Develop a good consistent deep serve that lands in the last 3 feet of the court and pushes the passer back.
Set up
# of players : 1-12 players
Ideal : 2 players
Equipment : 4+ balls
Average duration : 5-10 minutes
Description
- After drawing a line 3 feet from the baseline (cones can also be used for better visibility) athletes practice serving deep.
- Athletes should serve a number of serves deep in a row to get a feel for the correct angle and distance before breaking up each serve with a run into the court.
- Repeat.
Evaluation : # of reps (ex. 8) or # of time (ex. 4 min).
Scoring game (first to 10 points).
Variations
- Rotate between players.
- Serve in different positions on the baseline
- Switch side.
Progression
- Any break between serves will have an effect on consistency and make serving accurate more difficult.
- Additionally for fun the coach could heckle the server to try to put them off their serve. Server has to try to stay focused.
Key points
- Athletes should be aware of the arc of the ball and attempt to serve high in order to push the passer back rather that low and flat which will allow the passer to play the ball without having to retreat.
- Athletes should focus on developing a consistent contact on the ball in order to better judge the distance the serve is likely to go.