Q&A for How to Jump Serve a Volleyball

You need more than 4 feet behind you. You're still going to do the left-right-left approach like you are about to hit, but it's going to be in longer, faster strides.

Someone who is shorter is going to have a harder time jump serving without a doubt, but that doesn't mean you cannot do it. Float serves or even the jump float is just as effective in most cases, and sometimes, depending on the server, even deadlier. It depends on how much effort you want to put into your serves and how high competitively you want to take your volleyball career.

If you mean to begin serving at all, then no. Start with a regular overhand serve, and once you’ve mastered that, then go on the the harder serves, such as jump serves. But if you mean beginning jump serving, then yes, I would suggest to being with a jump float, because those are easier to toss.

Yes, it is almost like hitting the ball. You must swing and follow through with your serve and end with your dominant hand on the same side of your body.

A jump serve will give you more power and better aim. They are all anyone in professional volleyball ever really uses, and they are an essential part of the game.

A kill is when you hit the ball and it lands on the other side of the court with no contact. However, this a serve, so the technical term would be an ace.

You would throw it a little farther out because you will need to take your approach before serving.

When the ball is above your head, put your hands into a triangle shape and hit the ball with the tips of your fingers.

Try approaching for the serve without the ball. Memorize where you want to contact the ball in the air, then throw it so that it is at that position at the right time. It takes a little trial and error - just keep at it, and you'll get the hang of it!

If you get too much power on your overhand serve, then I think you should practice that before you attempt a jump serve. You need to be able to successfully overhand serve to do a jump serve.

A topspin jump packs more power, whereas jump float confuses the opponent. They are both effective.

Yes, you usually want to do your approach to the right, as if you were hitting outside. The steps are simply left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, then you jump.

You don't. A float serve is supposed to have a floating effect in the air because the ball has no spin. Giving it topspin would make it not be a float serve.

No. Since your feet were not touching the ground, you are technically still good to continue playing as long as you hit the ball while still in the air.

Since you are this tall, you should be able to do a standing serve with much ease, but if you want to practice jump serving, step back about 2-3 feet and throw the ball about 2-3 feet above you. Throw the ball in front of you so that you can run, but the general rule is to step back farther if you throw it farther so that you can run.