Overhand Serve

[Doug 0]

I am coaching a new group of 9 and 10 year olds and need some help on what to focus on while teaching the overhand serve.

Thanks,

Doug

[hollad6636 0]

The toss is the key to the overhand serve. A ball tossed to high, to low, too far in front, or to far in back will cause the server to chase the toss and move out of alignment. The ball should always be in front of the hitting shoulder. Have players focus on the toss until it becomes consistent on each repetition. The toss should be 12 to 18 inches above the extended tossing hand and in front of the hitting shoulder.

The striking hand should be up and back before the toss. The player should point their body at the target area and keep their weight on the back opposite leg from the ball. The elbow of the hitting arm should be at about ear level and away from the head.

The weight should shift to the lead foot as contact is made with the ball.

The heel of the hand should contact the ball with the arm fully extended and the wrist stiff. The striking hand should follow the ball to the target. The striking arm should follow behind the hitting leg and not cross in front of the body after making contact.

Hope this helps!

[fmfjohn 0]

Doug,

Holland gave you just about the definitive answer for teaching the overhead serve. There are of course a wide variety of variations that can work for individual players. For instance, some young players take the cue word "toss" to mean "throw" and end up throwing the ball into the rafters, without any hope of getting a consistant timing for the rest of the hit. I, personally, prefer to use the cue word "place" the ball, and would suggest that they try to place the ball just high enough in the air so that they can hit the ball just as it stops going up, or just as it starts back down. You might also try having them "place" the ball using both hands, as for some players it seems to help them coordinate both arms in the hitting motion. I would also suggest that even at the very beginning, you ensure that they are picking a very specific target, not just over the net.

Speaking of which, if you have any doubts as to their physical ability to hit the ball far enough to get it over from the endline, have them try to throw it over from there. If they can't, move them up to an easy distance where they can experience success without over-taxing their arms and shoulders.

Along the same lines, be sure to have them start their serving practice from close to the attack line so that their arms get really warmed up as they move further back toward the endline.

If you have any particular problems with individual players, get back here. I know you'll get lots of great suggestions from the folks on this forum.

john