Making Contact Too Low on Serves

[Dly]

Quick question.
For some reason, my contact point on my serve is too low, and I can't help it! When I try to make contact higher, I have to do everything faster, so my motion feels super rushed. Do I just have to practice more and get used it? Do you guys have any tips for getting a higher contact point?

 

[WildVolley]

You can help it and of course your serve will feel a little weird when you start hitting the proper contact point.

I've seen students who get used to hitting with a bent arm. It feels odd for them to hit at the proper contact point. A lot of them will actually pause and let the ball drop too low.

First, identify the proper contact point (best to start with a non-jump serve). Then do whatever it takes to make that contact point. Do not allow yourself to hit too low with a bent arm. A combination of timing and toss height will make it work. Start with your weight back so that you have more time to make the swing without being rushed.

Best if you use video to make sure that you're not cheating and reverting to your old form. Or else get someone to watch and make corrections.

 

[tlm]

You can help it and of course your serve will feel a little weird when you start hitting the proper contact point.

I've seen students who get used to hitting with a bent arm. It feels odd for them to hit at the proper contact point. A lot of them will actually pause and let the ball drop too low.

First, identify the proper contact point (best to start with a non-jump serve). Then do whatever it takes to make that contact point. Do not allow yourself to hit too low with a bent arm. A combination of timing and toss height will make it work. Start with your weight back so that you have more time to make the swing without being rushed.

Best if you use video to make sure that you're not cheating and reverting to your old form. Or else get someone to watch and make corrections.

I think that you make some good points. I have been working on my serve lately and have found that by tossing the ball more above my head instead of off to the side and going up for it at a higher contact point has really helped.

 

[Bobs tennis]

Best if you use video to make sure that you're not cheating and reverting to your old form. Or else get someone to watch and make corrections.[/QUOTE]

Wild volley-I sure gotta agree with this.Last fall someone videos my toss and even though many in the past had said it ,my toss was so low.The video was proof I couldn't deny.

 

[Chas Tennis]

Take a video of your serve and see what is going on.

 

[fuzz nation]

Quick question.
For some reason, my contact point on my serve is too low, and I can't help it! When I try to make contact higher, I have to do everything faster, so my motion feels super rushed. Do I just have to practice more and get used it? Do you guys have any tips for getting a higher contact point?

I've found a lot more success with my own serve when I make sure to get more "loaded up" or ready to release up through contact before I even toss the ball. You may think of this in one of two ways; start your windup earlier (in relation to when you toss) or simply delay your toss. Either idea encourages essentially the same thing.

This serving ailment is far from rare, even among the pros. With no incoming ball to limit our time for swing preparation, there should never be a rush to the ball when we're serving. But the reality is that we can unconsciously get rushed with our serves if our tosses happen before our windups are good and ready.

Pay attention to using an earlier, more deliberate (more complete?) windup ahead of your toss and you should start feeling smoother over the top. Alternate between taking a couple of practice serve swings and then hitting a couple of serves. The practice swings should dial you in to that smoother tempo you want when you hit a ball. Be patient - altering the synchronization of out serve motions by even a little can take some work.

You might find a higher contact point if you try hitting some practice serves from up at the service line. Instead of hitting the ball down into the court though, you're looking to fly the ball to the back fence. This drill can be great for encouraging us to hit more up through contact. Every time I try it, I'm amazed with how much I need to adjust to NOT hit the ball down into the court.

With a strong upward/forward drive, you'll get good speed through the ball and still get it down in the service box as long as the toss is located far enough in front of you. If it's too far in front, your racquet will turn over too much and put the ball down into the net (master of the obvious strikes again...)

 

[spaceman_spiff]

Quick question.
For some reason, my contact point on my serve is too low, and I can't help it! When I try to make contact higher, I have to do everything faster, so my motion feels super rushed. Do I just have to practice more and get used it? Do you guys have any tips for getting a higher contact point?

Toss the ball a foot higher and do everything else at your normal pace.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

I am currently in the process of breaking my low toss/low contact habit.... developed it because I had an inconsistent toss and my timing was terrible. The issue is that I was unable to fully coil, and/or get my legs activated in the service motion.

As others said, I have to consciously toss higher, which feels like a mile away now, this gives me much more time to coil and bend. I now also changed my mindset... I go up and after the ball, vs. "wait for it to come down". I also practice my toss, alot. Definitely harder to get a consistent toss (into an imaginary box in the air), now that I am toss higher.

 

[Power Player]

Toss the ball a foot higher and do everything else at your normal pace.

Thats it.

Toss placement is individual. I see a lot of people saying to always toss at 12 or something like that. But not everyone has the same contact point. A lot of coaches are teaching to toss more at 1 or 2, and that really helped me for my motion.

But if you are making contact too low thats simply a low toss issue. You need more time to extend your arm and are jamming yourself currently.

 

[WildVolley]

But if you are making contact too low thats simply a low toss issue. You need more time to extend your arm and are jamming yourself currently.

In my experience it is usually not a low toss issue. I've seen many players who toss the ball plenty high and then wait for it to drop too low before hitting it. For these people, tossing the ball higher doesn't help at all, as they simply wait longer.

The OP really needs to use video to assess why the low contact point is happening.

 

[Power Player]

In my experience it is usually not a low toss issue. I've seen many players who toss the ball plenty high and then wait for it to drop too low before hitting it. For these people, tossing the ball higher doesn't help at all, as they simply wait longer.

The OP really needs to use video to assess why the low contact point is happening.

He says that when he tries to make contact higher it feels super rushed. To me, that sounds a low toss, but yes tough to tell with no video.

 

[spaceman_spiff]

He says that when he tries to make contact higher it feels super rushed. To me, that sounds a low toss, but yes tough to tell with no video.

Same here.

Someone who waits too long is ready to swing well before they start swinging, so they won't feel rushed if they try to swing sooner. They might feel like they're going to swing too early and miss the ball, but they won't feel like they're swinging before they're ready.

Someone who tosses too low can't get ready in time to swing at the right moment. If they try to swing sooner, then they'll have to rush their preparation in order to make it possible to do so.