Jump Serves

[VBFOOL]

Ok, I started working on a jump serve and its not working all that great its going over once every like 4, any one have any input on how i should make my toss my approach and where and how i should hit it with my hand!

[SETMENOW]

Ok, well heres what I do. I start at the basketball out of bounds line with my left foot forward and the ball in my right hand. Toss the ball forward about 13-15 feet high, even throw a lil spin on it. Take a 3 step aproach like your hitting, making sure you jump left foot forward. I saw a guy in my open gym with his right foot forward and it was torqueing his body to the point of hitting the ball into the net everytime. The ball shouldve been thrown over the out of bounds line on the vball court, so your contacting the ball at teh highest point of your jump inside of the court. Its important to contact the ball at your peak of your jump. If the toss is bad either let the ball drop or chop it in. You can rip the ball with tons of top spin if you like.

The problem with a jump serve and of course it depends what league your in, is that most of the time itll get passed without to much trouble. I absolutley rip my jump serves and get them over about 90%. Most of the time it gets passed. The point is, is that a good float serve is as good or even better than a jump. In fact a dead float is far more unpredictable and harder to pass than a jumper.

[VBFOOL]

This may sound dumb but does size matter? I mean how tall or short someone is?

[mrwabam]

I coach a decent amount and many of my players want to learn how to jump serve. I think they imagine it will help them with the ladies who knows.

Anyways.

Here are my suggestions.

Don't jumpserve. At pretty much every level in USAV below the A level, so the B/BB level, a developed float serve will win you more points/matches than a great jumpserve. It has to do with the ace/transition point ratio. By that i mean, statistically any tool should only be used if it increases your team's transition point ratio. The majority of the time, Jump serving doesn't do that by any means.

Ok, since you are going to disregard my first suggestion (which I would do if I were you I imagine), I'll try and help ya out with jumpserving.

After footwork and armswing, the toss is usually the culprit for poor jump serve percentages.

Although many people will tell you a 3 step approach should be used, I am a firm believer that you should learn how to jumpserve using a 2 step aproach, i.e. start with left foot foward and just go straight into your right left. The reason for this is more due to the contstaints of USAV court sizes than anything else. If you goto USAV nationals you often times will only have 10'' (i believe, might be 8) to serve, regardless, most players find that this isn't enough room to do a true 3 step approach.

As for armswing, there are a bunch of different philosophies on arm swings, Europeon players typically snap using their torso's, while americans use the bow and arrow approach, whichever you use is fine, just make sure you always contact the ball in front of you, and at around 10 o'clock (12 o'clock being straight up).

If you have great footwork, and the best armswing in the world, but still are having issues, most likely its the toss. I suggest tossing the ball around 2 height 7 feet in front of you (this gives room for the 2 step approach), if you are taller, you might need to adjust (further in front), same as if you are shorter (less in front). If you are a righty, use your right hand to toss the ball underhand with topspin.

As for practicing, i tell my players to start off at the net and work your way back. So first, get used to standing on the ten foot line, tossing a ball to yourself on the net and hit it, high, and deep. Once you can do that with ease, toss yourself a ball as if the 10ft line was the serving line etc.. etc.. This is a good progression into jumpserving, it will give you the benefit of success but also give you a goal (to work all the way back to a true jumpserve).

I have a video I'll convert and put up here as an example of good jump serving technique.

Again, i highly suggest you master the float serve before going to a jump serve.

Also, height plays a big role when it comes to jumpserving, hitting, blocking, setting, passing, and digging, for many more reasons than just the obvious ones. Granted many great jumpservers are short (hell the best jumpservers in New England are both under 6' tall) but if a taller player developed the technique these smaller players use it wouldn't be a contest of whose was better.

[mrwabam]

No worries, its of one of my teamates, during a taped match.

My sister was the one taping it so I guess she could yell at me but i don't think she'll sue

Thanks for the warning though, definitly is good not to pirate

[coachmanzi]

Originally Posted by VBFOOL

This may sound dumb but does size matter? I mean how tall or short someone is?

i'm 5'6" with a 36" vert. size doesn't matter. As for advice; it's all about the toss. if you can take an approach on a line thats perpendicular to the court, and follow that line..do it. that will help you out tremendously. this will help your approach, so your swing isn't across your body or extremely outside your body line..overall, it's kind of hard for us to tell you if we can't see what's wrong..

[mrwabam]

Originally Posted by coachmanzi

i'm 5'6" with a 36" vert. size doesn't matter. As for advice; it's all about the toss. if you can take an approach on a line thats perpendicular to the court, and follow that line..do it. that will help you out tremendously. this will help your approach, so your swing isn't across your body or extremely outside your body line..overall, it's kind of hard for us to tell you if we can't see what's wrong..

Size completly matters. It matters in every aspect of the game. All things being equal, verticle leap, athletism, skill, experience etc.. A 6'9'' outside hitter, can block higher (and quicker), cover more court on defence and serve recieve, hit better (harder, higher, faster, and to more spots on the court), and adjust more effectively than a 5'6'' player.

Granted a 5'6'' player can be very good, but they'll always be limited to some degree.

When jumpserving it matters because in order for you to contact the ball at 10ft, you need to pretty much do a full jump, a 6'9'' can contact the ball at 11 feet with less of a jump allowing him to conserve energy, take a smaller more efficient approach and adjust to bad toss's easier. As for velocity/power when hitting your body is like a whip. The longer (i.e. the taller you are) the whip is the more power you can have.

Granted again, the best jump servers in NE are under 6' tall. But if you put their skill in a 6'9'' player I'd choose the 6'9'' player every time.

Actually I'd prolly want both players on my team...

[VBFOOL]

I can't thank everyone enough.....

I have tried a few of the points suggested, with some success. To get the serve perfect or at least killer, it's clear I have to take a private clinic or consult a coach.

Thank you again for replying