

Answer 10

Mostly the palm.

If you're putting topspin on it, the fingers contact the ball during the wrist snap.

If you're doing a float serve (no spin), only incidental contact with the fingers.  I'm not a ref, but it seems like significant finger use on a floater would be a carry.

Answer 11

with your palm

Answer 12

An overhand serve, like an attack, should be contacted with your whole hand, fingers spread. This will allow you to contact the ball in a consistant spot increasing the control and accuracy of your serving.

Answer 13

Definately your whole hand.  If you tend to just hit it with your fingers, it means your fingers aren't stiff enough.  As long as your hand is stiff and you snap your wrist you should be fine.  But definately whole hand.

Answer 14

Whole hand.  It'll give you more power and better control.