In tennis, the serve is the most important and valued shot. With a good serve, you can swiftly ace your opponents and win a point. A weak serve, on either side, gives your opponent the option to return the ball forcefully and command the point. In the worst situation, erratic serves might result in double faults, allowing your opponent to score a free point.
In tennis, the serve is the only shot over which you have complete power. You have complete control over where the tennis ball is placed, how it is spun, and how fast it is hit, allowing you to terminate the point before your opponent has even handled the ball. To build a strong serve, observe how the player does each practice while receiving guidance on the necessity of relaxing the hand, and having good form, and stance.
Each drill is taken down to give players a complete explanation of how to enhance their serve:
- Hand Relaxation
- Position toss
- Getting a Glimpse of the Situation
Learn the significance of getting a loose arm and hand throughout the swing in the first practice, relaxing the Hand, to develop a good serve. The Toss Location Drill then focuses on practicing the first and second serve tosses, as well as the variances in the arm, shoulder, and foot positioning. Figuring out the Stance Drill demonstrates how pros employ various foot stances to produce momentum.
1: How to improve your Tennis Serving technique – Starting Position
The platform stance and the pinpoint position are the only two basic positions to take when serving. To make things clearer, let’s define each.
Position on the Platform: The server stands with both feet apart and hops off both feet to begin the serve. The majority of the jump’s power is generated by the front foot. The leading foot should be positioned away from the baseline by 45 degrees. The back foot should be parallel to the baseline. The toes of the back foot should be close to the heel of the front foot.
Pinpoint Standpoint: Begin the serve with both feet apart, and then move them closer together in the power position until they are touching, or nearly touching, and jump off both feet. The strength of the jump is more evenly spread between the two feet. Let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of each position.
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Platform stance is simpler to master than pinpoint posture, requires less timing, and is better for serving and lobs. This is owing to the fact that it has fewer moving parts than the pinpoint and propels you further forward into the court. Because it is the easiest to use, all new gamers and children are taught how to utilize the platform initially. Its primary disadvantage is that it is less strong.
2: Rotation of the body
When serving, many players, whether new or experienced, place their bodies too close to the court. This indicates that they are facing the court or net rather than away from it. At least some of the time throughout your serve action, your opponent should see your back. The best instances of significant body rotation on the serve are John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.
Take a look at their service movements on YouTube, for example. Observe them in slow motion if possible. If you have a beginner’s serve, you can position yourself away from the court due to your eastern forehand grip. Advanced servers with a firm grip on the continent may position themselves far from the network.
Hip rotation should be less than 90 degrees (perpendicular to the net), while shoulder rotation should be greater. Because the shoulders and hips are misaligned, torque is created in the center of the body, which stores kinetic energy. The core back to the middle action that happens during the serve motion triggers the arm, shoulder, and wrist motions that follow. If everything is done correctly, serving speeds exceeding 100 mph are achievable.
3: Ideal Tennis Serve Position of Influence
All groundstrokes and serves in tennis have a power position. You’ll stay in this position for a few seconds before pushing forward into the ball. I noticed a number of club players with no power positions on their forehands and serves. The power position on the serve is commonly referred to as the “trophy posture.” I always recommend that you videotape your serve.
If you watch the footage in slow motion or even at normal speed, you may notice that you lack a powerful position. If that’s the case, then achieving it would be advantageous to you. Alternatively, if you assume you’ve hit a strong position, it may be poor in relation to others. Almost every great server eventually ascends to a position of immense power.
They almost come to a halt there for a few milliseconds before continuing on their way. Your serve will almost certainly get more potent if you enhance your power position. It’s worthwhile to give it a try. It’ll be challenging at first, but stick with it. If you have a trainer and someone to keep an eye on you, that’s even better.
4: How to Align Your Shoulders?
I’m talking about the angle between the shoulders and the ground when I mention shoulder orientation. Consider a line at a 45-degree angle to the ground. I referenced shoulder rotation before in the text, but it was in connection to the court or net. What we’re discussing here is not the same as what we’re discussing elsewhere.
I’ve looked at a lot of the great servers from the last two generations. Almost every one of them had at least a 45-degree angle of congruence in their shoulders in the power pose (to the ground). Pete Sampras had one of the best angles I’d ever seen in a tennis match (nearly 60 degrees on some serves).
5: Rules on a Dropped Tennis Racket
The racket drop is vital when it comes to effortless serve power. During this phase of the serve, the racket reverses (even if just for a moment) and the butt cap faces the sky. Every top pro player has an unmistakable deep racket drop. Andy Roddick’s racket drop was one of the deepest on the professional tour.
Take note of how deep his racket drop is if you have a chance to witness his serve in slow motion. It was even deeper than Federer’s, which explains why Andy’s serve speeds were around 10 mph faster. I’ve found that most club players either don’t have a racket drop or have a very shallow one. For many years, the racket drop was my greatest fear.