Most Important Part Of Serving.

[liionel]

What do you guys think is the most impt part of serving? foot work? knee bend? consistent toss with a fully extended swing?

[Rickson]

What do you guys think is the most impt part of serving? foot work? knee bend? consistent toss with a fully extended swing?
It's definitely the swing.

[All Court]

Toss. Or if you meant the toss AND the swing, definitely that. You can't do anything without a toss in place. You CAN at least do something with everything else.

[raftermania]

I asked my kids this summer. Kids are wise, they said, "To hit the ball!!!"

[Ztalin]

A consistent toss is a must. It gets my vote. Timing is a close second.

[RiosTheGenius]

toss it high, bring the racquet back and go after it...... nothing can possibly go wrong.

[AngeloDS]

Comfortability is extremely important. If you don't feel comfortable with your serve, it's never going to work for you. Don't try anything that feels out of your range, or doesn't feel right. I tried to use a traditional serve, and never worked for me. Then I switched to an Andy Roddick style serve and it felt comfortable to me. And I've been getting better results with something more comfortable.

Timing is extremely important. It dictates every factor of the serve.

Footwork, doesn't mean much imo. I can place serve will at 70-100+ MPH with just upper body. Hardly any legs.

Lately, because of my knee I didn't take the risk of bending my knees. And I still haven't used any knee bend.

[Koaske]

Toss. With no consistent toss, no consistent serve.

[FiveO]

There are so many equally important elements in the serve that it is impossible to identify the key. That's what makes the serve the most technically complex stroke in the game. The consistent and well placed toss, a relaxed arm and shoulder, timing of the loading and release phases, swing path, keeping the eyes up, contact points, etc., etc. Failure to perform any one correctly and time each where they fit into the kinetic chain properly, WILL be a deal breaker. Again, very tough to identify THE SINGLE most important part.

[federerer]

The Toss.

the other things don't matter if the toss isn't consistently in the right spot.

[POGO]

There are so many equally important elements in the serve that it is impossible to identify the key. That's what makes the serve the most technically complex stroke in the game. The consistent and well placed toss, a relaxed arm and shoulder, timing of the loading and release phases, swing path, keeping the eyes up, contact points, etc., etc. Failure to perform any one correctly and time each where they fit into the kinetic chain properly, WILL be a deal breaker. Again, very tough to identify THE SINGLE most important part.
I agree. The service motion is probably the most complex stroke in tennis, and having one faulty element in the service motion can be devistating to the serve.

[rfprse]

Toss & timing/rhythm, imho. I can't pick one between these.

Timing: Just like any stroke, if we don't have good timing, our "perfect" swings (knee bend, shoulder & hip turn, proper swing path, etc.) are not so effective; they just look good.

Toss: Just like we cannot get the desired result without achieving a proper position with the ball in any other stroke, if the toss goes south, so does the serve.

[x Southpaw x]

Most important part is definitely to get the damn ball in and not give away free points. Whatever your level is, this is your number 1 aim and you use whatever method you can use best.

[Indiantwist]

CONFIDENCE. the fact that you believe that you can successfully SERVE is the Key.

That Key can be obtained by having proper Toss,motion, timing and blah blah.

[AngeloDS]

Most important part is definitely to get the damn ball in and not give away free points. Whatever your level is, this is your number 1 aim and you use whatever method you can use best.
Agreed, the method you use is the most important but it has to be comfortable to the player, if it isn't the serve is not going to work out that great.

[KuramaIX]

Never thinking you will miss a serve. I hate it when I doubt myself that I will miss my 2nd serve, and what do you know I double-fault :(

[liionel]

wow! thats alot of feedback guys! thanks. i also think that the toss is the most important. (:

[raftermania]

"I feel the biggest screw-up for club players is the ball toss on the serve: you screw up the ball toss, everything else goes from there. Properly warming up is important. To be honest, the Bryan brothers are the ones who showed me the length of the court missiles. I never really did that but ever since we did that now, when I go warm up myself, I do that too."

Brad Gilbert from Tennisweek interview

[Alexander]

"To be honest, the Bryan brothers are the ones who showed me the length of the court missiles."

What does that mean?

[zAllianceBmx]

it teaches you not to hit into the net. you serve the balls the whole court length without worrying about getting it into the box. then after half a dozen to a dozen of court length serves, you bring the ball in a bit and get them in the box. this prevents you from hitting into the net and gets your muscle memory in tune for hitting some nice serves.

[donnyz89]

for me, and i havent heard this one is keep your head up. a lot of players drop their head too quick and cause framers, one of my old bad habits.

some other more advance tricks. racquet face closed, feel like you are brushing the back of your head when hitting a slice or kick serve.

on kick serves, try to hit the ball with the top of the frame.

dont slow your swing on the kicker.

also dont drop your tossinghand. dont drop your tossing shoulder,