How to make my overhand serve better?

Question

Any tips for making my overhand serve better? I just got it over and I have figured out that if I toss it too high it doesn't make it over. Is there anyway I can make it go faster or harder to get?

Answer 1

you have to move your arm faster and keep your elbow high

Answer 2

1> Position yourself so that your weight is more on your right foot.

2> "Lock up" your feet so that you cannot move your right foot, and only move your left foot forward.

3> Move your left foot half step forward (or make no move) while tossing the ball (with no spin).

4> The ball should be tossed above your reach level but not too high. At the same time, drag your right hand over your right shoulder and have your palm (no fist) next to your ear, with elbow at the same height. Your body should now face the right side, and should be kept upright (unless you are really short and you want to serve "up").

5> Swing your right arm, make contact at the center back of the ball with your open-palm. You may make the contact at a lower spot on the ball, and make a "sky serve". Make sure that your arm is straight and your palm is open.

6> Follow thru with your swinging-arm, while/after making contact with the ball, your weight should move over to your left foot.

7> Run to your "base" position and get ready for defense.

Answer 3

What the other guy said is important about getting a routine. Get yourself a routine and notice what you're doing. Now, try something different (change your toss, strike a diff part of the ball, etc) and notice what happens to your serve. Keep practicing and seeing what happens if you do something different. Once you figure out what works for you, do it the same EVERY TIME. The most important part of that is the toss.. make sure that's the same everytime you serve.

In terms of getting your serve to go harder, one thing is your arm strength. Keep serving every day and that alone will build your arm strength.

More importantly is learn to use your torso for power. Imagine if you drew an imaginary line between your left and right shoulders and extending forwards and backward into the court. Before your toss, that line should point almost directly straight forward. When you strike the ball, that line should now be parallel to the service line, if not, even past that. That path that your right shoulder traveled (if you're right handed), make sure your toss is lined up with where your shoulder will be.. not where it was before the toss, not in front of your left shoulder (where the toss started from).

Let me know if you'd like me to clarify any of that..

Answer 4

Get a routine.  Wether you bounce the ball, shift your feet, blow your breath, what-have-you.  I don't use a routine, but it works for most people.  

Next time you practice serving, spend 15 to 20 serves determining how high you should throw the ball.  Then ALWAYS throw it that high as part of your routine.

When you hit the ball, cup your hand.  You can get more speed with a fist, but you can't control a fist serve.

But realize, speed is not as effective as 1) aiming and 2) special effects.

1.  Aiming:  Serve the ball in the exact middle between two receivers. That's usually good for 1 free point each time you come up to serve.  Serving between a player and the line is almost always a gimme.  So too is nailing the corner.  Obviously, you never aim at the edges, but fairly close to allow for error.

2.  Special effects.  

  - Top spin: the ball clears the net then drops short of the receiver.

  - Curve and drop: top spin at a 30-45 degree angle.  the ball clears the net and drops after curving left.  That gets me anywhere from 2 to 12 aces a row against lower to intermediate players.

  - no spin:  hit the ball in the middle.  try hitting the ball a) on the valve and b) with the valve 90 degrees to the side and c) opposite the side you hit.  The ball goes over the net and dances around in random directions.  It may shift left, then right, then a little up, the left again before it gets to the receiver.  It's very hard for begginers and some intermediate players to return.

  - back spin:  this typically is something you throw in when you see them starting to cheat up to handle your top-spin.  The ball clears the net, dips, then seems to level out.  This fakes the receiver to step up to the dropping ball, then it doesn't drop but floats and hits them in the chest or neck.

  - flat smack.  Basically step back 7 feet from the edge.  Hit the ball straight as hard as you can.  Don't try for a top spin--maybe just a little until you master it. But otherwise it's just a natural contact.  The amazing thing that this serve does--when you learn to control it--is that it always lands 2 to 4 feet from the back court line, but AFTER flying over the net at very high speed.  You have to make sure it doesn't get a back spin.

Answer 5

Don't throw it to high and lean into it when you hit it, it helps to take like three steps and on the second step toss it up and lean into it when you hit it.