[HELP] Should I use the platform stance or the pinpoint stance for serving?

[MR.bkebab]

So welcome to this thread and welcome to my journey of becoming better at the game. I would like your input on what stance I should use. The weather has been terrible the last weeks so I haven’t been able to practice both stances and see what goes better. That’s why I’m aksing for your help.

Just a quick introduction to me:
I’m 17 years old.
I’m around 170 cm or 5 foot 7.
I’m very athletic, I have great motor skill and I have a natural good feel for the ball.
I like players like Djokovic and Medvedev, but my style isn’t exactly as a grinder. I like the baseline, but I’m not glued to it. I love to mix things up and I know when I have to play more aggressive. It’s a balanced style?

The main weakness of my game has always been the serve, fortunately because of my great feel for the ball I could compensate for being a bad server. I normally play smart placements and with different spins to throw of my opponent and get easy points that way. The problem is that I have a very weak serve, my serve is slower than my average backhand. It is slower than all my friends. When I try to go for a big flat first serve I always miss the serve. I would like to have a fast and (at least a little bit of) a reliable first serve.
The main reason why my serve sucks is probably because my coaches throughout my youth have spent no time at all practicing serving. I would want to know what you guys think about what stance I should use. I read that the pinpoint stance is more difficult, because of the extra motions. Please neglect that in this case.

I have some more information about me for you, to help you guys forming an opinion:
- I’m 170cm/5 foot 7, so is one stance better for smaller players? I read that you could hit the ball a little bit higher with the pinpoint serve. (I know that diego swartzmann uses the pinpoint stance.)
- I use the platform stance in matches. My platform stance is with my feet quite close to each other, a little more closer than half of a big step. As of feeling, the pinpoint stance actually feels very natural for me. This is probably because I like a more even distribution of power between both of my legs (it will make more sense if you read the points below this one).
- The platform stance should use more power of the back leg than the front leg, with the pinpoint stance it is the same, but a bit more evenly distributed. I noticed that my power distribution between both feet is not right. I use my front foot more than my back foot, this is probably because I prefer playing football/soccer with my left foot. Using the power of my left foot went naturally, probably because I’m ambidextrous.
- I‘m ambidextrous, I played with my left hand when I was very young, but I switched to my right hand because everyone used their right hands and my coach back then was kinda pushing me to switch (when I look back at this now this is shoking, because lefties are advantaged in tennis, most people have less experience playing against them).

What do you guys think? I’m happy to hear what you have to say.
I think that I’m leaning towards the pinpoint stance, because theoretically you can hit the ball a bit higher and because the more distributed power between the legs is more natural for me.

 

[Znak]

 

[MR.bkebab]

Thanks for replying!
Just saw the video, it doesn’t talk about the height of players. What is your input?

 

[chic]

I don't think it will make a huge difference all told, but generally I advise people to go platform especially if they aren't natural servers.

I hit pinpoint but platform is just less moving parts and (imo) a more natural toss position.
If you develop a good platform serve and are generally athletic you may want to try pinpoint again in a couple months/years once you have developed the serve as a weapon.
I found having my weight into the court to be natural, natural to the point I was lunging/jumping too far to get balanced at one point lmao.
If this isn't the case for you already, then platform is easier to develop.

Height is maybe a factor eventually as many of the shortest and tallest guys pinpoint so far as I remember. But really if the serve isn't already a weapon for you then you want to simplify and develop before you complicate and weaponize.

 

[MR.bkebab]

I don't think it will make a huge difference all told, but generally I advise people to go platform especially if they aren't natural servers.

I hit pinpoint but platform is just less moving parts and (imo) a more natural toss position.
If you develop a good platform serve and are generally athletic you may want to try pinpoint again in a couple months/years once you have developed the serve as a weapon.
I found having my weight into the court to be natural, natural to the point I was lunging/jumping too far to get balanced at one point lmao.
If this isn't the case for you already, then platform is easier to develop.

