Okay, so today I wanted to get better at serving in volleyball. I’ve always been a bit, uh, inconsistent with my serves, to put it nicely. Sometimes they’re great, sometimes they sail way out of bounds. So, I decided to dedicate some serious practice time to it.
Getting Started
First, I grabbed my volleyball and headed out to the backyard. We’ve got a makeshift net set up between two trees – nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I started by just tossing the ball up and getting a feel for my swing. No pressure, just trying to make solid contact.
I spent maybe 10 minutes just doing that. Toss, swing, watch where the ball goes. Repeat. I wasn’t even aiming for anything specific, just trying to build some muscle memory.
Focusing on Technique
Next, I started thinking about my technique. I remembered a few things I’d read/seen:
- Toss: Keep it consistent, not too high, not too low, and slightly in front of me.
- Footwork: Step forward with my opposite foot as I swing.
- Contact: Hit the ball with the heel of my hand, aiming for the center of the ball.
- Follow-through: Finish my swing towards my target.
So, I started incorporating those things. I’d toss the ball, step, swing, and really try to focus on hitting the ball with the right part of my hand and following through. It felt awkward at first, like I was overthinking everything. A lot of balls were not pretty, I will admit that. But I kept at it.
Finding My Rhythm
After a while, I started to get into a rhythm. My tosses became more consistent, my footwork felt more natural, and my contact with the ball felt… cleaner. I started aiming for specific spots on the other side of the net – deep corners, short, etc. Some went in, some didn’t, but I was definitely feeling more in control.
I probably spent a good hour just practicing like this. Toss, step, swing, follow-through. Over and over. My arm started to get a little tired, but I felt like I was making progress. I was still making plenty of mistakes, that’s for sure. But the good serves felt really good.
Wrapping Up
By the end, I was definitely feeling more confident in my serving. I wouldn’t say I’m suddenly a serving superstar, but I definitely feel like I improved. I’ve got a better sense of what I need to do, and my consistency is at least a little bit better. The key, I think, is just repetition. Keep practicing, keep focusing on the basics, and eventually, it starts to click. It’s like anything else – practice makes perfect (or at least, practice makes better). I’m going back at it again tomorrow, that’s for sure.
