Overhand Volleyball Serve How Do You Get A Powerful Volleyball Serve?

To control the game with a tough overhand volleyball serve face your target, visualize yourself serving, toss the same way every time, and serve like you spike. 

You need to develop a tough overhand volleyball serve. 

The serve

• starts the rally in a game and
• its the first opportunity to score a point

so from your coach's point of view

• if you don't have a tough serve
• that could possibly score instant points for the team

why should they let you in the game to play back row?

Basic serving skills will get you on the court. A tough overhand volleyball serve will help you stay on the court longer. 

As a coach I can tell you that having a tough serve can increase your playing time, BIG TIME!

If you go behind the service line and can serve  2-3 aces a game, YOU will be in every game for sure!

Learning some of these serving techniques and skills should be a priority for you regardless of your position, your height or your skill level. 

Many of the requests for learning how to serve have to do with the overhand volleyball serve.

One of the most traditional overhand serves and one of the most difficult for players to pass is the float serve.

Develop a tough overhand volleyball serve and you can control the game, its that simple. 

Here are four ways on how to do that.

• Face your target
• Visualize yourself serving
• Toss the same way every time
• Serve like you spike

Face your target. 

When you are preparing to serve the float serve, you want to show everybody in the gym where you intend to serve the ball. 

Pointing your body in one direction and then serving to another area on the court rarely “fakes out” the players in serve receive.

You will always be off-balance, and this will increase your chances of 

• serving out
• making a bad contact with the ball or
• into the net

Be sure that your

• lower body---hips and waist along with your
• upper body---chest, shoulders and arms

are all facing your intended target once

• you've started and once 
• you've finished

your serving action.

Let that passer know that you are serving them.

Trust me, let that passer think about what kinds of trouble your serve is about to cause her.

Then serve the ball aggressively, straight ahead to your target.

Be the server who serves the ball to score a point, not the one who serves the ball just to start the game.

Visualize yourself serving a tough volleyball serve that lands in the court, right to the specific position you are aiming for. 

Use the power of visualization as an effective mental tool before you serve.

See yourself going through the motions of your serving technique when you are off the court, so that when you are on the court, every serving motion comes naturally. 

Believe it or not, this is a great way of conducting your serving practice when you are outside or away from the gym.

It's critical when you proceed through all of the serving steps, that you toss the ball the same way every time you serve. 

• Create a ritual that you will perform each time you serve so you don't rush your serving process.

That ritual could be

• bouncing the ball three times in a row
• taking a breath
• followed by pointing your hip and tossing arm in the direction you want to serve 

before serving.

Whatever your tossing ritual is, work it out so you do the same thing every time.

This helps you

• settle your brain down and
• increase your focus and concentration

especially if you have to serve after a long rally.

Before you serve, you can follow two types of serving strategies. You can decide to either

• going for a point or 
• just place the ball strategically so that your team that's on defense will do the rest.

If you decide that you are going to begin the play by attacking with your serve...

...then develop the ability to maintain the same mentality with your deep serves that you have with your spike.

Get aggro!  Be aggressive.  

Many players mistakenly think that every serve of the ball should be just to start the rally.

This type of serve looks like an easy lob, high over the net just to get the ball over, to let the other team start the play.

In reality, your serve should first be used to score a point for your own team.

Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball serving drills we do in class with my followers.

Many of these volleyball practice drills you can do at home by yourself or try at your next practice with your teammates.

If you're a B team or JV player trying to make varsity next year...your goal should be to complete 1000 reps a day of at least three of the basic skills on your own...volleyball passing, serving and setting should be at the top of the list. 

Where do you need to go now? Here are two options: 

1. Learn more about Volleyball Training by exploring the Related Links below. 
2. Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page  Learning How To Play (Sitemap)

1. Improve Your Volleyball Performance with Vegas VB Coach April Chapple
 ›
2. Volleyball Training How Do You Train For Volleyball With Coach April?
 ›
3. Volleyball Basics: Six Essential Skills Varsity Players Have To Know

Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!