Pronation in Serve help

[Username_]

I have been playing for a few years and my flat serves are sort of consistent. But during those years I had no clue that pronation existed and basically I've been serving without pronation.

How do I add pronation to my serve?

I try turning my forearm wrist to the left before contact point of the ball (I'm a righthanded) and it'd just go to the side (or miss). What am I doing wrong?

[Power Player]

google essential tennis and sign up for the free serve course. He explains every aspect of the serve. If you just think about the pronation part you will struggle. You need to check all the boxes on the way to contact, and that series really helps a lot.

[LeeD]

Hold the racket continental grip, hit a flat first serve. That requires pronation.
Hold the racket continental-eBACKhand grip, hit a topspin second serve.

[WildVolley]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Hold the racket continental grip, hit a flat first serve. That requires pronation.

Lee is correct. If you are using a continental grip, it is most likely that you are pronating. The best way to check this is to get a video camera that shoots slow motion and visually verify what is happening. Your impression of what you are doing and what is actually happening can be quite different.

If you are using continental, another way to get more pronation is to not try to hit the ball too high. The more your forearm and racket make a straight line at contact, the more difficult it is to pronate. If you drop the contact zone to a point where there is an angle between the forearm and the racket, the more natural it will be to develop pronation.

[Chas Tennis]

Originally Posted by Username_

......................... But during those years I had no clue that pronation existed and basically I've been serving without pronation.

How do I add pronation to my serve?
..............................................

On the serve the largest contributor to racket head speed at impact comes from internal shoulder rotation. (Generally this part of the service motion is improperly called 'pronation' in tennis discussions here and elsewhere.)

For example, see Reply #18

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=440427

Watch the elbow rotate very rapidly in about 0.03 seconds-

http://vimeo.com/27528347

There are probably many ways to hit a serve but the pros all use internal shoulder rotation for pace and sound biomechanics.

Unless you understand what internal shoulder rotation is you can't understand the high level service motion.

Search: internal shoulder rotation serve

[3fees]

This helps::


If you are using continental, another way to get more pronation is to not try to hit the ball too high. The more your forearm and racket make a straight line at contact, the more difficult it is to pronate. If you drop the contact zone to a point where there is an angle between the forearm and the racket, the more natural it will be to develop pronation.