Topspin Jump Serve Analysis

Introduction The idea of the popular and continuously growing game of volleyball was thought of in 1895. The rules and skills started to evolve as the game grew more popular until it was an official Olympic sport in 1924. It started off with passing the ball back and forth until the three hit rule was developed. The game always started with a serve and as time went on, the serve became more and more complex. Different varieties and techniques of the serve started to emerge as the game grew. There are three primary techniques that are used for the serve; the standing float, the jump float, and the topspin jump serve. A closer look at the proper form for the topspin jump serve will be broken down into four main phases. The joint angles and outcomes of a novice will be compared to those of an expert to analyze this popular serve.
Overall Movement Pattern The topspin jump serve makes use of the entire body. Every limb is active in some way or another. Because the focus of this project is on the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints, the emphasis will be on the muscles in the upper body. The rotator cuff muscles are extremely active because they stabilize the humeral head in the glenoid fossa and maintain proper positioning of the scapula in regards to the …show more content…
To master this skill it is important that one keeps in mind a few biomechanical principles to achieve maximal performance. Gravity, acceleration, force, momentum, and optimal joint angles are just a few of the key concepts that one should be aware of. The optimal jump serve takes precise timing accompanied by repetition. From analyzing the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints, the prime angles can be determined. However, the overall movement of the topspin jump serve incorporates all limbs of the body. The fact that the entire body is involved makes this serve one of the hardest to defend if executed