by Jengy Pie

Created on: July 08, 2009

Broadly, there are three types of serves, of which there are a number of subtypes. These are: (1) Underhand serve; (2) Overhand serves, and; (3) Jump serve. One must also consider the different types of serve placement, which can either be short, middle, or deep.

(1) Underhand serve
This involves a low ball toss and contacting the underside of the ball. The ball is contacted below head height, with the serving arm usually fully extended and moving vertically in an arc, contacting the ball, and ending above the head with the follow through.

This is a beginners serve, as a means of just getting the ball in. However, with practice, more power and placement can be added to increase it's utility, but is limited in its effectiveness.

(2) Overhand serves
Overhand serves are those in which the ball is contacted above the height of the head. The nature of the contact determines the type of serve delivered.

A - The floater
The floater serve's trajectory is flat, but tends to oscillate or 'wobble' about this trajectory, which makes it challenging for the opponents to time and predict.

The key to the floater is where the ball's valve (the place where air is put it) is. This region of the ball is heavier that the rest. Generally, when performing the floater serve the ball is held so that the valve is either directly to the left or right of the server. When the ball is tossed up, it is tossed with care to keep the valve to the side and to NOT spin the ball. Then, on contact, the ball is hit with the meat of the hand, taking care to not put any spin on the ball at all (i.e. it floats). Thus, the valve remains on the side of the ball along it's path, and the maldistribution of weight this creates makes the ball wobble in its path. Alternatives are to hold the ball with the valve down or directly up, which would make the ball sink or float longer than expected, respectively.

B - The Top Spin
This serve involves creating forward rotation of the ball, allowing it to dip and land in the court. Because of the dip effect, the ball can be hit with more force and is more likely to land in. The harder hit ball also gives the opponents less time to respond.

The top spin serve is technical and requires a sound ball toss, and good contact. The ball must be tossed such that if it were left to drop it would land on the serving arm's shoulder, or slightly behind it. Therefore, the toss needs to be directed backwards to some extent. On contact with the ball with the meat of the hand, the

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