Email Campaign Archive

Developing a Serving Strategy for the Season

-By Tom Houser



A Question for Coach Houser:

I was watching the NCAA finals back in December
and something that was said stuck with me. A coach
said that his team missed only 15 serves in the
semis. Then the coach said that only missing 15
was an indication that his team was serving too
easy! Furthermore, he expected his team to miss
even more serves in the finals, or he said they
had little chance to win! I’ve thought about it
every day since. Did I misunderstand? What the
heck did he mean?


Coach Houser’s Reply:

I will tackle the coach’s email above shortly.
First, let’s review some of the conventional
wisdom about serving, and serving strategies
during matches:  


Serving Fallacy: Serves Should Not Be Missed.

This is usually the theory of the beginning
coaches, the rookie coaches, and the young
coaches. And it makes sense to them. But, do you
expect your first baseman to never drop a throw?
Do you expect your basketball players to never
miss a free throw? Or your football players to
never fumble? Mistakes are made. Even if your
girls are under threat of being benched, or if you
offer them time off of the next day’s practice,
they will nearly always still miss a few serves.  

Back in the day of side-out scoring, we would
ecstatic if we served 90% in the court. Yep, we
served pretty aggressive back then. After 18
varsity seasons, I never had one team serve 100%
in a match. Now with rally scoring, we expect 90%.
However, I don’t fuss over missed serves, any more
than I’d say, “You girls cannot miss any more free
throws. Understood?” These statements not only
fail to help your team, but the added pressure may
make your team serve worse.

If one of my players has missed too many serves, I
will either talk to her about how to fix it, or I
will replace her. (Here’s one benefit of having a
large team. But that’s another article!)
 

Serving Fact: The Weaker The Opponent, The Safer
You Want To Serve.

A agree with this strategy completely. Why? I want
to beat the opponent as soundly as possible, as
quickly as possible. And I will not allow my team
to beat a much weaker team 25-22, 25-23, 25-22
because we were trying (and missing) risky serves
in preparation for the tough opponent that’s
coming up next month.  

Beating a weaker team by close scores does more to
damage your team’s self-image, than it does to
help your team’s confidence in the tough serving.
Furthermore, the more risks you take with your
serving against a weaker team, the more likely
that team may actually beat you!  

In January 2008, my team beat two superior teams
at the Monument City Classic in Richmond because
our opponents were trying to serve so tough, that
they missed 5 to 10 each game. Later in the
season? Yeah, we beat one of them worse, lost to
the other in three. So, their strategy of serving
tougher at the beginning of the season in order to
prepare for later in the season was a wash.
Usually is.  

Now, let’s say your opponent is 0-8. No, you don’t
want to serve underhand. However, when the other
team is that weak, then serve 95%, serve at their
weak passers and kick their butts. Nothing risky,
until you get a large lead. If I have a server who
misses two serves in such a match, she will no
longer serve that night. Our job in that match is
to beat them, beat them quickly and soundly, let
them know that we’re the better team, and get out
of the gym.  

Do you disagree with me? I understand. But I
refuse to drop games (or get beat) by weaker
opponents to prepare for stronger ones. If we lose
too many games to those weaker ones, then won’t my
players think that we are one of the weaker ones
also? No, if I know that my team will eventually
need to serve tough , we’ll find a way to prepare
ourselves other than sacrificing the strong play
of the team.  


Serving Suggestion: Do In Practice What You’ll Do
In Matches.

Last summer, I worked a camp with Danny Miller,
head coach at Averett University in Danville.
He told the campers, “If you’ve decided how you
want to serve in a match, then use that serve
in practice, in scrimmages, in drills, all the time.”  

I know why he said that. He said it because
conscientious repetitions day after day create
better results, especially when pressure
situations are in the future. However, if you
subscribe to Coach Miller’s philosophy, then I
suggest you don’t spend practice after practice
asking the studs on your team to do 50 jump
spinners. That’s like asking your star running
back to absorb 50 direct shots from the defense’s
middle linebacker every practice. Will his body
withstand the season? Maybe. Maybe not.
 

Yes, Serving Is The Great Equalizer!

In volleyball, there is never a 0% chance to beat
anyone, because you have the serve in your hands.
You can serve as tough as you wish.  

Thus, you begin working with your servers from the
first day of practice. You teach them how to serve
bombs, jumpers, and short. You teach them to serve
floaters, spinners and to serve to location. Then
you use any of that as much (or as little) as is needed.  

In 1998, my team made the state playoffs for the
first time in school history. When I scouted our
opponents, I knew that we were in big trouble.
They were 4” taller and a year older in every
position. So I decided to serve tough, and I told
my team that was what were going to do. After
losing the first 2, we were way down in the 3rd,
but came back to tie the game at 21 because
Amber’s floater was dancing. We now had hope. And
even though we lost the match 3-0, it was a
thrilling ending that had the team jumping from
the bench!  


The Team That Wins……..

I heard a coach on TV say a few years ago, “The
team that wins is the team that makes the most
mistakes.” Yes, this is true at the very high
levels. Those athletes have to take risks, try the
daring plays, etc. That was what the coach was
talking about at the 2008 NCAA tournament in the
above email. I was watching the game also, heard
the statements, and was struck by them. Not too
often do you hear a coach say, “We didn’t make
enough mistakes.”  

If you are coaching a match and both teams are
very strong, then the less aggressive team will
lose. Why? Because the aggressive team will
overwhelm the other team’s simple strategies.  

I disagree with this strategy completely at the
middle school level and almost all high school
matches. Don’t coach for tomorrow. Don’t play for
tomorrow. Do what you have to win today. Place
tomorrow in the back of your mind, not the front!  



-Tom Houser
Head Coach, 2009 Roanoke Juniors 16’s National
JOVC Qualified-2006, 2009
Director, STAR Volleyball Camps
Author, “I Can’t Wait” Drill Collection and Ebooks
www.coachhouser.com