Evaluation of Two

Methods of Jump Float

Serve in Volleyball
A Research by
Sasho MacKenzie, Kyle Kortegaard, Marc LeVangie, and
Brett Barro, 2012
Journal of Applied Biomechanics
 Introduction
In volleyball, a serve is considered as a first action of
an offensive play before the rally. The primary goal of
service is to make a score and possibly give a hard
time for the opponents to score.
There are four primary characteristics that servers as
the basis of the level of difficulty in serving the ball:
a. Ball Speed
b. Flight Time
c. Predictability of the Trajectory
d. Server’s ability to conceal the types of serve
 JUMP FOCUSED AND CONTACT
FOCUSED TECHNIQUE
A novel jump-focused (JF) technique of the
jump float serve was compared with the
conventionally used contact-focused (CF)
method.
These are the two main types of serve and
both have a different levels of difficulty based
on the four characteristics that were
mentioned earlier.
Currently used in elite volleyball
TOSS-FOCUSED METHOD or Contact
Focused Technique
The ball is tossed as the right foot is forward (for right-
handed players) with a low trajectory. Immediately after
the left foot comes forward, the server must jump to
contact the falling toss. The ball is struck in front of the
server’s body with an open palm so as to impart no spin
on the ball. This approach eliminates the possibility of
using an arm swing to facilitate a maximal jump.
JUMP-FOCUSED METHOD
The JF jump float serve is characterized by a much
higher toss that occurs earlier in the approach than the
TF method. The ball is tossed with the left leg forward
(for right-handed players). The higher toss allots the
server sufficient time to then execute a two-step spike
approach, which allows the player to perform a
countermovement and an exaggerated arm swing
prior to take-off, resulting in a potentially greater jump.
The long step onto the left foot to start the run
up. A longer step is related to a faster run up, a
faster run up is related to a higher jump and a
faster serve.
The right foot, plant a step onto the right leg,
heel strikes first and shoulders in maximum
hyperextension above the horizontal, trunk
leaning forward.
On this picture, the first contact with the heel of the
right foot should correspond with the position of
maximum shoulder hyperextension. Maximum shoulder
hyperextension is accompanied by trunk flexion that
increases the range of shoulder extension. The optimal
range of trunk flexion during the arm swing is in the
range of 20º from the vertical.
The position of maximal lateral rotation places
the shoulder medial rotators on a stretch, trunk is
tilted to the left and hyperextended while it is
squarely facing forward.
The contact for the serve at peak height and full
extension of all body parts, trunk leans away from ball.
Following impact the trunk continues to flex
forward and the shoulder continues to
extend to decelerate limb gradually.
 MUSCLES and JOINTS INVOLVED
Lower Body Joints
You'll do a lot of running and jumping during a
game of volleyball. Flexible ankles help you to
pivot and turn quickly without incurring an
injury. Running also requires flexible and limber
hips, knees and ankle joints to pick up your
legs and put them down where you want
them. When you crouch down to explode
upward and spike the ball, those same lower
body joints are called into action.
 Upper Body Joints

All the interaction with the volleyball itself

requires some movement from your shoulder
joint, whether you're serving, setting, passing
or spiking it. Your elbow joints lock or bend
depending on which way you're trying to hit
the ball. The wrist joints play a part, too,
flexing or bracing to serve, receive a serve,
pass the ball to a team member or block a
spike.
Leg Muscles
Your leg muscles are your foundation when you
play volleyball. You'll recruit all of them at one
point or another during the game. Your calves,
quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and hip flexors
are all essential for running, but they also play a
vital part in quick, explosive jumps. Strong leg
muscles give you the power you need to
elevate your jumps for effective jump serves,
setting, spiking and blocking.
Upper Body Muscles
 Your upper body is where a lot of essential volleyball
action happens. Your biceps and forearms engage to
move your arms during any ball-hitting action like the
serve or receiving, setting, passing and spiking. Your
chest engages during forceful forward and upward arm
movements.
 With the full range of motion your arms go through in a
game, the fact that you engage your shoulder muscles is
no surprise. They even work with your back muscles to
keep your arms from moving back when blocking a ball.
 Strong back muscles, such as the scapular stabilizers
around your shoulder blades, help with arm movement
and stabilization, and the latissimus dorsi muscles, which
run down your back from just below the shoulder blades
to your waist, are useful for stabilizing in addition to
moving your upper body.
PRINCIPLES
Newton’s Law of Motion
a. Law of Inertia
b. Law of Acceleration
c. Law of Counterforce or Action/Reaction
Force and Velocity
 Conclusion
JF method generates superior post impact ball
kinematics, relative to the current to the current
CF technique, which would increase the
difficulty for the receiving team to pass the ball.
Although JF service would be difficult to
execute due to the associated higher toss, it is
preferred by the elite volleyball players, both
male and female. Much practice may be
required with this serve technique to develop
consistent coordination .
The significantly greater pre-contact vertical
ball velocity evident with the JF toss has
implications on the difficulty level in
performing this type of serve. Since the ball is
tossed much higher, the force of gravity has
more time to act on the ball, resulting in a
prolonged downward acceleration and a toss
that is moving much faster just before impact.
This suggests that practice may be required to
establish the correct timing in coordinating a
successful ball contact.
Thank you!

AMDG.