A serve is start of a point in a tennis match. People who serve well can often come out ahead!
At same time, serve is also most difficult tennis technique to master, it has too much knowledge and skills.
Today's article breaks down serving technique into 7 steps. I hope that after reading it, you will understand how to serve ball correctly!
Contents in this issue:Training Seven Steps of Serve in Tennis
1. Station
The basic serving stance in tennis is when you stand on both feet with your front foot pointing towards right stance (e.g. right hand racquet and first court serve) and your back foot parallel to baseline. .
The toes of back foot are also roughly aligned with heel of the front foot. This base stand provides stability in all directions when performing a full feed.
This is a basic stance that you can adjust to match your feed direction.
If you are a beginner, it is recommended to start learning to serve from lead zone, as difference between path of swing and actual direction of ball's flight is small, which makes it easier for you to enter initial learning state of service technique.
Two main posts are used for serving: platform and step.
The service stance on platform means that both feet remain in same position throughout service movement, feet are always shoulder-width apart, and back foot does not move forward.
The step-up service stance is when you toss ball up with your back foot close to your front foot and then push ball forward.
2. Capture
Without a doubt, continental grip is best serving grip, simplest and most fundamental step to a powerful serve. If you are still serving with right grip, please correct it as soon as possible.
Continental grip, index finger base knuckle aligned with handle #2 surface.
Or hold handle straight like a hammer, facing racquet perpendicular to ground, as if driving nails with side of racquet frame.
Small details:
Many people are accustomed to holding racquet tightly with five fingers close together, or holding middle of handle with handle open, which results in stiffness and limited backswing and reduces power to serve.
The correct grip is to detach your index finger, bend it down middle of handle, as if you were pulling trigger of a pistol, and press your palm against edge of handle.
The forefinger, thumb, and other fingers form a stable triangular support that provides more control over racquet while at same time allowing you to loosen your grip, increase your swing speed, and make your shot powerful and stable.
3. Swing and throw ball
A very common throwing practice that is independent of swing.
But swing and toss happen at same time. When you start tossing ball, you immediately turn your body to side, your racket arm starts to lean back, your body starts to lean and squirm, and so on.
Therefore, swing and toss are considered as stages of learning to serve.
Key points about tossing:
Imagine that tossing a ball is more like "picking" it than "throwing it".
As for swing, it should be relaxed, as if your arm and racket were a pendulum swinging back.
Rotate your shoulders and hips to make racquet swing back and up, and at same time lift your non-racquet arm straight up.
The thrower releases ball at approximately eye level and constantly raises hand with ball. Front of hip joint, left and right knees are aligned at a 45 degree angle and out on field. The right shoulder drops naturally, forming a shoulder trophy pose with high left and low right.
Detail 1: Keep head of racquet closed and pointing towards right side of court while swinging and lifting racquet.
In this state, next necessary movements, such as "combing hair" and "shaking head", are very natural and fluid.
Detail 2: When player is in trophy position, face of racket must be covered and head of racket tilted towards head. Just fact that holding side of trophy position is tilted back makes racket vertical.
If these two details are ignored, common "tray" error can occur.
It is also important to note that backswing and throw are initiated by rotation of body.
Common Mistakes: Standing still without turning your torso and raising your arms straight.
4. Relax plastic
Achieving sufficient external rotation of shoulder with racquet head, activating "stretch-compression cycle", can store tremendous force for subsequent internal rotation shots and is an integral part of a quality serve.
When you are in correct trophy pose, push lower limbs to apply force, shoulders and hips move forward pushing elbows forward, chest opens, arm holding racquet is extremely relaxed, and racquet head naturally drops. .
In a natural look, shoulders are pushed forward and elbows forward. The whole movement is like using racquet as a lever and middle of racquet as a fulcrum. When elbow comes first, handle will move forward and up, and racquet head hangs naturally over right side of body. .
Beathead in brief:
5. Swing up
Since we're all used to looking through net and then at target's landing spot, we just think of serve as process of hitting ball from top to bottom and back to front, which will easily lead to a serve. goes out of network and beyond.
The actual direction of delivery force must be up and forward, using enough spin to get ball over net, and to ensure that ball enters outfield under ball's own gravity and topspin.
You can see that racquet's trajectory is up and forward before hitting ball.Make sure ball hits a high point and in front of you.
Even if there is a trajectory of pressure on ball after that, ball left surface of racket at that time.
So when we learn to serve, coach will continue to focus on hitting and swinging.
6. Internal rotation
In fourth step, we achieve enough external rotation of shoulder to store energy through racquet head, and then release stored energy into hitting ball through internal rotation of shoulder and arm. And this process is described in fifth step, which is process of rocking up and pushing down.
Internal rotation can be divided into two phases: internal rotation and continuous internal rotation.
Internal rotation refers to period from racquet head to impact (upstroke), while continuous internal rotation refers to continued outward rotation of arm after impact (downward pressure).
The first period of internal rotation is usually present, and continuation of internal rotation depends on person/type of service.
Continue to rotate your hand after hitting ball with your hand inward so that your palm is facing side net.
Full inside rotation process: when racquet head is turned, racquet faces left side of court, when ball is hit, it faces front court, and after continuous internal rotation, it faces right side of court.
After hitting ball with an inside arm rotation, press straight down so that your palm is facing back of the net.
(Karlovich)
7. Stay tuned
Common Mistake: Intentionally Turning Left
In most cases, racket is on left side of player's body when player completes serve.
Many people deliberately move their arms to left after hitting ball.
But in reality, if a player deliberately leans to left after a shot, it will be difficult for him to hit ball reliably.
The correct trajectory of serve is to continue moving forward after touching ball, and center of gravity of body should also be up to ensure a confident hit. There is even a slight turn to right due to internal rotation of the shoulder arm.
After completing a full forward stroke, body begins to slowly turn and open, and right shoulder is brought forward, which takes right hand and racket to left.
So, subsequent action to left is mostly done by "rotating body" and "relaxing right hand after hitting", not by forcing punching hand to turn to left.
The key to a good presentation: fluency
A good presentation should have smooth and natural movement.
Switching from slow to fast is a process of gradually transferring and accelerating power.
A smooth transition from preparatory action to racket leads to striking action, and gradual application of force can maximize release of stored energy at moment ball is hit.
November 02, 2023
Teaching super dry goods! 7 Steps to Learning a Real Tennis Serve