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Statting the Serve Technique
tl:dr
Standing float, jump float and jump top-spin are coded in DataVoley as High (H), Medium (M) and Quick (Q) serves, respectively
I don’t code Medium/ jump float serves because I can’t touch-type the “M” button as it is on the right side of the keyboard but my right hand rests on the number pad to code zones and player shirt numbers
However, I can use any ball type to mean jump float serves and the “T” button for Tense (T) serves is on the left side of the keyboard, i.e. within reach of my left hand
I now code standing float, jump float, jump top-spin and other serves (e.g. standing top-spin, hybrid, side-arm) as Tense (T), High (H), Quick (Q) and Fast (N) serves
Serve Technique
There are generally three different ways players will serve: standing float, jump float, and jump top-spin. You can actually stat serve technique in DataVolley via the Ball Type code. The table below shows the seven different ball types and the three that define the serve technique. There are other types of serve techniques (e.g. standing top-spin, hybrid and side-arm serve) but they are not considered by DataVolley. I assume it is because these serves are so rare, especially at the elite level where you would use DataVolley, that teams can get by without it.
Not Coding Jump Float Serves
I don’t currently code jump float serves. This is because the “M” button for Medium serves is located on the right side of the keyboard but my right-hand rests on the number pad to code zones and player numbers (see photo below). This means if I wanted to code “M” for jump float serves, I would need to physically look at the keyboard to type it in. That second or two to look at the keyboard could mean I miss out on seeing, and thus not coding, critical actions in the rally. This is not good.
Due to this, I only code jump top-spin serves (Q) and I leave all other serves as the default High (H) serve. Not differentiating the standing float and jump float isn’t such a big issue for me because players don’t really serve jump float AND standing float in matches. So High (H) serves can be considered as the player’s default serve. So if I do any analysis on this, I just need to know what their jump top-spin serve (Q) stats are like and compare it to their default serve (H), whether jump float or standing float. In most cases, their jump top-spin serves are usually worse (see link for more info).
So while I can get by not differentiating standing and jump float serves, I still want to be able to code it if possible. It’s always better to add more data because it is always better to have it and not need it than to need it but not have it. There could be some interesting analysis that can come out of it. I might find that some players employ three different serve techniques and I want to know which one is the most effective for them. I could look at if players pass better against a particular serve technique. I could do some general analysis, e.g. which type of serve technique is the most effective in the league.
Attaching Any Meaning to the Serve Type
As I said above, the issue with coding jump float serves is the “M” button for Medium serve is on the right side of the keyboard and I can’t touch type there. My idea was to eventually remap the “M” button to the left side of the keyboard. However, you can see in the diagram below that all the buttons on the left side of the keyboard are in use (see the link to read more about my remapping of the keyboard). This would make it hard to find a space to remap the “M” button.
One idea I forgot about is you don’t need to follow DataVolley’s way and you can attach any meaning to the ball types (click on this link to read how I used Ball Type to group the different types of attacks). This means I don’t need to use Medium (M) serves to mean jump float serves. I can use any of the other ball types to mean jump float serves, as long as you use it consistently within yourself. Just looking at the keyboard (see above), I can use the “T” button (Tense serve) as it is within reach of my left hand. The “N” button (Fast serve) is also nearby with a stretch.
So I could use Tense (T) serves to mean jump-float serves and leave standing float serves as High (H) serves, as defined by DataVolley. However, I think it could be better to flip it and code jump float serves as High (H) serves. This is because most service attempts that I stat are jump-float serves (I’m assuming anyway) so making it the default High (H) serve means less overall physical typing.
I will also use the Fast (N) serve for all other serves, i.e. standing top-spin, hybrid, side-arm serves. The “N” button is a full stretch for my left fingers but since they are so rare, I think I am ok with it. Of all the players I ever statted over 13 years, I can only think of one player that has a standing top-spin serve and two players with a hybrid serve. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player with a side-arm serve.I will also use the Fast (N) serve for all other serves, i.e. standing top-spin, hybrid, side-arm serves. The “N” button is a full stretch for my left fingers but since they are so rare, I think I am ok with it. Of all the players I ever statted over 13 years, I can only think of one player that has a standing top-spin serve and two players with a hybrid serve. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player with a side-arm serve.
Final Serve Types
The table below shows how I will stat the serve techniques. I have already started to implement this during the Small Countries Association Men’s Championships 2023 (see link). There was only one player in the entire tournament that did a standing float serve so I did have to consciously think about that.
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