Julie Filippo, Warren Township HS in Gurnee, IL.
Teaching the float serve to young players:
When teaching the float serve, I have my players stand about 1 foot away from the curtain that divides the gyms. I have them toss the ball up and contact through the ball, with the goal to trap the ball with their hand on the curtain.
Next progression is to move to a wall. Players will stand about 3 feet from the wall. They will toss, contact and step toward the wall. Their partner will stand about 10 feet behind them to catch the ball. This is a great way to watch if their elbows are dropping and to see the contact area. When hit correctly, the ball will sail right to their partner. I have them contact 5 and then switch.