Height is maybe a factor eventually as many of the shortest and tallest guys pinpoint so far as I remember. But really if the serve isn't already a weapon for you then you want to simplify and develop before you complicate and weaponize.

Thanks for your answer, you’re very correct. Was hoping that a different stance might suit me better since my serve is really getting on my nerves. I’m better than anyone else with all other aspects of the game, but the serve is just so important that I lose games because of it

 

[LeeD]

Gotta practice your weakness.
Lotsa top players are platform, but are you 6'2" with long arms?

 

[socallefty]

Aren’t most rec players platform stance also? I think mostly coached players are the ones who use pinpoint stance while self-taught players gravitate to platform stance. Nothing wrong with either stance as you can be a good server in any case.

 

[MR.bkebab]

Gotta practice your weakness.
Lotsa top players are platform, but are you 6'2" with long arms?

I’m 5’6…

 

[MR.bkebab]

Aren’t most rec players platform stance also? I think mostly coached players are the ones who use pinpoint stance while self-taught players gravitate to platform stance. Nothing wrong with either stance as you can be a good server in any case.

Yeah most club players are platform where I’m from

 

[Slicerman]

I'm the same height as you and I use pinpoint stance and I'm also self-taught. It's kinda weird though since I originally used platform stance for a number of years but I gradually transitioned into pinpoint stance somehow. One of my longtime tennis buddies noticed the change and pointed it out to me. He said that I'm probably instinctively trying to put more power on the shot. IMO, I think the idea behind pinpoint stance is to put more forward momentum into the shot. Whereas platform stance gives you better balance. I think you should just do what naturally comes to you and not think too much about it. There's all sorts of people using both styles. I think it all comes down to preference. If you look at the ATP, both Schwartzman and Nishioka are 1.70m tall, but each uses difference stance, Schwartzman with pinpoint and Nishioka with platform.

 

[eah123]

Pinpoint is no more difficult than platform.

I like teaching beginners to serve in the feet together (true pinpoint) because it is very clear where your feet are pointed, and automatically puts your hips in the right position (sideways to the serve target). It also prevents beginners from moving their feet around and forces them to find a balanced position to toss and make the proper arm motion.

Once they have a good toss and arm motion to contact, then it is easy to start them in the legs apart position (platform) and to step into the feet together (pinpoint) stance.

The difficulty I see with teaching somebody from scratch with the platform stance is that there can be huge variability with the positioning of the feet and where the balance is located within the platform (60% front leg/40% back leg?), and you don't have these variabilities with the feet-together platform stance.

In any case, for the OP, assuming you are learning an advanced serve and are well along your serve improvement journey, it would be best to see which technique is more consistent for you. When you have consistency, then you can work on developing more power. How about posting a video?

 

[Jst21121]

Try both. I have been going back and forth… and I think I will stick with pinpoint…

As a 5,8 guy I feel like it’s easier to drive the ball and get height on the serve. Easier to”jump into the court and clear the ne

I dunno if there’s any information, but maybe platform is better for taller players because they don’t have to lift off the ground as much for clearance. So they can basically rotate into the court and their height gives them natural net clearance.

in addition jumping into the court platform for me requires more energy while pinpoint natural weight into court requires less energy. So deep into second set I noticed that my platform stance started double faulting a lot cuz I just didn’t have the stamina and energy for it. While pinpoint the body weight transfer feels more natural and easier to attain so I don’t run out of energy.

sucks to be short but that’s my genes

 

[LeeD]

I’m 5’6…

So apply that knowledge...

 

[chic]

Pinpoint is no more difficult than platform.

I like teaching beginners to serve in the feet together (true pinpoint) because it is very clear where your feet are pointed, and automatically puts your hips in the right position (sideways to the serve target). It also prevents beginners from moving their feet around and forces them to find a balanced position to toss and make the proper arm motion.

Once they have a good toss and arm motion to contact, then it is easy to start them in the legs apart position (platform) and to step into the feet together (pinpoint) stance.

