I love volleyball but how can I improve my serve?

Question

When I hit it my hand always slips and it makes a loud sound and sometimes never goes over the net! My coach threatens to move me to setter and I'm even worse. Any tips to inprove my serve?

Answer 1

ok well i had a similar problem  all you have to do is get a good toss make sure its not spinning that causes problems and then if you are right handed put your LEFT foot forward and make sure to follow threw and then if left handed then put RIGHT foot forward this keeps your balance and then put all your weight on your back foot and get a good high toss then swing make sure your hand is OPEN and swing really hard also make sure you are up far enough and are concentrating no laughing

Answer 2

Practice your motion with a balloon, it helped me. Just concentrate and practice against a wall.

Answer 3

If your not good at overhand serving try underhand. You really need to get a good perfection on underhand to really focus on the drive and force needed to serve overhand.   You might also be nervous try calming yourself down,  set your mind on your hands and it's weird I know, but sing your favorite song to yourself.  It takes your mind off your serve style and more on the feel of your body movement. Strange, that your coach would have you set if your not good at it, that is usually a key position. You need to have a good eye for the ball to be a good setter, it's not always that easy.

In court volleyball there are usually no regulations concerning the type of serve you do, so just really work on that underhand serve, make sure you can do it with your eyes closed. Then when you feel that you have that done, and your getting it over the net, move yourself forward to the overhand.  When doing overhand really watch the ball and think about where your hands are.  Remember! Follow through, follow through, follow through! I can't say that enough.  Also, remember to step Into your serve, that will give you a ton of momentum that you can't gain with arm motion alone. Use your entire arm and and keep your body straightforward as you step into your serve. This goes for underhand as well.  Imagine hitting the seam of the ball and really setting it down into your opponent’s territory.    Don't hurry yourself in perfecting a serve, my first season it took me a couple of months,  but after that I went from JV to Varsity as a freshman.  Just really practice your serving drills with your friends. That's the fastest way to learn. When the pressure of scrimmage or a game is on,  you lose all of your focus and in serving for volleyball that's what counts. Focus is the whole game.  Watch the AVP tour and watch how the women really focus on their game. Without focus you don't have anything.

If anything, talk to your coach and his him for help, he is a called a coach for a reason! Anyhow, best wishes to you! I'm sure before you know it you'll be the player all the other teams fear!

Answer 4

If you are a right handed server plant your RIGHT foot forward. Then, as you toss the ball, step forward at the same time with your LEFT foot. Now, your entire body will be moving with a forward momentum toward the far court. Guess what? Without any great refinement on the toss and contact of the ball, you will see an immediate increase in distance, because the laws of physics demand that greater force makes the object go further.

(if left handed.... do it opposite)

For your toss and contact:

for now until you get the hang of it, toss the ball using 2 hands and release the ball at eye level. until you know you can serve consistently try to keep your toss at 5-6 ft in the air.. as you get better you can switch to a one handed and lower toss...

Bring the hitting arm back with elbow high and thumb down (the archery position). Contact the ball high with the palm shaped around the ball (middle of palm to middle to ball), following through the swing toward the intended target.

Now that you know this... go practice over and over again and you will gradually see improvement with your serve. If you don't always have access to a volleyball court with the net set up just practice you toss with the step as well as contacting high by hitting it against a wall repeatedly.

If your coach does end up putting you as a setter... i answered someones question on ways to improve as a setter and you can read that:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 5

i luv volleyball to but to improve ur serve the main key is practice practice practice that is how i triend my serve and it worked

Answer 6

well i needed a lot of help with my serves too, and i found that if u hit it like u are spiking, then it goes farther. practice hitting well and remember to contact the ball high and keep your arm together. maybe try the bow and arrow technique, ask ur coach about that or me if he/she doesn't know. you'll get more power into it.

Answer 7

I absolutely love volleyball. Alot. but i`m not exactly the volleyball expert. Maybe it has something to do with how high you toss the ball, or your hand position. I would say just practice. I don't exactly know what to though b/c I`ve never had that problem.

Answer 8

keEP ON pRCtIcING oN  a dAiLy bAsiS...

Answer 9

good toss and hit the ball with the palm of your hand!

Answer 10

Try snapping your wrist....just keep practicing...if you have too, serve it with your fist...

Answer 11

make sure you get a good toss. And hit the ball with the palm of your hand as high as your hand will reach. With a bad,low toss, it usually goes straight into the net.

Answer 12

consistency is hard 2 attain. but try and hit it w/ u palm. also, sometimes its not ur hand that is the problem; its the toss. experiment a little, but try and make ur toss not 2 high. the only way 2 rlyy get it is practice. so stay after practice and hit against the wall 4 awhile. the coach w/ c u trying and u'll get better. best of luck 2 u!!