Help With Serve.

[liionel]

Hey i went down to the courts today and brought a basket of balls to serve. i noticed a couple of things.

1.) Serve hits the net

2.) Serve goes Long

3.) Serve goes in but not hard.

i dunno the reasons for 1 and 2. but i plain know number 3 is coz im not using strength, but i wanna know when do i snap my wrists. thanks alot (:

[All Court]

Well, don't those cover about every situation where the serve isn't perfect?

If your serve hits the net frequently, you are hitting too much down on the ball, and usually are lacking extention and/or consciously trying to snap and use the wrist.

If your serve is long, you are hitting too much through. For beginners, a common cause is starting the serve in the waiter's position and not using a continental grip on serves. You are also usually meeting the ball late, and not in front.

And you're completely mistaken on number three, which could be a reason for everything. You don't try to consciously snap or use the wrist. You get your continental grip, and just focus on rotating the shoulders into and through the ball. The shoulders lead everything else. You achieve much more racquet head speed, and provided you have the correct grip and meet the ball out in front your arm pronates naturally to allow for solid contact.

Also, you should NOT be trying to "use more strength" on serves. Pace on serves comes from being relaxed and using the entire body. Using the wrist like you do is likely the reason for all of your problems.

Don't snap your wrist, use a continental grip, rotate through with the shoulders, and meet the ball out in front. It takes time getting used to, but do it.

[SageOfDeath]

Before you even worry about serving do some tossing drills and develop a consistant toss, and know your full extension. Its very common for players not to hit at full extension.

If you have these simple three things you can get your serve in probably.

1. have a consistant toss.
2. hit at full extension.
3. use a continental grip.

Don't try to add pace to your serve because it will complicate things. Work on those 3 things and I suggest you get a coach to help you.

[takeuchi]

Allcourt wrote a good post and gave a bunch of possibilities of why your results could be the way they are. However there may be so much more wrong with your serve and unless you see it and understand it, it will be very hard for you to change it.

the serve is fairly technical and is very hard to "see" yours through words. I would recommend possibly taking a lesson or better yet video taping your serve and posting it on this board for critique (its free).

A lot of people are completely unaware of what they are doing when they serve. Seeing your serve will help you and you will get great tips from the people on this board.

[GuyClinch]

Well umm. We could debate this "wrist snap" thing forever. There isn't a downward snap like when your shooting a J in basketball but there is pronation and it doesn't necessarily come naturally to everyone, IMHO. Moreover at high speed that pronation looks a kinda like a wrist snap I think that's where the confusion comes in. Even some coaches have told me to "snap" my wrist which of course isn't accurate.

I recommend this thread:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/archive/index.php/t-18490.html

Pete

[Rodzilla]

Here's some tips to remember that I don't think were covered:

"Shoulders face where you are aiming, reach up as high as possible, and snap the wrist upon contact." Those tips came from Andy Roddick himself. Basically, just make sure everything needed in your serve is in sync and flowing, and let it come simply and naturally.

[liionel]

thanks alot guys.

[Marius_Hancu]

check this site, very good for "repairs":

Serve Repair
http://tennis.about.com/od/serve/a/serverepair.htm