Dragging foot on serve

[Tour_pro]

Many players don't move their feet when serving, meaning they stay in the same spot. Some drag right before going up to get the ball and stop at their left foot (righties). Is there advantages and disadvantages or is it how you feel comfortable?

[WilsonWest]

There's the platform or party stance and then there's the one (I forgot the name) where you drag your foot

[r2473]

I find it so much easier / more natural to drag my right foot. It gets my momentum moving forward, into the court.

[larry10s]

its platform vs pinpoint stance . pros and cons for each
do search you will find many dicussions
bootom line personal preference

[Josh_Camp]

Well I slide my foot up because it helps me put all the weight on my front foot and transfer my weight. But I don't think it's that necessary if you don't feel comfortable with it, a lot of great servers don't/didn't do that, like Boris Becker and of course Federer.

[Manus Domini]

Feet close together through whole stance: Pinpoint
more power
less control

feet apart through whole motion: platform
less power
more control

feet sliding forward: hybrid
best of both worlds, worst of none, but in between
weakness is that the toss is the hardest to control because of the movement (from my experience)

these are by and large the governing factors. Obviously, personal preference kicks in here as well as everything else

I prefer the platform, but can do pinpoint as well. hybrid is also option, but it's harder for me to get the right toss

[LeeD]

Used to drag to pinpoint.
Wore out lots of toes in shoes.
Now lift backfoot to pinpoint.
Wear out less shoes.
Serve much weaker.

[onehandbh]

I used to use a pinpoint as well. Helped with power and serve and volleying.
It forced me to really get my weight up and into the court.
After taking a long break from tennis, when I started again,
I initially started with a platform stance b/c my toss wasn't that
accurate. Kind of just stuck with platform and that's what I use now.
FWIW, my serve is not as big as it used to be. Maybe 10-15 % worse, but
that may have more to do with me serving /playing less regularly than
the stance.

[mikeler]

I use the pinpoint stance with the toe drag. It allows me to hit the ball at its highest point which is good for those of us on the short side.

[r2473]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Used to drag to pinpoint.
Wore out lots of toes in shoes.

That's the truth.

I always buy the 6-month durability shoes. TW used to allow me to return shoes in perpetuity. Now they are careful to check and see if the shoes I am returning were purchased with the 6-month durability credit (in which case, no credit).

But, at least I always get what amounts to a "buy one get one free" deal.

[larry10s]

Originally Posted by Manus Domini

Feet close together through whole stance: Pinpoint
more power
less control

feet apart through whole motion: platform
less power
more control

feet sliding forward: hybrid
best of both worlds, worst of none, but in between
weakness is that the toss is the hardest to control because of the movement (from my experience)

these are by and large the governing factors. Obviously, personal preference kicks in here as well as everything else

I prefer the platform, but can do pinpoint as well. hybrid is also option, but it's harder for me to get the right toss

fist of all your first example like roddick i would call a narrow platform since the feet dont move.
second could you give a reference for you statements regarding the pros and cons please

[LeeD]

I used to wear a fully open hole under my toes and in front of my toes in TWO weeks max, if practicing seriously.
When they came out with the "wonder shoes", I think from Nike originally, I bought those $80 dollar shoes and they lasted almost one month before a hole in front of, and under the big toe of my right foot, me lefty.
They honored the warrantee once only per purchase.

[Tour_pro]

Thanks for all the comments.
So the message I am getting is basically, how I feel comfortable is the way I should do it. I did not use the hybrid because I felt like I would tend to do a different serve each time I did. I have more consistency when I don't move my feet. I am still able to get a lot of power since I squat down pretty low and explode up.
Thanks again for the contributions!

[Manus Domini]

Originally Posted by larry10s

fist of all your first example like roddick i would call a narrow platform since the feet dont move.
second could you give a reference for you statements regarding the pros and cons please

pinpoint isn't moving feet, it's feet still but very close

I believe it was on this board somewhere before about the pros and cons of the pinpoint and platform, as well as the hybrid, anyone remember which thread?

[jmjmkim]

I don't really pay attention to my service form, but man my toes really wear out. They are the first to wear out. I must also drag my left foot on backhands, the top of my left toes get worn out too.

[Jaewonnie]

I find it much easier to get a nice archer's bow when dragging my feet together.

[Bottom_Edge]

Originally Posted by Manus Domini

Feet close together through whole stance: Pinpoint
more power
less control

feet apart through whole motion: platform
less power
more control

feet sliding forward: hybrid
best of both worlds, worst of none, but in between
weakness is that the toss is the hardest to control because of the movement (from my experience)

I guess this is the best explanation. Also, make sure you're not dragging your front foot while serving (left leg for righties). That would reduce the power going into the serve from your legs.

[larry10s]

Originally Posted by Manus Domini

pinpoint isn't moving feet, it's feet still but very close

I believe it was on this board somewhere before about the pros and cons of the pinpoint and platform, as well as the hybrid, anyone remember which thread?

this is from brian gordon in an article on the biomechanics of the serve
found at www.tennisplayer.net

The "foot up" and "foot back" terminology corresponds roughly to the common coaching terminology of "pinpoint" and "platform" stances, and this is the terminology I'll use. To be clear I'll refer to any serve where back foot movement occurs as "pinpoint" and any serve where no back foot movement occurs as "platform". This distinction between pinpoint and platform holds regardless of the relative distance between the feet.

But the platform stance has to be subdivided into narrow and wide designations, depending on the distance between the feet. By this designation, both Roger Federer (wide) and Andy Roddick (narrow) are platform servers

he goes on to say pinpoint can have 2 forms also where the back foot slides up but stays behind the front foot
and another version where the back foot slides up alongside or slightly in front of the front foot.
lastly he mentions the platform stance may preferentially give more horizontal drive to the leg push
whereas the pinpoint gives more vertical drive.
ill search to see if there is mention of control or power differences but i havent seen them yet

[Manus Domini]

Originally Posted by larry10s

this is from brian gordon in an article on the biomechanics of the serve
found at www.tennisplayer.net

The "foot up" and "foot back" terminology corresponds roughly to the common coaching terminology of "pinpoint" and "platform" stances, and this is the terminology I'll use. To be clear I'll refer to any serve where back foot movement occurs as "pinpoint" and any serve where no back foot movement occurs as "platform". This distinction between pinpoint and platform holds regardless of the relative distance between the feet.

But the platform stance has to be subdivided into narrow and wide designations, depending on the distance between the feet. By this designation, both Roger Federer (wide) and Andy Roddick (narrow) are platform servers

he goes on to say pinpoint can have 2 forms also where the back foot slides up but stays behind the front foot
and another version where the back foot slides up alongside or slightly in front of the front foot.
lastly he mentions the platform stance may preferentially give more horizontal drive to the leg push
whereas the pinpoint gives more vertical drive.
ill search to see if there is mention of control or power differences but i havent seen them yet

loook here

has a FYB clip about it in it too

[papa]

Well, we also have the crossover step which is used very much today. Great stance if you can learn to control the right foot from foot faulting. Lot of women use it now but even the men are using it because it gives them greater torque/rotation into the ball.

As most know, you start in a platform stance and then move the back foot along side the left on the baseline (right handed approach).

Another one gaining more popularity is moving both feet - start 6" (depends on the player) behind the baseline and more left foot first to baseline - more of a variation to a pin-point.

Both are good but remember you have to come to a complete stop prior to the toss - in other words you have to stay away from the volleyball type serve.