3 Tips to Help Improve Your Volleyball Serving Accuracy
Many volleyball athletes tend to get frustrated with several aspects of their skills and their game; however, one skill in particular can make a volleyball player extremely frustrated; it is the serve. The serve is single handedly what controls the outcome of scoring and the volleyball match. In serving, your height has nothing to do with your serving skill. If you develop a solid consistent serve, you will be a force to be feared. A player that is inconsistent with his/her serves, or with the power behind his/her serves is mainly due to the fact that their mind is not in the serve. Meaning, the number one tip for an improved serve is to make sure you are serious about your serve and your mind, eyes, and body are focused on where you are intending to serve. Pay attention to your body positioning, the toss of the ball, and the contact you make with the ball. Do not let anything around you distract you. Doing so will result in a loss of a point for your team.
Some players think that by trying to hide where they are aiming with their serve will increase their surprise “attack” on the opponent team. This could not be farther from the truth. You need to face your target in order for your serve to be fully effective. If you align your body to the direction you are aiming at and balance your body, you will generate a powerful consistent serve.
The ball toss is another very important factor in achieving great serving accuracy. If your ball toss is low, you will end up making contact with the ball when you are off balance and your serve will end up at the net. To improve your ball toss, create a habitual routine for yourself, a system. Toss the ball in the same manner every single time. Remember that the toss must be high enough to allow yourself to extend your arm.
Finally, you want to make sure you make a solid contact with the ball. This means you engage the palms of your hands no matter which serve you choose to do. Be sure to practice where your hand makes contact with the ball. This will help you understand the different types of serve and where you need to make contact with the ball in order to vary your serves in a game.
