At the end of this blog you should be able to

Identify and explain the optimal technique to the overarm jump volleyball serve to enhance performance for indoor volleyball
Understand the difference between the jump float and the jump topspin serve
Implement the volleyball serve biomechanics into similar sports to enhance performance

The overarm jump serve plays an important role for men and women within the game (Hayrinen, Lahtinen, Mikkola, Honkanen, Paananen & Blomqvist, 2007). A good serve involves powerful movements to build momentum and velocity within the body, which is transferred from the hand to the ball. The ball should project through the air with speed and low trajectory over the net. This is achieved by hitting the ball with more force allowing the ball to accelerate. Fast serves and low trajectory gives the opposition team less time to read the ball, make decisions and move into position to return the ball with the correct technique. To achieve an optimal volleyball serve the player should be aiming to ace the opposition. An ace is when the ball lands on the court untouched by the opposing team. This often requires the server to strategically place the ball into a vacant space on the court, upsetting the opposition’s formations. Serving the ball to the weaker player or forcing the opposition team to stretch for the ball will result in a weak return; hence, the attacking team has a high chance of winning the next point. These strategies put the opposition under pressure and increase the chances of a poor return, possibly making them unable to set up a powerful spike or block (Hayrinrn et al, 2007). A block or spike is an easy way to win the point and to decrease the length of a rally. Decreasing the number of ball contact during the rally will result in persevering energy and the players will be able to play at a higher intensity of the game for a longer duration of time. A good serve increases the team’s chances of winning the point, and therefore winning the game.

Men serves

Hayrinen et al (2007) study investigated the different serve speeds performed by men from youth national teams, Finnish men’s league teams and men’s national teams. The jump serve was the most used served within the men’s national teams, compared to the youth teams primarily using the jump float serve (Hayrinen et al, 2007). The results identified the jump serve was the fastest serve with the highest speed recorded at 125km/h (Hayrinen et al, 2007). The jump float serve came second with the highest speed recorded at 73km/h and the float serve recorded at 63km/h (Hayrinen et al, 2007). In elite levels of men’s volleyball, the jump topspin serve is predominately used because the accelerates faster compared to the float serve (Hayrinen et al, 2007). The jump topspin serve requires high physical abilities and this is the reason why younger players choose to perform the jump float serve (Hayrinrn et al, 2007).

Women’s serves

In women’s volleyball the overhead float serve was used by 48.6% of athletes, however majority of outside players preferred this serve (Quiroga, Garcia-Manso, Rodriguez-Ruiz, Sarmiento, De Saa & Moreno, 2010). 23.9% of outside and opposite players preferred serving the jump topspin serve and 17% of middle players used the jump float serve (Quiroga et al, 2010). The jump topspin serve won the most points compared to the float serves (Quiroga et al, 2010). The jump topspin serve results in the ball travelling at higher speeds in comparison to the jump float which travels slower through the air but changes direction at the last minute. Once again the faster the ball accelerate the harder it is for the opposition team to return.

Elite volleyball players

A volleyball players genetic and physical characteristics influences their playing positions on the court and enhances their physical performance (Grigoris, Malousaris, Nikolaos, Bergeles, Karolina, Barzoukaa , Ioannis, Bayios, Nassis & Koskoloub, 2006, p.340). This is referred to as somatotype, which describes a human’s physique. Majority of volleyball players are categorised as mesomorphic ectomorph (Krawcyk, 1997, p.308). Tall volleyball players have a physical advantage over shorter players because they are able to produce more downward force and angle on the ball during the serve (Alexander et al, 2010, p.2). This assists in low trajectory over the net and speed of the ball to produce a powerful serve. The greater strength in the athlete’s legs allows them to jump higher, hence, when they encounter the ball, there are at the highest point of the serve. Once again, this allows downward and angular force on the ball.

To achieve the optimal biomechanics for the over arm jump topspin serve and the jump float serve in volleyball, first we must understand the correct technique to enhance overall performance. The volleyball serve will be broken down into movement phases to help assist the athlete to develop the correct technique and in turn to achieve optimal performance. These will be referred to as stance, ball toss, run up, jump, wind up, ball contact and follow through. This blog will be discussing right handed players for indoor volleyball players.

