Help - my toss up is terrrible

[mdavey1]

I have been hampered with a bad toss up for just about as long as I have played tennis. Now I know that tension plays a huge role in this because the more tense I get the worse the problem gets and it is like a vicious cycle so hard to break. When I am tense the " nervous flick" comes in and the wild toss up increases. The result is frustration and actually acute embarrassment because every one can see my " nerves" are playing up. Sometimes I have to catch the ball to retrieve it much to the frustation of my opponents or I virtually a have to chase the wild toss up and somehow try and serve it in. Besides relaxing ( easier said than done) does anyone have any good clues. I have already ready up some useful information regarding holding the tennis ball distally between the thumb and finger tips and another keeping the arm and elbow as straight as possible. One technique I find helpful but which I am concerned also makes me look a bit strange is that I simplfy things as much as I can. With my anxiety at really high levels I tend to rush everything and this adds to the flicks etc so what I do is just put the tennis racket already behind my head ready to hit the ball, then I only have to worry about the toss and I can focus hopefully on getting it right. I am interested in anyone's opinion on this problem which threatens my enjoyment of the game.

Martin

[TENNIS_IS_FUN]

Dont' even think about the toss....just raise your arm and let go.

[madmanfool]

Hey,

I have had or still have some problems with my toss for around two years now. I would sometimes (make that a lot) completely miss my toss and the ball would go way too much to my left. There were a few things i did wrong. I would always flick the ball to my left with my fingers right before i released it. I know i did it, but i couldn't help myself. Definitely not when i got tense. Secondly i also made the ball spin in the air with my fingers. Again i knew i did it, but i couldn't help myself. And I also did not keep my arm straight all the time when i tossed.

I tried a lot of things, but nothing really seemed to work. But i'm confident i got it now. The biggest thing i changed was the way i was holding the ball. I used to hold between my thumb and to the top of my fingers. Then i decided to take the ball deeper and firmer in my hand (in my palm is what's it called i think). By doing that i no longer had any problem with flicking it to my left or spinning the ball with my fingers, because i was no longer tossing it with my fingers. I was tossing it with my hand. I also changed the motion of my toss a bit. Here's the motion: i get in the ready position to serve, then i go down to my thigh (almost tap my thigh in a way) and from there i go straight up with a straight(!) arm to toss the ball. The part where i go down with the ball is very important. It's just a little, but it allows me to toss the ball high enough. If i didn't do that i wouldn't be able to toss the ball high enough unless i flicked it with my wrist or underarm. Also make sure you release the ball on time and don't hold on to it to long. That could result in tossing to much backwards. (also make sure you don't bend your knees or something like that while you toss the ball).

Hope that helps..

[desilvam]

I had the same problem with 'flicking' the ball, very often way behind my head.

I have no idea what is the correct/standard technique, but 2 separate tossing techniques have worked for me:

1) Holding the ball between all 5 fingertips and spreading my fingers out at the moment I let go of the ball.

2) Hold the ball in my palm with none of the fingers touching the ball. Then toss ( actually push ) the ball up with the palm. Even though, none of my fingers ever touch the ball, I spread the fingers out around the time the ball leaves the palm.
This 2nd technique got rid of my nervous flick, since my fingers never touched the ball.