Fundamental Skill - Serve Receive and Forearm Pass helping you reach your maximum potential   Adapted from content by April Chapman.     Serve Receive and Forearm Pass Feet Your feet should be shoulder width apart in a comfortable balanced position with knees bent so that you are in a slight squat.  Your feet should be slightly staggered so your right foot is two-three inches in front of the left (for right handers, reverse for left handers) so that you can move quickly in any direction.  If your feet are even you cannot move quickly enough.  Knees bent and on your toes.   Upper Body Your upper body is in a slightly crouched position in a position that permits you to move quickly in any direction in order to get behind the ball quickly. Once in passing position - before making contact with the ball your shoulders need to be squared up to the target.  Your shoulders face the target and will guide the ball where you want it to go. Remember - shoulders should be squared up to the target BEFORE you contact the ball.   Lower Body Your feet make the first movement by getting you in position behind the ball you want to pass.  You will find that getting your body completely behind the ball you want to pass is the most important part of passing the ball. Anticipate where you need to be and getting your body behind the ball EARLY will make the rest of the serve receive a lot easier.   Arms Keep your arms apart as you move to get your body in position behind the ball to pass it.  Your arms should be in the same position as when you run. Once you reach where you need to be in order to serve receive - your right hand should form a fist which you place in the palm of your left hand. Your left hand should close around your right fist. Place both thumbs together- side by side and point them downward towards the ground. Pointing your thumbs to the ground will create the serve receive platform you use in order to serve receive. You must contact the ball on this platform created by your forearms between the wrist and inside elbow. With practice and repetition you will learn to control the ball consistently on your platform. Young players mistakenly contact the ball BELOW their wrists - on their fists and thumbs. You will never be able to control the ball consistently if you contact the ball below the wrists. Remember that serve receive means that you are receiving the serve.  Most serves come at a speed fast enough that when you receive the ball very little additional arm movement is needed in order to get the ball to your target (your target is usually your setter). So your serve receive platform should never finish above your shoulders since you don't need to swing your arms. When contacting the ball remember your shoulders are already squared up to your target so you just shift your body weight, stepping from your back foot to your front foot - keeping your platform still and just using it to guide the ball to your target. This is why we say you actually serve receive with your legs. Your shoulders and platform are there only to guide the ball to the target.   Quick Review 1.  Feet shoulder width apart with one foot slightly in front of the other. Shoulders and upper body in slight crouch, ready to move in any direction quickly. 2.  Anticipate where you need to be and get there BEFORE you start to pass the ball keeping arms and hands apart. 3.  Get stopped with one foot slightly in front of the other. 4.  Present your platform by wrapping your left hand around your right fist with thumbs pointing straight down to the ground. 5.  When contacting the ball don't swing your arms to serve receive - keep your platform below your shoulders and thumbs pointing to the ground - always.  USE YOUR LEGS to get the ball to the target by shifting your body weight from your back foot to your front foot. 6. Shoulders should already be squared to the target BEFORE you contact the ball so you don't have anymore adjusting to do with your arms once you contact the ball. 7. Keep your eyes on the ball. Visually track it as it leaves the servers hand all the way to your platform. By focusing on the ball you can tell if you need to make minor adjustments in the angle of your platform in order to get the ball to your target.   Conditioning Leg strength and flexibility are critical.