Stance
Optimal Technique
1. Stand five metres behind the baseline of the court (Refer to figure 1).

Figure 1: Server stands five metres behind the baseline to allow for a run up. This distance may vary for the age, height and skill ability of the individual.
(Epic volleyball, 2015).

2. Stand with feet shoulder width apart with feet and toes facing net (refer to figure 2).

Figure 2: This stance assists with a steady base of support. The server's feet and toe's face the net to help with accuracy in the later phases of the serve.
(WikiHow, 2015).

The optimum stance for the both serves is to stand five metres behind the baseline of the court (Alexander, Honish, Sport Centre-Manitoba, Kennedy Centre & University of Manitoba, 2010, p.3). This provides room for the athlete to complete their five step run up prior to hitting the ball. Depending on the age, height and indivudal constraints of the athelte, the distance from the baseline may alter. The server will stand with their feet shoulder width apart with their left foot sightly positioned in front of the right foot with toes facing towards the net (Refer to figure 2) (Alexander et al, 2010, p.3). This position provides the athlete with a steady base of support allowing them to maintain balance.

Ball Toss

Optimal Technique:

1. Put your right hand out in front of your body with your palm facing the ceiling. The ball will sit comfortably in the palm of your hand (Refer to figure 3). For the jump topspin serve the server will place one hand on either side of the ball.

Figure 3: Ball sits comfortably in your non-dominate hand out in front of your body
(WikiHow, 2015).

2. The server leans forward onto their right foot (Refer to figure 4).

Figure 4: Notice the server has all of their weight on their dominate foot. Notice the volleyball player tosses the ball with his right hand and when he contacts the ball he will strike the ball with his right hand.
(Alexander et al, 2010).

3. Throw the ball up into the air with a straight arm (Refer to figure 5). Release the ball at about shoulder height. The server should be aiming for the ball to land inside of the court. For the jump topspin serve the server will throw the ball into the air with two hands.

Figure 5: The server will throw the ball into the air keeping the ball in line with their hitting arm. The ball will be toss out in front of the server to ensure the ball will land inside of the court. This will assist with the timing of the run and ball contact which will be discussed later within this blog.
(WikiHow, 2015).

The float serve and topspin serve have minor differences for the ball toss. The topspin serve requires one hand on either side of the ball as this allows the athlete the produce spin on the ball as it leaves their hands. The float serve toss is executed with the non-dominate hand.

Biomechnaics

The ball toss is a throw-like movement when the ball is released into the air. The server's shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands and fingers will move simultaneously during the kinetic chain to assist with accuracy and control of the ball. The arm situated with the ball is the lever. The longer the lever, hence the longer the individual's limb, has greater mass. Additionally, the ball is positioned further away from the body, thus this will increase the velocity within the hand. This assists tossing the ball in front of the athlete's body and generating the optimal height of the toss. The hand throws the ball up into the air allowing the ball to accelerate vertically. The more force applied to the ball during the toss increases the velocity of the ball, thus momentum of the object is increased and the impulse momentum relationship is present. Once the ball has left the server's hand it will travel vertically into the air in a forward motion to land inside of the court (Alexander et al, 2010, Blazevich 2012). This is referred to a parabolic flight path. The angle of trajectory is import to ensure the ball falls in a position for the server to make contact. The player uses their wrist, hand and fingers assist with accuracy of the toss. Further research is required to determine the optimal height of the ball toss, however, limited studies have identified the ball toss should be less than 10 metres (Alexander et al, 2010). Individual biomechanics, competency and timing are all factors which may influence the height of the ball toss. A high ball toss provides time for the server to perform an optimal serve, higher is the ball is tossed to high, the serve may mistime the ball, hence no ball contact will be made. In comparison a low ball toss could rush the run up phase or result in hitting the ball incorrectly. During this phase, the ball experiences a change in inertia. The ball will continue to move vertically when it has left the player's hand until it's direction is changed by gravity resulting in the ball falling back towards the ground. Once the ball has left contact with the hand, the server's elbow will extend and their body will begin the lean forward (Alexander et al, 2010, p.4). This position prepares the body for the forward movement and this results in a change of inertia which occurs after the completion of the ball toss. Leaning forward moves the individual's centre of gravity towards their feet and this creates potential energy. Potential energy "is associated with an object's position in a gravitational field (Blazevich, 2012, p.241). Potential energy is limited during this phase, however, as it is the distance over which gravity has the chance the accelerate the object. At the highest point of the toss, force and gravity will determine the balls acceleration as it falls, thus potential energy is present.

