A Step-By-Step Guide To Mastering The Serve
The serve is considered to be a very important, sometimes even crucial part of the game, for both male and female players. Some might think that the physical characteristics of a player determine the impact of the serve on one’s game. But with enough practice, almost anyone can make the serve their signature stroke and a powerful weapon at that. Learning how to serve properly requires that you develop a few movements and connect them in a chain of events.
Go Through The Motions
A great way to begin mastering your serve is to try and perform the entire move without the ball and racquet. Do it as many times as it takes. If you are a beginner and have seen professional players serve, you will find it very hard to replicate exactly what they do. After performing an “empty routine” a significant number of times, proceed to the toss.
Practice The Toss
Get yourself a bucket of balls, or as many as you can, and practice the toss with your non-hitting hand. The ball shouldn’t be at your palm, rather hold it with your thumb and two or three fingers to form a pincer-like grip. Throw the ball slightly to your dominant arm and try to catch it up in the air at maximum height using your dominant arm. Repeat this until the motion begins to feel natural.
Master The Racquet Routine
For this part, leave the balls aside and take your racquet. Try to only perform your serve movement after the toss, and make the zone of impact as high as possible. Your serve should be fluid, powerful, and consistent. Practice this movement ten to twenty times, then you should be ready to hit balls.
Keep Your Eye On The Ball
As you start serving for the first time, keep your eye off the net and watch the ball instead. You will try a variety of toss heights as you progress, so it’s important to be entirely focused on the ball. Wind can be your enemy or your ally, so if you decide to go with a super high toss, remember that the ball could behave strangely.
Here tennis pro and coach Ken DeHart showing us tips on mastering the serve.
Source: 50 Best Tennis Tips for Players, Coaches & Pros
Bring The Pieces Together
Now that you have tried out the components of the serve, try and see how well they fit together. At this point, the most important thing is to feel comfortable and avoid any kind of stress on your body, especially your shoulders. You should get back to playing position after every serve. Become confident with your serve before experimenting with the height of your toss or strength of your stroke. Keep practicing and soon enough you'll be serving like the pros.
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