Everyone knows that the ideal jump serve is a killer serve to have in your volleyball arsenal. This serve alone can win a game for your team. Not everyone knows exactly how to do it, however. The perfect jump serve is actually fairly easy to learn, and once learned, it can become very easy to master after that. Mastering the jump serve is one of the best things you can do to improve your overall volleyball game.

The first step in a good jump serve is to know where you want to hit the ball. Take the time to decide the best place to hit the ball that makes it more difficult for the opposing team to return. One place to hit is in the open field where no one is lined up. Between the front and back rows is a great starting point. Another good place to aim is right at their weakest player. Serve a spike directly down the throat of the player you know has difficulty returning a spike. This actually serves two purposes. The person you hit it to will have a harder time returning it, and will often become slightly intimidated, with the result being that their game becomes slightly worse.

Setting the ball is the next step. Remember that you are setting to yourself, so you can set it the way that you like it best. This means that you can set it as high as you like, as fast as you like, even the best angle for you to hit it. The one thing to keep in mind is that you want to set it so that you can spike the ball the distance it needs to travel. During game play, spiking usually occurs at or close to the net. When serving, you will be standing over 30 feet back from the net, so set yourself to enable that much of a hit with relative ease.

Once the ball is tossed, you will want to approach and jump at the ball. Obviously you will want to get some real power behind your serve, so you will want to set the ball a bit in front of you to allow yourself to run 4-5 steps. Only you know the way to jump at the ball most comfortably, so set yourself up to take the exact number of steps that are most comfortable for you to jump and deliver a clean, solid hit.

Speaking of hit, that is the last component of the jump serve. Hitting the ball can be an art form in and of itself. With the right hit, you can have more control over the ball than with any other tactic you can think of. Hitting with a top or bottom spin can change the speed and drop of the ball, while hitting it an open palm versus a closed palm will each give you different affects on how the ball is placed. Changing the way you deliver the actual hit will also keep your serves from becoming predictable and therefore easier to return.

Knowing the correct way to deliver a jump serve is one more important element in your volleyball arsenal that can take your skills to the next level. The jump serve is a good way to ace the serve, or short of that, it is a good way to throw your opponents off. Master the jump serve, and you can master the game of volleyball.

Author Bio: Hayley Merrett, Author and Volleyball Coach Start winning more games now! Put the thrill and excitement of consistently winning back into your teams life. Sign up for 20 free drills at V olleyball Drills

Category: Sports
Keywords: how to serve in volleyball, float serve, volleyball serving, volleyball training