As stated earlier within the blog, the most common serve used by elite male players is the topspin serve (Hayrinrn, Mikkola, Honkanen, Latinen, Paananen, Blomqvist, 2011). The study identified the ball toss throw is critical to achieve high ball velocity (Hayrinrn et al, 2011). When performing an overarm jump serve the individual's flexibility in the hip joint and the thoracic vertebrae assist in generating increased ball velocity (Hayrinrn et al, 2011). Additionally, the strength and "power productions in the core, shoulder and arm and optimal function of the kinetic chain" aid in generating high ball velocities (Hayrinrn et al, 2011). Ball placement of the toss is ideally around two metre into the court (Alexander et al, 2010, p.241). Studies have shown that tossing the ball with the same hand as later contacts it helps to generate greater power and speed (Tant and Witte 1991 cited Alexander, et al., 2010, p. 3). This is due to an increased range of motion and rotation of the arm and trunk meaning that the hand travels a greater distance and has a greater opportunity to build velocity. Overall, the ball toss will depend on the player's biomechanics and the type of serve they wish to perform.

Transferal of weight: Run up

Optimal Technique:

1. The server takes one long explosive step to build up velocity and speed (Refer to figure 6).

Figure 6: The player leans forward during the run up to accelerate during this step.
(Alexander et al, 2010)

2. Breaking step: The player lands on their heel and their arms swing back while their body leans forward (Refer to figure 7).

Figure 7: Breaking step. The server has their arms back behind their body to generate more power and momentum which will result in greater vertical velocity.
(Alexander et al, 2010)

3. The server's feet are positioned ready to jump with their knees bent (Refer to figure 8). Their left toes are facing to the side to prepare the trunk for rotation. Their arms swing upwards.

Figure 8:
(Alexander et al, 2010)

The optimal number of steps in the run up will vary depending on the constraints of the individual, skill level and style of serve. For elite volleyball players they have a four step run up.

Biomechanics

The right foot will hold the weight of the player's body during the ball toss (Alexander et al, 2010, p.6). After the ball toss, the player will take a long and explosive first step onto their left foot (Alexander et al, 2010, p.6). Propulsive impulse is present during this step when the athlete pushes their feet into the ground to accelerate forwards creating a backwards ground reaction force (GRF) (Blazevich, 2012, p.55-57). Newton's second law, equal and opposite reactions, is present when the athlete takes the first step of the run up. A vertical downward force is applied through their foot when they have come into contact with the ground (Blazevich, 2012, p.45). This occurs because the GRF gives back an equal and opposite reaction force, which in turn, stops the foot from sinking into the Earth (Blazevich, 2012, p.45).An optimal running technique is contacting the ground with the heel of the foot before the toes and this is referred to as the vertical reaction force (Blazevich, 2012, p.45). In figure 7 we can see the heel contacts the ground before the toes (Refer to figure 7). This is an important part of acceleration to achieve high vertical velocity at take-off (Alexander et al, 2010, p.6). To minimise braking forces the step should not occur too far out in front of the body, thus this is where leaning forward is an advantage (Blazevich, 2012, p.57). The run up generates momentum, which allows the athlete to gain further vertical velocity which will later be transferred to the ball. This produces more downward onto the ball which will result in the ball dropping into the court. Additionally, the ball will move faster through the air and the ball range (distance) will be increased (Blazevich, 2012, p.25).

The second step, the plant step, is the longest step in the run up (Alexander et al, 2010,p.6). This step is often a distance of up to 80% of the server's standing height and is required to 'provide the breaking forces' and assists with the 'gather and prepare for the take-off' (Alexander et al, 2010,p.6). Braking impulse is the product of force applied over time to slow and object, in this case ground force in a forward direction (Blazevich, 2013, p. 238). Braking force is necessary for the athlete to be able to change direction and affects the amount of time they spend contacting the ground, thus, this affects the amount of deceleration (Blazevich, 2012).