The difficulty I see with teaching somebody from scratch with the platform stance is that there can be huge variability with the positioning of the feet and where the balance is located within the platform (60% front leg/40% back leg?), and you don't have these variabilities with the feet-together platform stance.

In any case, for the OP, assuming you are learning an advanced serve and are well along your serve improvement journey, it would be best to see which technique is more consistent for you. When you have consistency, then you can work on developing more power. How about posting a video?

This is all a decent point.
I do think a true pinpoint could be a fine starting serve.

The hybrid pinpoint with step that is gaining traction at atp level I do think is more complicated and I advise people away from when learning.

Potential pitfalls: what to do with knees can get more complex as fast as moving parts, balance on the toss, getting the hip turn is probably a little less intuitive than platform. Also learning to hit w.o jumping first seems harder

Benefits: shoulders in line and body sideways, simplified (esp the leg drive), might lead to the most intuitive serve motion with the least need for breakdown and rebuild.

Solid suggestion I wasn't even thinking about reading OP

 

[Dragy]

Go pinpoint

/thread

 

[Bud]

I'd recommend starting with the platform stance. It's easier for beginners. When you reach 3.5+ try pinpoint.

You can also practice pinpoint and use platform in matches until you're pp is competent.

 

[dlam]

Use to be more than 20 years ago the top pros were platform or narrow stance platform
Now pinpointers are really showing more often at elite levels
I prefer pinpoint as that my natural Rhythm
I like to jump off my front leg and step up my back leg I have a slight variation where I drag my front foot a fraction back and the up step my back leg and jump of both feet like a narrow platform.

 

[ichaseballs]

more important is to get a good second serve.
work on a slice and kick serve. flat is over-rated.

 

[onehandbh]

Are you looking for a platform to deliver your stances with pinpoint accuracy, different spins and power?

 

[dlam]

My preference is pinpoint
, just fits my natural rhythm of my serve
inquired my back once keeping my foot in wide platform stance
I like to move my feet
Interesting my right foot ( im a righty ) there a tiny steps up when I serve then lift off the ground on the deuce side
On the ad side my right toes drags along the ground then sets together before I "hop " off the ground

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Jeff Salzenstein is a staunch proponent of the platform stance. His own serve, as a touring pro, was quite impressive.

I usually start off with the platform for novice & low intermediate servers. If they subsequently want to learn a PP serve, I'll teach them that to see if we can make that work. Easy transition for some but not all

A lefty serve was my biggest weapon. I could hit it pretty well with either stance. At times, I would hit my 1st serve PP but then go with platform for my 2nd serve

I also developed a pretty decent righty platform serve. But I never felt all that stable / comfortable with a PP stance with my right-handed serve.

 

[mac-1210]

Pinpoint is no more difficult than platform.

I like teaching beginners to serve in the feet together (true pinpoint) because it is very clear where your feet are pointed, and automatically puts your hips in the right position (sideways to the serve target). It also prevents beginners from moving their feet around and forces them to find a balanced position to toss and make the proper arm motion.

Once they have a good toss and arm motion to contact, then it is easy to start them in the legs apart position (platform) and to step into the feet together (pinpoint) stance.

The difficulty I see with teaching somebody from scratch with the platform stance is that there can be huge variability with the positioning of the feet and where the balance is located within the platform (60% front leg/40% back leg?), and you don't have these variabilities with the feet-together platform stance.

In any case, for the OP, assuming you are learning an advanced serve and are well along your serve improvement journey, it would be best to see which technique is more consistent for you. When you have consistency, then you can work on developing more power. How about posting a video?

This is exactly what I have found through trial and error in my years practicing the serve. If I place my feet in a narrow stance or even pinpoint, I find that it has a very beneficial effect on the rest of my serve. I feel it automatically gives me more balance prior to driving up to the ball and it minimises unnecessary movement. When I use a full platform stance...ie feet shoulder width apart, I find I mess my balance and timing up, often bringing the weight too forward too quickly...quite often ending up almost underneath the ball at contact.

When I record myself, the footage of the narrow/pinpoint stance looks a much technically better service action overall.

