Beach Volleyball Serving Tips Serving To Deep Corners and Deep Middle

Why are these two beach volleyball serving strategies specifically aiming your serve to the deep corners or deep middle of the opposing team's court effective?

Beach Volleyball Serving Tips: You want to point your overhand volleyball serve to specific zones on the court which forces your opponent into a weaker position on the court. (R. Aversen)

Your goal is to use your beach volleyball serves to force the opposing team's players to have to move from their comfortable passing positions to pass your difficult serve.

Beach Volleyball Serving Tips: The shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line which is very evident when a player stands in the middle of their baseline and serves to the opposing teams end line. (Aversen)

Most importantly the server forces one of the opposing beach volleyball team's players to pass or serve receive outside of their comfort zone which is usually their starting serve receive position in the middle of the court.

If you serve an easy loopy ball over the net you are not making their job to pass the ball difficult at all.

There are various ways to attack the other team with your serve.

Beach Volleyball Serving Tips: Use your beach serve to force the opposing team's players to move from their in-system passing positions to pass your difficult serve. (Ralph Aversen)

Beach Volleyball Serving Tips: Attack with your serve means to serve aggressively to certain court zones...to keep the opposing team off balance guessing what you'll do next. (R.Aversen)

The serve in volleyball is the only time a player has total and complete control of the game.

It's in that moment that they can make a real difference for their team by scoring a direct point with the volleyball by "attacking with their serve."

By 'attacking' I mean to serve the ball aggressively to certain volleyball zones 

Your goal is to keep the opposing team off balance and to make them guess what you are going to do next.

Speaking of serving the ball to specific areas of the court, professional players have learned the importance of directing the ball from the service line to certain zones or positions on the court. 

Beach Volleyball Serving Tips: One effective way is to aim your overhand volleyball serve deep to specific zones like the corners of the opposite court. (R. Aversen)

One effective way is to aim your overhand volleyball serve deep to specific zones like the corners of the opposite court.

By serving the ball to the deep corners of the opposing team's court, the player closest to the ball is forced to turn her body and shoulders from the net to 'go chase" the ball which puts her in the vulnerable position of being further away from the net making it harder for her to pass the ball where she wants to.

Beach Volleyball Serving Tips: By serving deep corners the player closest to the ball is forced to turn their body and shoulders from the net to 'go chase" the ball" making it hard to make a good pass. (R. Aversen)

Now they have to pass the ball where you want them to which is further off the net.

This increases the chances of them getting an imperfect set from their partner.

The player is forced to pass the volleyball from a longer distance from the net, to their teammate who now has to make adjustments while setting the ball.

So not only is the player passing the volleyball from further away from the net, but she/he and their partner need to cover more space in order to get back into the "perfect" position to start their spike approach.

On a chess board the moves that you make are strategic so that you are constantly asking yourself how can I force my opponent to move into an area which will make it easier for you to

• block them
• jump against them
• defend against them
• score against them

Essentially, you want to point your overhand volleyball serve to specific zones on the court which forces your opponent into a weaker position on the court.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line and no where is this more evident than when a player stands behind the middle of their baseline and serves the ball overhand straight down the middle of the court to one of the most vulnerable of volleyball serving zones---the deep middle of the opposing team's court baseline.

Beach Volleyball Serving Tips:

Serving down the middle of the court creates a problem for the opposing team. 

With a ball that's coming hard and fast between two beach volleyball players, the teammates have to communicate quickly to decide who is going to move to pass that deep ball and who is going to set. 

Beach Volleyball Serving Tips: With a ball coming hard and fast between two beach passers, the teammates have to communicate quickly to decide who is going to move to pass that deep ball. (Steve Corey)

When directing an overhand volleyball serve to this zone on the court its called the "husband and wife' serve because the two players end up fighting over the ball which often falls as an ace serve between the two of them.

Be sure to check out more articles about the overhand volleyball serve and other beach skills in the pages below.

This has been an important message by your favorite volleyball coach! That's me!!

Thanks for visiting.

Be sure to check out more of my volleyball articles by clicking one of the links below!  (April Chapple)

Follow me on Instagram @coach_apchap to improve your game even faster!

I share alot of individual, partner and easy-to-do volleyball serving drills we do in class with my followers.

Many of these volleyball practice drills you can do at home by yourself or try at your next practice with your teammates.

If you're a B team or JV player trying to make varsity next year...your goal should be to complete 1000 reps a day of at least three of the basic skills on your own...volleyball passing, serving and setting should be at the top of the list. 

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