The third and fourth step prepare the athlete for the jump and the body's change in inertia. The speed of the run up is transferred into the jump and horizontal force is transferred into vertical force (Mann, 2008). For the third step of the run up, the players lands on the heel of their right foot. This then allows the server to apply a breaking impulse to the hips, knees and ankles due to flexion occurring in these joints. (Alexander et al, 2010, p.6) Their body weight is transferred into the right foot when it has full contact with the ground. As this flexion occurs, the left foot comes forward, also preparing the body for the jump (Alexander et al, 2010). The left foot lands about 50cm in front of the right foot with their foot and toes facing the side of the court (Refer to figure 8) (Alexander et al, 2010). Rotating the foot medially towards the mid-line of the body, leaves the foot almost parallel to the baseline of the court (Alexander et al, 2010). This assists the player to break the forward momentum created by the run up due to applying breaking impulses into the ground with their foot. The rotation of the foot allows the server to change the direction of their trunk to the side of the court preparing their arms for the swing (Alexander et al, 2010). When both feet are in contact with the ground creates a larger base of support. By pushing their feet into the ground they create ground force to accelerate and move upwards for the jump (Mann, 2008). To accelerate an object or body faster, more force needs to be applied (Blazevich, 2012). The less mass (kg) the individual has will result in them being able to accelerate faster (Blazevich, 2012). This is why volleyball players tend to be learn as this assists them in changing directions quickly and gaining further vertical velocity in the jump. Jumping with both legs on the ground produces greater amounts of force for the take-off, hence they will be able to jump higher (Alexander et al, 2010, p.7). The body still has forward momentum and will continue to move in that direction during the jump.

During the run up, the arms swing behind the body and hyperextend at about 30 degrees in a horizontal position (Alexander et al, 2010, p.7). To achieve this, the server leans their trunk forward slight to create an angle of 20 degress in a vertical position (Alexander et al, 2010, p.7). From here the arms are swung forward, downwards and then upwards increasing the GRF (Refer to figure 9) (Alexander et al, 2010, p.8). The body moves from the flexed position before extending the trunk of the body (Refer to figure 9). At take off the arms are pointed forward and slightly upwards (Refer to figure 9) (Alexander et al, 2010, p.8). As the arms and the trunk accelerate vertically, the servers legs push down proximal on the hip joints, increasing downward force. This contributes to creating a downward force from the legs into the floor (Refer to figure 9). Newton's third law states the more force applied to the ground by the server will result in the server receiving increased GRF, ultimately accelerating the player vertically and horizontally at take-off, but only if the force applied is greater than their inertia (Blazevich, 2012, p.45). If the arm swing is performed too early their GRF will be reduced during take-off (Alexander et al, 2010, p.7). Furthermore, this will affect their overall timing of the serve. Players with a greater range of motion and flexibility in their shoulder have an advantage as the shoulder plays an important part in creating force and power (Alexander et al, 2010; Mann 2008). This refers to Newton's second law.

Figure 9: This diagram identifies the steps required to preform an optimal run up. Breaking forces, base of support and line of gravity are all essential components to perform a powerful attacking volleyball serve.
(Mann, 2008).

Jump

Optimal technique:

1. After the run up, the server plants both feet on the ground before bending their knees and pushing off the ground to then gain horizontal and vertical velocity (Refer to figure 10).

Figure 10: The server lowers their centre of gravity by bending their knees and pushing their feet into the ground. This produces GRF to generate power and move their inertia vertically and horizontally into the air.
(MacKenzie, Kortegaard, LeVangie & Barro, 2012).

Biomechanics:

In the jumping phase the hips, knees and ankles extend at the same time during the kinetic chain. The kinetic chain is described as a group of muscles simultaneously moving at the same time to produce a movement (Blazevich, 2012, p.240). The server is able to produce higher overall forces of power which is transferred from the legs to from the kinetic chain in a continuous matter creating greater impulse when the ball is hit. When the server pushes their legs into the ground, this is known as a push-like movement (Refer to figure 10). GRF begin to generate more force, hence this will produce power and increased the speed of the ball in the later phases of the serve. The server lowers their centre of gravity by bending their knees and pushing their feet into the ground. Inertia refers to Newton's first law and this is present when the athlete has lowered their centre of mass, resulting in changing the athlete's inertia.

