Serve in volleyball is the action that starts the game, in each set.

The player stands behind the baseline and hits the ball to reach the opponent's court in a single movement.

The goal is obviously to score a point, landing it within the valid perimeter. The serve point phase can be considered as the maximum expression of the individual player, because it is performed in full autonomy. In fact, in a set, in no other phase of the game does the player have complete control of the action as in the service.

It therefore requires a lot of skill in setting the direction and speed of the ball, so as to make it difficult for the opposing receiver to intercept it correctly in reception. Although in match situations the server does not communicate before the service, the coach can signal him to serve in a specific area. The service strategy often aims at the opponent's weaker receiver or the space (conflict zone) between two players. Therefore, serving with good ball control and direction is important.

The service is called "ace"  when it scores the point, that is, if the ball falls directly into the opponent's court, or goes out after being touched by an opponent. This type of serve is therefore a winning serve, because it allows you to score a point automatically, without any reaction from the opponent.

In the youth categories, Under 12 and 13, the so-called "underhand serve" is used, in which the player hits the ball from below, not from above. Serves of this type are easier to learn: however, it is a more predictable serve than others, because it is parabolic, therefore much slower, it is considered very easy to receive and is rarely used in high-level competitions.

The overhead serve, on the other hand, is nowadays characterised by greater instability and unpredictability, which obviously makes it more insidious for opposing players in reception.

Until the first half of the 1990s, the service could only be performed from three meters to the right of the baseline (behind position 1, to be clear), but starting from 1995 it is allowed to serve along the entire 9-meter line (also behind position 6 and position 5), thus increasing the type of possible directions.

The following types of serve can be distinguished in volleyball:

• float: a floating serve is performed by hitting the ball quickly and decisively, without applying any rotation that could compromise its trajectory. To perform it, it is necessary to throw the ball high in front of you, then hitting it with a sharp and precise movement of the open hand, keeping your feet firmly on the ground. This is the serve that characterised volleyball until the nineties and continues to be taught in youth teams as a didactic progression to learn the following two types of serve, probably the most used today; 
• topspin: an overhand serve in which the player tosses the ball high and hits it with the bottom of the palm, giving it spin and momentum that makes it fly faster than if it were underhand, and helps maintain a straighter trajectory. Topspin serves are generally hit hard and aimed at a specific part of the court. They are rarely used above the high school level of play;
• jump float: It is a type of floating serve that is performed with a jump, which allows for an increase in the speed of the ball and a more aggressive service than the traditional version with the feet on the ground. In this case, the ball is thrown as high as possible to be hit with a firm hand and a sharp gesture. Its trajectory will be extremely unpredictable, making its reception more difficult to manage. In taller players, it also allows for trajectories from high to low or in any case more incisive than the traditional float serve;
• jump spin: To perform this type of serve, the player positions himself far from the baseline and throws the ball slightly into the court at a height useful for imparting an effective rotation movement, using the hand with which he will then hit it. At this point, he proceeds with the typical steps for a perfect jump in volleyball (“left right left” for right-handed people and “right left right” for left-handed people) and hits the ball as hard as possible. This type of serve, if performed well, is very powerful and does not leave the opposing team time to organise a good defence. As in the case of the jump float, it allows the most physically gifted players to serve with a high-to-low trajectory, making the shot even more difficult to receive. 

Choice of serve

The two favourite types of serve in volleyball are the jump float and the jump spin, but which one should you use?

If the disadvantage of the jump float is that it generates fewer aces than other serve techniques, since it is slower, performing a jump spin is always a risk, because – if not performed with enough power – it could be ineffective and easily predictable by the opposing team.

In addition, the jump spin serve requires a good amount of coordination and the ability to throw the ball which requires a lot of training. Each player and each team must evaluate how to move depending on the situation on the court and the technique they want to implement.

When you have to decide what type of serve to make, you have to evaluate whether to use a tactical serve or a strong one, depending on the objective you want to achieve: 

• tactical serves are those that are made with the aim of creating a tactical opportunity for the team, preventing the opposing team from building an effective attack, and consequently obtaining an easy point. It can be tactical, for example, serving to the first-line spiker to make it more difficult for her to run up the attack after receiving, or serving very short to completely remove a player from the attack phase;
• the strong serve, on the other hand, is powerful and fast: it aims to obtain a direct point. In this case, the coach will hardly give the athlete a goal, but will simply ask him to perform his best serve.

An effective server must therefore develop both a powerful serve and the ability to serve in a specific area..