Shift your weight to your dominant foot. Make sure your hips are facing straight forward, not angled to the side. [1] X Research source
Keep your fingers slightly loose to distribute the weight of the ball. This will help it stay balanced. Don’t grip the ball with your fingers. You want it to be stable, but it still has to be able to fly out of your hand when you hit it.
Straighten the arm with the ball in it, and move it to the side by shifting your arm at the shoulder, not the elbow. You want the ball to be low so that you can put more power into it as you move your whole body forward and up.
Don’t hunch over but make sure you aren’t standing up straight. As your hips move back, you can raise the toes on your front foot so your heel is touching the ground and your toes are pointing up.
First, practice aiming for the deep right or deep left of the court. This will force passers to move out of formation. After you practice that, begin aiming for places between players. This will cause players to be confused about who should get the ball, which will improve your strategic advantage. [4] X Research source
Trace a straight line with your eyes across the court. Bring your eyes from your chosen landing spot to the point on the bottom of the ball where you will hit it. If you have to move your head to the side to trace a line from your landing point to your contact point, you should adjust your feet and shoulders so that you are facing your chosen landing point.
Picture your fist hitting the contact point on the ball, and following a line to the point where you want it to land. It is also possible to have your fist facing the side, with your wrist turned inside and your thumb facing up.
Usually, low arcs that end deep are desirable in volleyball. They are hard to pass and control, and so it is more likely that you can score points on them. If you know that two people closer to the front will be confused by a serve landing between them, you can aim for a higher arc that ends there. If you are looking for more speed and control, you may want to try an overhand serve.
You should hit the ball just below the center so it will follow an upward trajectory over the net. Speed up your swing just before you make contact with the bottom of the ball.
Keep your arm straight. It should swing straight up like a pendulum, to a height equal to or just above your head. Recall the imaginary line you traced from your landing point to your contact point. Your fist should trace over that line as it follows through.
Allow your arms to linger on the follow-through before clasping them together to get ready. You can briefly check to see how your ball lands, but don’t get too distracted to do your part when the ball comes back over the net.