Tall elite athletes have been recorded to be over two metres in height and have an advantage over smaller players because they are able to produce more downward force and a greater angle on the ball at contact (Alexander et al, 2010, p.2).

Improving players fitness levels and lower their heart rate enhance a player’s optimal performance and efficiency during the jump phase of the serve (Blazevich, 2012, p.106). Lower heart rate allows players to perform at higher intensities for a longer duration of time, minimising fatigue (Harold, Kohl & Tinker, 2012, p.78). The server will be able to jump higher, repetitively and at a higher velocity increasing their kinetic energy throughout the jump phase (Blazevich, 2012, p.106).

Wind Up

Biomechanics:

Back Swing:

The trunk continues to rotate sagittally around the longitudinal axis, a line from the head to the toe (Alexander et al., 2010; Blazevich, 2012).This helps to build velocity and results in the trunk facing the side of the court (Alexander et al., 2010). During the air borne phase of this movement the trunk moves in two separate parts the shoulder and pelvic girdle. This means that as the trunk moves the hips and legs rotate the opposite direction to balance them (Alexander et al., 2010). Newton's second law is present at this stage because the server's body parts are moving in one direction while airborne, hence the other body parts must move in the opposite direction (Alexander et al, 2010, pp.10-11). This results in the action and reaction torques around the axis remain constant (Alexander et al, 2010, p.10-11). The second rotation occurs along a transverse axis through the hips, separating the top and the bottom half of the body (Blazevich, 2012). The trunk rotation occurs at the when the shoulder girdle leans backwards, in order to balance the hips and flex them into maximum hip hyperextention (Alexander et al, 2010, p.11). The knees flex at the peak of the jump (Alexander et al., 2010, p. 11). The hyperextension and flexion stretches the abdominal muscles preparing them for a strong contraction and rotation upon impact (Alexander et al., 2010, p. 11). When the tendons are stretched, elastic potential energy is stored and when it is released, the muscles and tendons recoil at a great speed producing a high kinetic energy. Newton's third law of motion applies to the arm swing. When airborne the GRF that would usually counterbalance the arm swing is not available, thus the arm swing needs to be generated and balanced by the opposite arm and leg (Mann, 2008, p.2). Once airborne the serving arm moves to a position behind the body. One hand may be at hip height or have the forearm parallel to the floor (Refer to figure 11) (Alexander et al, 2010, p.9). The elbow, wrist and shoulder are then pull back and the arm is medially in a downward position (Mann, 2008; Alexander et al, 2010).

Figure 11: These photographs show the different back swings which can be performed.

In the wind up phase, the arm rotates around the shoulder joint creating angular momentum. To increase the angular momentum and velocity we need to either decrease mass or move the mass closer to the centre of rotation (COF). By bending the elbow we move the mass closer to the COF. The Magnitude of force causing rotation of the arm is defined as movement of force or torque (Blazevich, 2012, P. 77). Player's are at an advantage if they can increase their range of motion. This will increase velocity in the hand, which can be transferred to the ball (Mann, 2008). An elite player's hand reaches a parallel position to the floor and contacts the ball slightly in front of their body (Refer to figure 12).

Figure 12: The picture on the left is an elite volleyball player. Their hand is beyond parallel to the floor and contacts the ball the ball slightly in front of their body. The intermediate player is on the right. Their arm is above parallel and they contact the ball directly above their head. This results in not reaching an optimal range of motion.
(Mann, 2008).

Forward Swing:

The larger muscles move first in the forward swing to create a summation of force. The trunk, shoulder, elbow and wrist move one after another to produce one big movement. The shoulder girdle rotates around the transverse axis. This rotation and flexion occurs forcefully to the left and then a forward motion. This is where the stored potential energy is released as the muscles recoil from being flexed during the back swing, thus higher kinetic energy is produced (Blazevich, 2012, p.200). As this occurs, the arm continues to move backwards rotating laterally and stretching the medial rotators storing elastic potential energy ready for contraction which will further build velocity for contact with the ball (Alexander et al., 2010, p. 13). Next the shoulder joint rotates medially and adducts horizontally and extends while the elbow is still flexed (Alexander et al., 2010; Blazevich, 2010, cited in Copping, 2014). Then the elbow extends and the lower arm pronates to have the palm facing away from the body towards where the ball will be (Alexander, et al., 2010). The wrist flexes and adducts to the outside or right side so that the top of the ball is in-between the thumb and forefinger.

