Consistency

"The foundation of consistency is a sound pre-shot routine." - Bob Rotella in "Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect"

Serving is the only part of volleyball under your complete control. Exceptional serving overlaps with golf (addressing the ball) and basketball (free throw shooting) as the pre-shot routine combines both physical and mental components.

What belongs in the pre-shot routine? 

• Strategy - where do I place the serve to increase the chance of scoring by putting the defense in a bad position (e.g. out of system) play.
• Mental preparation - might include a deep breath (Dot b - stop and take a breath), visualization, or an affirmation ("right now" or "strike zone" or whatever)
• Positioning (Zone, feet behind the endline) 
• Ignition - Footwork, Toss, and ball striking

Toss

A high toss means the ball accelerates down through contact, making consistent contact more difficult

A toss too far in front makes a net ball more likely.

Alisa has unique footwork and delivery. Notice that her toss is relatively low, which means minimal chance for "downward acceleration" that would reduce the contact "sweet spot." The serve forces a less accurate first pass which leads to out of system play. 

Lagniappe. The best teams play with force. Consistency and aggressiveness are the hallmarks of excellence. Coach Scott Celli likes to say that you compete with serve and passing and win with attacking and blocking. 

Coach Liskevych teaches serving types. Find what works for you.