Sean Byron, head coach at Marist College in New York, shares how serving strategies should change based on level of play, circumstances and the goals of a particular team. But one rule holds hard and fast when players learn to serve: the first serve must ALWAYS be in the court.
Second serve strategies vary. Sometimes, a coach may want a second serve to be more aggressive and targeted to a weak passer or to a seam between passers or between passers and a sideline. A coach may request that a second serve be tougher than the first, which might mean adding velocity or targeting a specific zone of the court. Serving strategies should be based on a number of factors, including player skill level, offensive systems and goals for the match.
Volleyball serving strategies for your first serve
When younger players serve the ball on a first serve, the emphasis should be on getting it in the court. At this level, “getting it in” is really the only measure of success. Players on lower-level teams who can serve the ball in the court will win a lot of points because opponents aren’t yet experienced enough to consistently pass, set, hit and score off even the easiest serves.
In volleyball training for young players, a great starting point is the underhand serve, which is the easiest way to consistently get the ball over the net and into the opponent’s court.
The next progression is usually an overhand float serve. Initially, this is hit while the player has his/her feet on the ground, but as players get stronger and more skilled, they can begin experimenting with a jump float.
Volleyball serving strategies for your second serve
Once players can get the ball in the court consistently with a basic serve, the next step is developing a second serve that is more aggressive and dynamic.
The goal with this serve is to put a more experienced opponent out of system by forcing bad passes, making it tougher for them to win points in serve receive. Strategies for second serves include:
- Increasing velocity. The faster the ball comes over the net, the less time receivers have to position themselves for a good pass.
- Floating the ball. By contacting the center of the ball with a flat, firm hand and stiff wrist, the server can deliver a ball with little to no spin, which makes it “dance” in the air. The more it dances, the harder it is to pass.
- Jump spinning. This is a more advanced serve that requires good timing and a lot of practice. When executed properly, it’s a big weapon. But as Portland State head coach Michael Seemann explains, jump spin serves aren’t very effective unless they have a lot of velocity.
- Jump floating. This is a common serve (and a big weapon) at higher levels of the game. One advantage of hitting a float serve while jumping in the air is that the steeper downward trajectory makes it harder to pass. Another is that it’s more difficult for the serve receiver to track.
- Serving short or deep. Varying the depth with a short serve or deep serve can disrupt the rhythm of the receiving team.
Drill to practice first and second serves
A competitive drill Byron uses to practice player serves works like this:
- Divide the team so there are servers on one side, passers on the other.
- The serving team has three minutes to practice first serves. The focus is to get the ball in the court.
- After three minutes, all servers who made every serve get to progress to second serves. Servers who missed will continue practicing first serves.
- Standards for the second serve can be determined based on goals for the server. For instance, players might score a point for every pass that isn’t within eight feet of the setter.
Learn more: Volleyball Serving Drills
Tip: Serve for the situation
Determining whether your players will use a first or second serve depends on many variables, including experience of the athlete and strength of the opponent.
Volleyball serving can be greatly improved when players develop two serves. It gives coaches more options and puts the team in a better position to disrupt the opponent’s offense.