Angular velocity is important in the elbow for the serve (Alexander et al, 2010, p.13). The conservation of angular moment is used to transfer power to the ball (Mann, 2008). Once the proximal segments are at a halt, the momentum from the trunk, shoulder and elbow is transferred to the distal segments to create a whip like action (Blazevich, 2010; Mann, 2008). The distal segments are light, this the angular momentum transferred will have greater angular velocity (Blazevich, 2010, p.199).

Extension of arm:

Torque is force applied to a lever arm with an axis of rotation (Anderson, 2014). The longer the lever arm and the further the force is applied from the point of rotations, the stronger the torque (Blazevich, 2010). The arm in the volleyball utilities this as the point of contact. The arm extends above the shoulder and the trunk leans to the left as much as it can to create a higher reach without over balancing (Alexander, et al., 2010). The arm extension lengthens the lever arm and magnifies the velocity created from a summation of velocities created by the run up, jump, arm swing and trunk movement (Watkins, 2007, p. 121). ‘The most powerful movements originate from the mid line of the body, and travel towards the extremities, transferring and adding power as they go.’ (Range of motion, 2011). Important in the retention of healthy players and avoiding injury is the ability to decrease the angle of shoulder abduction while still increasing the lever arm for rotation about the spine (Alexander et al., 2010, p. 15).

Ball Contact

Optimal technique:

Float: Palm contacts the back of the ball (Refer to figure 13).

Topspin: Hand wraps around the ball (Refer to figure 13).

Figure 13: The different hand postilions to contact the ball on the serve to perform a jump topspin or jump float serve.
(Volleyball, 2015)

Figure 14: The different hand placements for the float and topspin serve.

Biomechanics:

Jump Topspin Serve:

As the elbow completes its extension the hand makes contact with the ball. The fingers are spread, extended, cupped and relaxed (Alexander, et al., 2010). The wrist is relaxed to increase the range of motion and increase power (Prsala 1981, cited in Alexander, et al., 2010, p. 14). As the hand contacts the ball the wrist flexes and due to pronation and wrist adduction the hand rotates forwards (Alexander, et al., 2010) and the wrist snaps (Mann, 2008). Fingers extend over the top of the ball for topspin serve this makes the ball drop faster and stabilised the flight of the ball and the direction of the ball (Alexander, et al., 2010).

Jump Float Serve:

Contact with the ball happens on the right side of the body and the hand makes contact behind the middle of the ball with no spin (Strengths and power for volleyball, 2016). This is because there is no follow through. This serve has an inconsistent trajectory which makes it difficult to return. After the hand contacts the ball, it will have an increased velocity compared to the hand as the ball is lighter. The faster the hand velocity, the faster the ball's velocity will be (Alexander et al, 2010, p.15).

Both Serves:

Newton's second law is present when the player strikes the ball on the centre of their hand, thus force and kinetic energy are applied to the ball (Refer to figure). The more force applied through the mass of the ball allows the ball to accelerate through the air, therefore, the volleyball has an increased projection speed allowing the ball to travel further in distance (Blazevich, 2012, p.45). This occurs because when force is applied to an object, in this case the ball, it produces power and torque increasing the velocity of the ball. Furthermore, the ball will accelerate faster through the air due to an increase in kinetic energy. This is an important aspect of the serve because the faster the ball accelerates over the net and into the opposite side of the court, reduces the amount of time the opposing team have to return the ball. This is achieved through the transferal of momentum from the lower body during the jump phase to the upper body when the server is in the air.

To change the direction of the ball's downward flight path, the player needs to contact the ball pushing it across the court and net. This is known as a push-like movement. As the hand and ball collide there is a transferal of velocity and an exchange of force for a short duration of time, hence Newton's Law of Impact is present here (Watkins, 2007; Hay, 1993). As the objects collide they will deform, the amount of deformation depends on the object and is difficult to calculate. Experiments have found that a volleyballs coefficient of restitution is about 0.74 (Hay, 1993; Blazevich, 2013, p. 118). Objects regain their original shape after impact, however some energy will be converted during collision into sound and heat (Blazevich, 2013). The flight of the ball may be impacted by the launch force, the angle, the height of release and the spin on the ball (Dalton, 2015).