As a result, even if I eventually separate my feet out, I tend to start warming serve up with the feet together placing the heel of my front foot into the arch of my rear foot.

 

[CAREDDINGTON]

To break it down extremely roughly:
If you are looking for more power and 'flow', a pinpoint stance is your route. Pinpoint stances are much more effective for a flat serve than a platform stance. However, if you are looking for more precision(which really is the wrong description because you usually move from platform->pinpoint once you develop a strong serve), or a better example, kick serve or slice serve, or you can develop your own flow, go with platform. I could spend all day writing a 40 page essay on the biomechanical differences between the two stances and how they both effect your Kinetic Chain and SSC, however I would say if you are a recreational player I would play with what you feel comfortable and have success with.

 

[CAREDDINGTON]

You are the decision maker at the recreational level.

 

[liam the shark]

Both are fine techniques personally I would master platform first and once you master the toss and arm motion you can dabble in pinpoint a little to see if it works for you.

 

[dlam]

Go with what gives you the best and effective rhythm.
I have groove a pinpoint /narrow platform In which both my feet are together
I start off wide with my back foot just past my shoulders
I have this idiosyncratic move where my front heel plants then my front toe plants as I move back foot moves beside my front foot That feels very natural to me
On the deuce side I have the same motion except I feel more delibrate side step with my back foot towards my front foot as my front toe plants

 

[nyta2]

So welcome to this thread and welcome to my journey of becoming better at the game. I would like your input on what stance I should use. The weather has been terrible the last weeks so I haven’t been able to practice both stances and see what goes better. That’s why I’m aksing for your help.

Just a quick introduction to me:
I’m 17 years old.
I’m around 170 cm or 5 foot 7.
I’m very athletic, I have great motor skill and I have a natural good feel for the ball.
I like players like Djokovic and Medvedev, but my style isn’t exactly as a grinder. I like the baseline, but I’m not glued to it. I love to mix things up and I know when I have to play more aggressive. It’s a balanced style?

The main weakness of my game has always been the serve, fortunately because of my great feel for the ball I could compensate for being a bad server. I normally play smart placements and with different spins to throw of my opponent and get easy points that way. The problem is that I have a very weak serve, my serve is slower than my average backhand. It is slower than all my friends. When I try to go for a big flat first serve I always miss the serve. I would like to have a fast and (at least a little bit of) a reliable first serve.
The main reason why my serve sucks is probably because my coaches throughout my youth have spent no time at all practicing serving. I would want to know what you guys think about what stance I should use. I read that the pinpoint stance is more difficult, because of the extra motions. Please neglect that in this case.

I have some more information about me for you, to help you guys forming an opinion:
- I’m 170cm/5 foot 7, so is one stance better for smaller players? I read that you could hit the ball a little bit higher with the pinpoint serve. (I know that diego swartzmann uses the pinpoint stance.)
- I use the platform stance in matches. My platform stance is with my feet quite close to each other, a little more closer than half of a big step. As of feeling, the pinpoint stance actually feels very natural for me. This is probably because I like a more even distribution of power between both of my legs (it will make more sense if you read the points below this one).
- The platform stance should use more power of the back leg than the front leg, with the pinpoint stance it is the same, but a bit more evenly distributed. I noticed that my power distribution between both feet is not right. I use my front foot more than my back foot, this is probably because I prefer playing football/soccer with my left foot. Using the power of my left foot went naturally, probably because I’m ambidextrous.
- I‘m ambidextrous, I played with my left hand when I was very young, but I switched to my right hand because everyone used their right hands and my coach back then was kinda pushing me to switch (when I look back at this now this is shoking, because lefties are advantaged in tennis, most people have less experience playing against them).

