Volleyball: How do you get rid of your nerves when you serve?

Question

I am a extremely good server, and i love to serve I can serve a serve with a top spin, a floater and just a really hard powerful serve I can also control it very well. But when ever I'm serving game point or when i serve when we're behind I get extremely nervous i don't miss it but I have actually asked coach to not put me in for serving.

Do you do this?

How do you calm down?

Answer 1

I've had the same problem (except it's not in tough situations-its the easy ones-i thrive under pressure) . I've tried thinking "don't miss" and I miss- I end up psyching myself out. Clearing my head would help sometimes, but the thing that made me serve out 3 games in a row (with tough serves, i am not too modest to mention) is singing the song Superstar (Lupe Fiasco) in my head. I've made every serve with that song. But songs probably work in general-Superstar was just my choice.  i <3 that song

Don't ask your coach to not put you into serve!!!!!! You need to want it!

Answer 2

i get the same way. i'm an amazing server as well. can hit top spin, floater with great power, and i can serve to any spot.

what i try to do. is just take a deep breathe, exhale and serve. pretend its not game point, thats what everyone says. just cuz its game point dont mean its differnt from every other point. just serve the ball like you'd do the first point of the game. dont over think it too much!

Answer 3

do you have a routine that you do everytime you serve? if not, get a routine and concentrate on doing that when you serve, don't think about anything else. for example, i bounce the ball 2 times and take a deep breath before I serve. oh, and deep breaths work too :]

good luck with your nerves! i hope this helps

Answer 4

oh man! i have the same problem. i am the best server on my team by far. i just s***w up just b4 i hit the ball. my coach taught me a neat idea. close your eyes b4 and visualize you hitting the ball perfectly to an empty court.  Open and block out all sounds and toss.

(it sounds retarded but it works!)

Answer 5

Just take a deep breath. And if you miss its not the end. I get nervous too but you just have to calm dow.

Answer 6

When i was put on the spot, which happened a lot actually, i just concentrated on the court, not the score. Don't think about missing or any of that, make the court be your main focus and where you wanna put it.

Answer 7

sometimes it helps if u just pause and dribble the ball a few times.  This helps to focus just on the ball.

Answer 8

that has happened to me soo many times...and im not even that good of a server..wat i do is just take a deep breath, relax, and forget all the fans and all the players cheering me on or watever..then focus on the spot where i want to serve..i no how hard it is..especially with the pressure of those really close games. and if u do mess up, never, ever, EVER blame it on urself if u lose, because then u bring ur whole team's spirits down, too

Answer 9

Take a deep breath.  

Visualization is a good tool as well.  Mentally picture the good toss and the serve going where you want it.  

You are worrying about missing the serve.  Never think about missing the serve.  Always think positively.  Think about making the serve.  

Just watch the ball.  Many serves are missed because the player looks at the court instead of the ball.  I tell players that the court has never moved.  Why watch it?  Watch the ball and concentrate on the ball alone.

Answer 10

This is a natural nervous reaction.  Everyone in this situation will be under pressure and occasionally choke, but it's not just you.  And trust me, I know something about being very nervous ;).

Every time before I serve, I grab the ball with both hands, face sideways and bounce the ball close to the ground a few times.  I pick it up, slowly walk forward, toss the ball with two hands, jump, and hit the ball like a float (my serve is a jump float).  If you have a routine like this, do it every time.  If you don't,  just remember what you do the next time you have a good serve and do it every time.

Just forget about the fact that it's a match, don't look at anything except your coach so they can tell you where to serve, and then look at that area.  Forget that anybody is watching, pretend it's just a little serving competition during practice, so you want to make the serve well, but don't want to try anything crazy.  Do your routine, and just serve.  Next thing you know, you've served, you're back to the match, and you had a great serve.

Answer 11

I got this piece of advice from my grade 12 volleyball coach.  It helped me so much when I was nervous serving.

Imagine there is a fish bowl, or a bowl of water in your belly.  Only serve when you feel that the water is calm and leveled.

It really helps because you focus on something else rather than serving and being nervous.  It also helps because imagining a calm bowl of water also calms your nerves at the same time.

Answer 12

OK, same situation over here. Just ignore everyone else and focus on the form of your serve. Don't think about anything else. If it helps, think of a volleyball player who you idolize and focus on how precise and crisp the motion is. Just remember this: Be your best, do your best, and no regrets.

Answer 13

well sometimes i get butterflys in my stomach and i just kinda hit my self in the stomach to make them go away.

Answer 14

i take a deep breath right before i toss it. i concentrate on what i'm doing right now, not what is happening outside the game. most importantly, i take my time when it comes to the serve. in high school, you have 8 seconds to serve. it doesn't sound like a lot of time, but in reality it is. just remember that you are a good server and that you've done this a million times beforehand. there's no difference between serving this ball in a game and in practice. :] good luck