The greater the acceleration and spin on the volleyball produces greater Magnus force (Blazevich, 2012, p.190). In the topspin serve Magnus effect is present when they impart spin on the ball (Blazevich, 2012, p.192). The float serve swerves last minute because the ball velocity is slower through the air (Blazevich, 2012). According to the Magnus effect the air on top will slow down and the air underneath will move faster (Blazevich, 2010).

Follow Through:

Optimal Technique:
1. Arm follows to you want the ball to go (Refer to figure 15).

Figure 15: The player's arm follows through to where they want the ball to go. The follow through helps with accuracy.
(Big West Conference, N.D.)

Biomechanics:

After contact with the ball, in shoulder extension and adduction, the hitting hand and arm will continue across the body while the trunk continues to flex (Alexander, et al., 2010, p. 17). As a result of building up so much speed in the arm, the body needs to apply a large angular impulse to slow the arm down and to assist this the arm follow through should be as long as possible (Alexander, et al., 2010, p. 17). A greater angular impulse will be needed for a float serve as the technique requires that there is no follow through with the arm.

How can we use this information?

Players can use this information to alter their technique to achieve the optimal technique. This will assist in improving their serve and will increase their team's chances of winning. Volleyball coaches can also use this information to develop training sessions and alter their players technique. They will be provided with a greater understanding on why this is the optimal technique for the overarm jump serve.

How else can we use this information?

The tennis serve and badminton smash have many similarities to the overarm volleyball serve (Refer to figure 16). These sports can adopt the optimal volleyball technique to their serves to enhance their serving performance. The volleyball spike is nearly identical to the topspin serve, thus the serves biomechanics can be applied to the spike. In regards to all of these sports, power and angular velocity are extremely important to win points.The faster the ball or shuttlecock accelerates through the air results in the opposing team having less time to set up for the return. This is achieved by applying more force to the object. An optimal technique is to try to ace your opponent or aim at their body as they will have to return the object in a cramped position. Serving the tennis ball into the wind produces greater horizontal speed and more spin is applied to the ball, thus Magnus effect is present (Blazevich, 2012, p.190). Applying the optimal technique into sports reduces the risk of injuries, especially in the shoulder joint. Athlete's wanting to improve their jump to enhance their overall performance can apply the jump phase within their sport.

Badminton Smash
(Healy, N.D.)

Tennis Serve
(Scott, 2010)

Figure 16: Volleyball Spike
In all three images you can see the similarities of the volleyball serve transferred into other sports.
(Pacificcoastvolleyballcamps.com, N.D.).

Useful Videos

Volleyball aces

(Epic Volleyball, 2015)

Top 10 best volleyball serves

(Vtnklmdc.movies, 2016)

Generating ball velocity

(AVCA Volleyball, 2015)

References:

Alexander, M., Honish, A., Canadian Sport Centre-Manitoba., Kennedy Centre., & University of Manitoba. (2010). An analysis of the volleyball jump serve. Sport Biomechanics Lab, University of Manitoba. Pp.2-17.

Blazevich, A. J. (2012). Sports biomechanics: The basics: Optimising human performance. London, A&C Black Publishers.

Hay, J. G. (1993). The biomechanics of sports techniques. Prentice Hall.

Huang, C., & Hu, L. (2007). Kinematic analysis of volleyball jump topspin and float serve. In XXv ISBS Symposium. (pp. 333-336). Ouro Preto: Brazil

Mann, M. (2008). The biomechanics of the volleyball spike / attack. Retreived from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.154.9549&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Northrip, J. W., Logan, G. A., McKinney, W. C., & Alexander, R. M. (1974). Introduction to biomechanic analysis of sport. Physics Today, 27, (9), 58. doi 10.1063/1.3128872

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Written by Louise Latz and Stephanie Smart
HLPE3531

What are the optimal biomechanics for the overarm volleyball serve?

What are the optimal biomechanics for the overarm volleyball serve?

Tuesday, 14 June 2016