What do you guys think? I’m happy to hear what you have to say.
I think that I’m leaning towards the pinpoint stance, because theoretically you can hit the ball a bit higher and because the more distributed power between the legs is more natural for me.

my $.02 from a ~utr7+, ntrp4.5:
current i serve narrow platform... i find it much simpler (eliminates the variable of coordinating your toss with the 6-12in step forward), while also maintaining a somewhat "pinpoint feel"
but i used to do pin point (sliding my foot forward) for decades... but looking back, i did it because it's easier to chase a bad toss, but i found this masked alot of power leaks (which i can feel/find more easily in a "stricter" platform stance)
arguably pinpoint is more powerful, but for me, i find that a more consistent platform, practically speaking is more effective
i do think pinpoint has some advantage in being able to get to net faster if you're an s&v'er (eg. being able to toss into the court more by say 12"), but practically speaking, at my level, that advantage is minimal in the grand scheme of all the other flaws/gaps in my game.

 

[mac-1210]

^^^ This is exactly what I've found.

 

[badmice2]

Someone noted already, whichever gives you a better flow should be the one to learn your foundation on. Not to say that you need to switch to pin point, but you're core technique above your knee needs to come from the stands that gives you the best platform for the rest of the stroke. If you struggle with a pin-point from the get go, you won't flow into the rest of the stroke. Therefore you need to pick the base that gives you the best stability. The only wrong answer here is trying to do something you're not comfortable with and can't get past the stand. In fact, many coaches teach the serve by taking out the legs, so that the player work on the knee up motion first before deciding which stand to use.

 

[nyta2]

trying to do something you're not comfortable with

but any new technique i try/use is not comfortable... in the beginning.
when i'm a beginner, it's not comfortable because i likely don't have any other similar moves ingrained like it.
if i'm experienced, and changing, it's definitely not going to be comfortable because i will want to revert back to my "currently comfortable" technique.
so for me, i hate using "comfort" as a means for choosing a technique... as it's led me down the wrong path too many times (eg. pin point in the beginning was "comfortable" because it helped me chase a bad toss more easily!)

 

[badmice2]

but any new technique i try/use is not comfortable... in the beginning.
when i'm a beginner, it's not comfortable because i likely don't have any other similar moves ingrained like it.
if i'm experienced, and changing, it's definitely not going to be comfortable because i will want to revert back to my "currently comfortable" technique.
so for me, i hate using "comfort" as a means for choosing a technique... as it's led me down the wrong path too many times (eg. pin point in the beginning was "comfortable" because it helped me chase a bad toss more easily!)

As the saying goes, serve is the only shot in tennis where you are in control of everything you do. It is also the only shot you can hit on your own terms to start the point. Therefore the notion of comfort really comes down to comfort within one’s ability to execute the shot within a framework. Having said that, my point here is that if platform stand gives you a better advantage to learn a consistent toss and accurate point of contact, then build your foundation from that. It’s not to say that you can’t back into learning a pin point afterward. If you can’t find a stance that works for you, you’re more likely to struggle with the ball toss and contact.

Also, comfort in learning is really about accepting that you are vulnerable to your own flaws. Most people revert back to what they know simple because they don’t want to risk the potential to fail when the outcome is on the line. Another words, you’re justifying your ping point stand because of your willingness to chase a bad toss. Neither of those instance allows you to grow because you’re doing what it takes to cover your flaw, not addressing the issue at hand.

 

[tennisfit45]

Thanks for your answer, you’re very correct. Was hoping that a different stance might suit me better since my serve is really getting on my nerves. I’m better than anyone else with all other aspects of the game, but the serve is just so important that I lose games because of it

I can really resonate with your predicament. I'm 45 (the European equivalent of a 5.0+ player) with a build similar to Medvedev. I'm 1m95.

For 30 years I've basically been getting the stance all wrong as when I serve instead of bringing my front foot into the baseline I bring my back foot first as if I'm walking into the court. I've developed very solid ground strokes and volleys although I'm still reluctant to use volleys more than once per game. You could say I'm a baseliner but as age is catching up with me I'm beginning to venture more into being more aggressive and trying to finish off the point quicker. I play indoor hard court from October-April and mainly clay the rest of the year. Like you I feel my serve is letting me down and I'm trying to fix the stance. I think I'll stick with the platform although I don't bend my legs that much (I would say I bend them slightly). What I'm finding though is that the accuracy and consistency has improved. Pinpoint seems more natural as there is forward momentum but I find it incredibly hard to time the bend and so I ended up jumping off one leg which really defeats the purpose.

