With the introduction of rally scoring to women's volleyball, the quality and accuracy of serving in the game has grown in importance. Rally scoring is the practice of awarding the point to whoever scores it, regardless of which team is serving. When approaching service, four types of serves are commonly used in women's volleyball, depending on the skill level of the players on the court.
Jump
A jump serve is similar to a spike in volleyball, but with more distance and loft required on the hit. The jump serve delivers both speed and spin, making it difficult for your opponent to return. To serve a jump serve, the ball needs to be thrown in the air to a similar level and trajectory as a setter would set for a spike. You will be taking a series of foot steps and a jump before hitting the ball, so it's important to add that into your throw equation. Once the ball is in the air, take your steps, jump, and hit the ball like you would spike it using the palm of the hand. Follow through with the hit to gain spin on the ball. With practice, you will be able to target where on the opposite court your jump serve lands, as well as will have better control of your speed and distance to prevent serving out of bounds.
Float
Unlike a jump serve, float serves do not create spin on the volleyball. Without spin, the volleyball can be affected by the natural airflow of a gym or even more in outdoor play. This makes it harder for the opponent team to determine where the ball is going to fall. To serve a floater, the ball is placed in one hand with the air hole -- the heavier end of the volleyball -- facing down. The ball is then thrown up in the air and hit quickly with the palm of the hand, not the fingers, in a slapping or clapping motion. Right as you hit the ball, pull back, instead of following through as you would in other serves. This prevents the ball from getting spin and floats it to the other side of the net.
Jump Float
The jump float is a hybrid of a jump serve and a float serve. Like a jump serve, you still throw the ball high enough in the air for both your running steps and jump before hitting the ball. However, instead of the follow through and spin you would aim to achieve with a jump serve, the jump float uses the smacking or clapping action on the volleyball with the pull back of the hand to float the ball over the court. The advantage of a jump float serve is that you are able to hit the ball from a higher starting point in comparison to a regular float serve.
Underhand
The underhand serve is reserved for lower level volleyball players or for recreational volleyball. In the underhand serve, an underhand motion is used instead of tossing the ball up in the air to hit it overhand. However, for the underhand serve to be legal, the ball must still be tossed out of the hand enough to lose contact with the holding hand before the serving hand makes contact. Underhand serves can be performed either with an open palm or a closed fist, depending on the player.
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