Possible to toss at the same position for all kinds of serve?

[Baffin]

Is it possible to toss the ball at the same position for all kinds of serve such as flat, slice, topspin, twist, etc? If possible, it is perfect to hide the serve strategy.

[FiveO]

Is it possible to toss the ball at the same position for all kinds of serve such as flat, slice, topspin, twist, etc? If possible, it is perfect to hide the serve strategy.

Identical? No.

But more similar than the traditional (for right handers) clock face orientations of 12:30 to 1:00 flat, 2:00 slice and 11:00 for twist? Yes.

It takes work but the benefits in disguise when mastered are well worth the effort making an average paced serve much more effective.

Some others here will disagree, but Sampras' serve, never THE fastest server on tour, was described by his opponents as impossible to 'read'. His combination of pace and spin together was unsurpassed, but his disguise, rarely allowed the best returners to draw a bead on direction and spin type he was applying.

You can have an extremely effective serve using clock face tosses. But I see no reason to telegraph your intent with the toss if you don't have to. If you don't have a particularly live arm to generate well above average pace, the disguise provided by making the toss location more similar can make the difference in aces, service winners, and preventing the returner obvious 'reads' and the ability to run around returns and use his stronger side more often.

[TennisMD]

IN reading an article on Pete Sampras, his coach Dr Fisher supposedly made him hit all serves from the same toss. He woud have Pete throw up his serve and the yell flat, or slice etc. Pete was extremly flexible in the upper body so he probably could do this.

[Mattle]

It depends.. you can make a first serve with a little spin from the same toss that u can make a top spin serve.. But if you want a real flat serve and a great top spin serve.. you have to make a different toss

[Marius_Hancu]

check this:

Correct Ball Toss?
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=77864

[snoflewis]

IN reading an article on Pete Sampras, his coach Dr Fisher supposedly made him hit all serves from the same toss. He woud have Pete throw up his serve and the yell flat, or slice etc. Pete was extremly flexible in the upper body so he probably could do this.

yeah i read this too...i read something on paul annacone where he says pete had a really flexible shoulder and could disguise his serves well because of this