I also train with a 17 year old semi pro who like you is very solid from the back of the court but has a weaker serve. He has never aced me for instance although he rarely makes any doubles. If I recall well he has a platform stance.

Regardless of your height I would probably start out platform and when you master that, experiment with pinpoint as it is more difficult to get the timing right because there are more moving parts. I also feel platform lends itself well to having a more consistent ball toss.

 

[Pumpkin]

Service stance is personal preference. There's no right or wrong way. You just have to experiment and see what works best.

 

[Shroud]

So welcome to this thread and welcome to my journey of becoming better at the game. I would like your input on what stance I should use. The weather has been terrible the last weeks so I haven’t been able to practice both stances and see what goes better. That’s why I’m aksing for your help.

Just a quick introduction to me:
I’m 17 years old.
I’m around 170 cm or 5 foot 7.
I’m very athletic, I have great motor skill and I have a natural good feel for the ball.
I like players like Djokovic and Medvedev, but my style isn’t exactly as a grinder. I like the baseline, but I’m not glued to it. I love to mix things up and I know when I have to play more aggressive. It’s a balanced style?

The main weakness of my game has always been the serve, fortunately because of my great feel for the ball I could compensate for being a bad server. I normally play smart placements and with different spins to throw of my opponent and get easy points that way. The problem is that I have a very weak serve, my serve is slower than my average backhand. It is slower than all my friends. When I try to go for a big flat first serve I always miss the serve. I would like to have a fast and (at least a little bit of) a reliable first serve.
The main reason why my serve sucks is probably because my coaches throughout my youth have spent no time at all practicing serving. I would want to know what you guys think about what stance I should use. I read that the pinpoint stance is more difficult, because of the extra motions. Please neglect that in this case.

I have some more information about me for you, to help you guys forming an opinion:
- I’m 170cm/5 foot 7, so is one stance better for smaller players? I read that you could hit the ball a little bit higher with the pinpoint serve. (I know that diego swartzmann uses the pinpoint stance.)
- I use the platform stance in matches. My platform stance is with my feet quite close to each other, a little more closer than half of a big step. As of feeling, the pinpoint stance actually feels very natural for me. This is probably because I like a more even distribution of power between both of my legs (it will make more sense if you read the points below this one).
- The platform stance should use more power of the back leg than the front leg, with the pinpoint stance it is the same, but a bit more evenly distributed. I noticed that my power distribution between both feet is not right. I use my front foot more than my back foot, this is probably because I prefer playing football/soccer with my left foot. Using the power of my left foot went naturally, probably because I’m ambidextrous.
- I‘m ambidextrous, I played with my left hand when I was very young, but I switched to my right hand because everyone used their right hands and my coach back then was kinda pushing me to switch (when I look back at this now this is shoking, because lefties are advantaged in tennis, most people have less experience playing against them).

What do you guys think? I’m happy to hear what you have to say.
I think that I’m leaning towards the pinpoint stance, because theoretically you can hit the ball a bit higher and because the more distributed power between the legs is more natural for me.

This is a personal topic. Everyone will have their own personally correct answer. For me its the knees. Pin point is way easier on the knees. Platform is much harder on the knees. Both are good if you get them right. Platform is more stable in terms of timing and consistency.

 

[CAREDDINGTON]

This is a personal topic. Everyone will have their own personally correct answer. For me its the knees. Pin point is way easier on the knees. Platform is much harder on the knees. Both are good if you get them right. Platform is more stable in terms of timing and consistency.

I would say platform is more difficult with timing...

 

[johnmccabe]

So welcome to this thread and welcome to my journey of becoming better at the game. I would like your input on what stance I should use. The weather has been terrible the last weeks so I haven’t been able to practice both stances and see what goes better. That’s why I’m aksing for your help.

