classic serve takeback and the abbreviated

recently with all the matches with master series and now US Open, i have begun to realize that MANY of the pros use a somewhat abbreviated take-back.

roddick- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYhGiGbXtP8
nadal- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK479hCJCsg&mode=related&search=
isner-(can't see it clearly but you can tell) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAM-ljwM3i8&mode=related&search=

meh. and a bit lazy to find a few, but ive seen many that do not do a really circular takeback.

1. why is this?
2. is it better?
3. is it habits or trained to do so?

personally i use a very full take back where the head almost can touch my left pocket.

1. Some just find it more comfortable to do so. I think Sharapova recently adopted a somewhat abbreviated motion to reduce strain and wear on her shoulder. I don't know if the traditional way has proven to wear down on the shoulder, it could have been more of a conditioning/mental thing on Sharapovas side.

2. There is no real benefit. I think it has been demonstrated that it has no real effect on power. But if you are comfortable with it, and you don't hurt yourself, you can use it.

3. I don't know this for a fact, but if I were to bet, all of those players are trained in the traditional approach first. Roddick supposedly developed his out of frustration with his original serve and just tried it out one day.

Henin switched from traditional to abbreviated, and I believe she said something along the lines of "There's less that can go wrong." Meaning, since the takeback is shorter, you can afford a lower toss which reduces the effect that wind can have on the toss, etc. However, it's personal preference IMO.

It looks different but the whole point of the takeback is to move your elbow into a "locked" position. It's like the difference between taking an airplane cross country or driving a car. They get to the same place, but one just takes longer.

herosol said:

recently with all the matches with master series and now US Open, i have begun to realize that MANY of the pros use a somewhat abbreviated take-back.

roddick- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYhGiGbXtP8
nadal- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK479hCJCsg&mode=related&search=
isner-(can't see it clearly but you can tell) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAM-ljwM3i8&mode=related&search=

meh. and a bit lazy to find a few, but ive seen many that do not do a really circular takeback.

1. why is this?
2. is it better?
3. is it habits or trained to do so?

personally i use a very full take back where the head almost can touch my left pocket.

Click to expand...

A basic discussion can be found at - http://www.nysun.com/article/57251

More detailed information is available elsewhere on the web.

It's not about which way is better but which way fits into the rhythm of the entire motion.

I prefer the classic style though.

The abrreviated motion allows a shorter ball toss, thus allows servers to not have to rush and lets them fully develop the shoulder rotation and knee bend they need to get their power.

NamRanger said:

The abrreviated motion allows a shorter ball toss, thus allows servers to not have to rush and lets them fully develop the shoulder rotation and knee bend they need to get their power.

Click to expand...

i think youre right because my takeback is pretty short and i toss the ball pretty low so..

I just read my post and it's kind of vague.

To clarify, since the server doesn't have to focus on the racquet lifting as much as he would with a circular motion, he can focus more on the coiling of the body and the knee bending, therefore allowing him much more power. See Andy Roddick and John Isner.

Is Isner's considered that abbreviated? If so, not by much right? With Roddick, he brings the arm right up with the toss. I think Isner's motion is closer to Sampras as he tosses the ball and after a slight delay brings up the hitting arm.

I don't know if they're connected, but rarely do I hear about players using an abbreviated motion and also having great disguise on serve. The great disguised serves have typically had longer motions.

Can't say if there's a connection there.

Recently Todd Martin has been quoted as saying he's changed to an abbreviated takeback because it has reduced the strain on his shoulder.