How to Serve A Floater Known As The Standing Float Serve in Volleyball 

Learn how to serve a floater, also called a standing float serve that's hard for the opposing team to pass because of how the ball floats while crossing the net.

Learn how to serve a floater, also called a standing float serve that's hard for the opposing team to pass because of how the ball floats while crossing the net

Here's a step by step float serve tutorial on how to get the ball to your intended target on the opposing team's court. 

How To Serve a Floater: If you are a player with some or even a little experience you need to know where on the opposing team's court you want to serve the ball and not just get it over the net.

As a right handed server,

• line your body up to face your serving target

Your body will be parallel to the service line.

Whether you're serving to a court zone or directly to an opposing player...face your target. Let the player know...you're coming right at them with your serve. 

How to serve a floater. The key is to know where you are going to serve before you serve, then turn and point your toe and your tossing arm, straight at your serving target like Italian champion Francesca Piccinini

The key is to know where you are going to serve before you serve, then turn and point your toe and your tossing arm, straight at your serving target. 

Right Handed Serving Arm

• Raise your serving arm so its in a 90 degree angle with a bent elbow and open palmed hand, above the level of your right ear. 

Keep your elbow high, above the level of your ear, throughout the entire movement of bringing your arm forward to the ball. Many servers have problems serving over the net because they drop their elbow during their serving swing in an attempt to shot put the ball over the net (Daniel J Coomber)

Keep your elbow high, above the level of your ear, throughout the entire movement of bringing your arm forward to the ball.

Many servers have problems serving over the net because they drop their elbow during their serving swing in an attempt to shot put the ball over the net 

Keep your elbow above the level of your ear!

• The palm of your serving hand should be facing the opposite wall, not turned up at the ceiling. 
• Keep a flat palm with fingers spread wide, as if you are about to give a teammate a high five.  
• Your flat hand should be as flat as a ping paddle.  

Feet and Leg Positioning

Feet and legs are in a comfortable balanced position, shoulder width apart with the weight of your body on your back leg. 

Your front toe should point to the target or location you're about to serve.

Watch as semi private training client Brooklyn demonstrates hand position for the jump float serve...

• her hand is kept as flat as a ping pong paddle
• the middle of her hand contacts the middle of the ball
• her elbow remains high, above the level of her ear, from start to finish of her approach

How To Serve a Floater. Be balanced! When you turn your hips to contact the ball there's no need to add additional steps, or bounces, dips or wind ups. (Tennessee Journalist)

The key is to make sure your body isn't tilted or leaning to one side.

Be balanced!

When you turn your hips and shoulder to contact the ball there's no need to add additional steps, or bounces, dips or wind ups.

Your feet should stay in their starting position and only move slightly during the quarter turn to shift your body weight from your back foot to your front foot with just a tiny step in place, taken in the direction of your target. 

The Toss

• The toss done with the left extended nearly straight arm lifts the ball up and releases it, two feet in the air and if dropped, lands one foot in front of your front left foot. These requirements keep the toss in front of your serving arm.  

How To Serve a Floater: Keep your toss so consistent, it goes up the same height and comes down in the same spot every single time. (Ralph Aversen)

The key is to keep your toss so consistent, that if you toss the ball ten times  in a row and let it fall to the ground, it goes up the same height and comes down in the same spot every single time.

2-3 feet in the air gives your serving arm, time to keep your elbow high during your serving swing motion.

You have time to get the open palmed hand to the ball without dropping the elbow, or bending your wrist, or adding funky shoulder movement that doesn't help you serve.  

Contact the Ball - Hip Swivel and High Five Hand Turn at the Same Time

• After you toss the ball, you swivel your left hip making a quarter turn forward towards the net, at the same time you bring your right arm forward, keeping your elbow high above the level of your ear.

How To Serve a Floater: For the ball to float you "high five" the ball upon contact, using the middle of your very flat hand to contact the middle of the ball.(Daniel J Coomber)

The key is to swivel the hip and and shoulder together bringing the serving hand forward at the same time to contact the middle panels of the ball.

Many players have problems when they swivel the hip first and forget to bring the hand forward at the same time, or they drop their elbow when they swivel the hip. 

Hip comes forward at the same time the shoulder does which also brings the hand forward, while keeping the elbow above the level of the ear.

How To Serve a Floater High Five The Ball When Making Contact (JMR Photo)For the ball to float you "high five" the ball upon contact, using the middle of your very flat hand to contact the middle of the ball.Do exactly what you'd do if you were 'high fiving' a teammate.

Contact the Ball - High Five the Ball

• For the ball to float you "high five" the ball upon contact, using the middle of your very flat hand to contact the middle of the ball. 

The key is to keep a very wide fingered, flat palmed hand and make contact with the ball with the middle of your hand, without bending your wrist.

Do exactly what you'd do if you were 'high fiving' a teammate.

View this post on Instagram

How to serve a volleyball, the float serve. . . Watch Married Brazilian Olympic #voleibol players @jaque1212 and @murilovolei8 jump float serve...elbow high throughout the approach - kept above the level of the ear...then high five the ball with the middle of your hand contacting the middle of the ball...

A post shared by April (@coach_apchap) on Nov 24, 2016 at 9:21am PST

Reach "high five"  high and keep your hand "high five" flat.

The ball will float and dip and be very difficult for a passer to track and pass the ball because of your ability to contact the ball with no follow through, no spin and with a flat palmed, wide fingered "high five" contact.

Contact the Ball - Watch the Ball

• Watch your hand contact the middle of the ball

In the picture above of married Brazilian Olympic gold medalists Jaqueline Carvalho and Endres Murilo they both have their eyes on the ball as they hit, watching where their hand is contacting the ball during their float serve contact technique. 

Now, you should be ready to score aces now that your know how to serve a floater!

Meet Tatoo the Tiger, Serving Specialist on VolleyBragSwag's All Beast Team

Learn these volleyball serving tips that explain how a short overhand serve to the front row positions on the court can create a problem for the opposing team.

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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