Volleyball Serves What're The 4 Types of Overhand Serves in Volleyball

The 4 types of overhand volleyball serves are the standing float serve, the jump float where you add spike approach footwork and the topspin and jump spin serves. 

There are four types of  overhand volleyball serves most commonly used in advanced competition like varsity high school games, college games, beach tournaments and national and international matches.

• overhand serve - standing float serve
• overhand serve - top spin serve
• overhand jump float serve
• overhand jump spin serve

The Overhand Standing Float Serve

The overhand standing float serve in volleyball requires

• you to toss the ball higher in the air with your tossing arm - for right handers this is your left arm before 
• contacting it with an open hand above your head, like a tennis player uses a racket to contact the ball above their head. 

How To Overhand Float Serve in Volleyball

The standing floater serve is the most popular of all overhand serves and it requires 

1. a consistent toss with your non dominant hand 
2. a quick rotation of the hips followed by the upper body 
3. as a flat-handed wide-fingered very stiff wrist contact on the ball is made with your dominant hand which should be shaped like a ping pong paddle 
4. the top half of the palm of your hand should make contact with the middle panels of the ball while 
5. keeping your elbow above the level of your ear.

The two important ways to make a float serve float in volleyball is 

• keeping a flat hand and stiff wrist upon contact with the ball and
• watching your hand contact the ball

Once you toss the ball in the air your eyes should be focused only on where your hand contacts the ball. 

The Topspin Volleyball Serve

The standing topspin serve requires a high toss, a high reach and quick armswing of the dominant arm with the hand contacting the top third of the ball, very similar to the spike contact. 

Contacting the top third of the ball creates the forward motion which launches the ball with alot of spin, pace and speed from your service line to the opposing court. 

This high paced fast traveling serve is used to make it extremely difficult for the passers to receive the serve and get it to the target. 

The Overhand Jump Serve

The jump serve has two versions of the overhand serve, the jump float and jump topspin serve.

The jump float and the jump spin serves can be described essentially as spike attacks taken from behind the service line into the opposing team's court.

Basically before serving you 

• Back up 4 - 5 feet behind the service line and once the referee blows the whistle 
• you toss the ball up 8-10 feet in the air and once it reaches its highest height 
• you take a three-step spike approach before 
• contacting the top third of the ball above your head with open hand and strong fingers that guide the ball to your target

Right handed players will place the ball in their left hand so they can toss it in the air, then step towards it, as they then contact the ball with an 

1. overhand 
2. underhand
3. sidearm 
4. jump serve swing action.

The ball is contacted with your dominant hand or any part of your arm with the intent of creating enough force to send the ball over the net and inside the opposing team's court. 

Left handers do the opposite. 

How you contact the ball overhand, to send it over the net, depends on the type of volleyball serve you decide to use.

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

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball passing 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. 

Your three options are: 

1. You can learn more about Serving Techniques by visiting the related links below.                            
2. Follow the suggested reading on our Sitemap page Learning How To Play (Sitemap)
3. Or visit the pages in the How to Play Volleyball section in the drop down menu at the top of the page to get started. 
4. Before leaving this page Say "Hi" to Miss Tattoo the Tiger wearing the #9 jersey below.  Miss Tattoo is the starting defensive and serving specialist for the All Beast VolleyBragSwag All Star team.

Meet Tatoo the Tiger, Serving Specialist on VolleyBragSwag's All Beast Team

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