Wild in the Strike Zone

Analogies cross domains. Consider baseball or softball. You may know Ted Williams' graphic about getting your pitch. "Middle, middle" is where hitters prosper. 

Apply the mental model of "inversion." Think about the strike zone from the pitcher's perspective. Former Red Sox pitcher Gary Peters was struggling. Reporters asked him why. He answered, "I'm wild in the strike zone." He meant, "I'm throwing too many fat pitches, good to hit."

Hitting is timing. Pitching is disrupting timing.

In volleyball, you only have "total control" during serving. If you throw nothing but strikes "down the middle" at the libero with the same speed and direction, she has a higher "batting average." 

That's why disruptive service - seams, sidelines, short ("Killer S's") are effective, because you're working the strike zone as the pitcher. 

Here's a repost of Melrose's two most dynamic servers. No jump serve. No big windup. Simple, repeatable technique.

1. Alyssa DiRaffaele blended topspin and sidespin "sliders" that created nightmares for opponents. 

2. Cassidy Barbaro served more like Leah Fowke...hard, with downward (topspin) movement and often barely clearing the net.  

"Every battle is won before it is fought." - Sun Tzu in The Art of War 

Teams that use service smarter create advantage. Don't practice serving. Practice creating advantage.