Just a quick introduction to me:
I’m 17 years old.
I’m around 170 cm or 5 foot 7.
I’m very athletic, I have great motor skill and I have a natural good feel for the ball.
I like players like Djokovic and Medvedev, but my style isn’t exactly as a grinder. I like the baseline, but I’m not glued to it. I love to mix things up and I know when I have to play more aggressive. It’s a balanced style?

The main weakness of my game has always been the serve, fortunately because of my great feel for the ball I could compensate for being a bad server. I normally play smart placements and with different spins to throw of my opponent and get easy points that way. The problem is that I have a very weak serve, my serve is slower than my average backhand. It is slower than all my friends. When I try to go for a big flat first serve I always miss the serve. I would like to have a fast and (at least a little bit of) a reliable first serve.
The main reason why my serve sucks is probably because my coaches throughout my youth have spent no time at all practicing serving. I would want to know what you guys think about what stance I should use. I read that the pinpoint stance is more difficult, because of the extra motions. Please neglect that in this case.

I have some more information about me for you, to help you guys forming an opinion:
- I’m 170cm/5 foot 7, so is one stance better for smaller players? I read that you could hit the ball a little bit higher with the pinpoint serve. (I know that diego swartzmann uses the pinpoint stance.)
- I use the platform stance in matches. My platform stance is with my feet quite close to each other, a little more closer than half of a big step. As of feeling, the pinpoint stance actually feels very natural for me. This is probably because I like a more even distribution of power between both of my legs (it will make more sense if you read the points below this one).
- The platform stance should use more power of the back leg than the front leg, with the pinpoint stance it is the same, but a bit more evenly distributed. I noticed that my power distribution between both feet is not right. I use my front foot more than my back foot, this is probably because I prefer playing football/soccer with my left foot. Using the power of my left foot went naturally, probably because I’m ambidextrous.
- I‘m ambidextrous, I played with my left hand when I was very young, but I switched to my right hand because everyone used their right hands and my coach back then was kinda pushing me to switch (when I look back at this now this is shoking, because lefties are advantaged in tennis, most people have less experience playing against them).

What do you guys think? I’m happy to hear what you have to say.
I think that I’m leaning towards the pinpoint stance, because theoretically you can hit the ball a bit higher and because the more distributed power between the legs is more natural for me.

Post some videos of yourself hitting for real inputs. There are too many trolls.

 

[Shroud]

I would say platform is more difficult with timing...

I can see that. But the base is more stable and consistent so overall the timing elements are the same more often. I think that is why lots of coaches start with platform.

 

[CAREDDINGTON]

I can see that. But the base is more stable and consistent so overall the timing elements are the same more often. I think that is why lots of coaches start with platform.

I didn't, but that's just me. Idk I was never taught platform.

 

[liam the shark]

One thing Ive noticed, is it seems that many people who were taught tennis at a young age get taught pinpoint serves. I wonder if it is the greater power potential once you get the timing right whereas platform is better for people who dont seem to pick up serving more naturally

 

[CAREDDINGTON]

One thing Ive noticed, is it seems that many people who were taught tennis at a young age get taught pinpoint serves. I wonder if it is the greater power potential once you get the timing right whereas platform is better for people who dont seem to pick up serving more naturally

100% more power potential. No comparison. Most Pros who hit over 120 are pinpointers.

 

[chic]

100% more power potential. No comparison. Most Pros who hit over 120 are pinpointers.

Easier access to the potential at least

Roddick proves that the platformers -can- keep up lol

 

[NedStark]

I have tried both pinpoint and platform. With platform I am able to get more 1st serves into the both more consistently, but I generally lose the ability to hit slice serves both wide deuce and T ad unless I just brush the ball. With pinpoint I can hit all corners, but when my feel and timing are off it is a mess - I think I can get to the right side of the ball better with pinpoint and thus can hit slice serve while still hitting through the balls, perhaps thanks to greater forward momentum.