Ive changed from pinpoint to platform.

[Graphiteking]

Present- Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQcrv...e_gdata_player
 

Sent from my iPhoneCheck out this video on YouTube:
Past- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYzC0...e_gdata_player


Sent from my iPhone

[morten]

looks good GK

[Graphiteking]

Had to change due to ff. Any advice to better the serve is greatly appreciated.

[Bergboy123]

Do you like the change? Pros and cons of either that stand out to you? I'm considering making the same change. I know that one isn't necessarily better than the other but for the amount of work I put into my pinpoint I feel it should be better than it is.

[Graphiteking]

@bergboy123, no ff, better consistency and better placement on platform. I have noticed my mph has went down. Overall I like the change.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Graphiteking

Had to change due to ff. Any advice to better the serve is greatly appreciated.

Great job!

[pvaudio]

Your mph has gone down because you're literally hitting the warmup version of what you COULD be hitting. Seriously, you have no knee bend at all. You are simply arming the serve at this point. Get a deeper knee bend, keep the tossing arm up a long as possible, and go for it. I'll put it like this: you've made an enormous change, and you have not even scratched the surface of what you are capable of.

[boramiNYC]

your pronation lacks authority. learn how the racquet should move outward and down during pronation. exaggerate this for practice to make the forearm muscles stronger and control better. this should give you more topspin and control. torso rotation is a lot better after the change. now the pronation should be coupled with that rotation.

and contact a little more above the head than out in front and slightly into the court.

[sureshs]

How come LeeD has not yet commented on this?

[LeeD]

Just got back from courts hitting 50 platform serves, then back to my normal pinpoint for maybe 15.
OP swings the same with either technique, but moves his body into the court on pinpoint, which gives more power and less consistency, as he said.
I think a problem here....OP almost pancakes his trophy, so his loop starting the forward swing is only partial, and not enough to give him full power. if he pointed his racket straight up at the sky every time, he'd get more easy power.
OP is a big strong guy, and should serve effectively with any technique. His combi flat/slice serve is what he seems to hit, on every serve.
Not wild about the rapid fire serve warmup timing, as he never concentrates to hit a real serve, either fast or safe.
Both techniques were fine, but I like a pinpoint where the backfoot steps behind the front, not in front and to the side.
OP's serve is plenty good for 4.0, and he's possibly getting too old for 4.5 like me.

[rufus_smith]

Oh yeah I remember you, Graphite King, from the summer post. Your serve looks much improved. Hope these guys TT advice was at least partly responsible. If 90% of your serves in that new video were in the box, you probably don't need to fix much, imo. You don't need a pinpoint stance for a faster serve. Its fast enough for ntrp 4.0 for sure. If its slower, it could be due to weather changes anyway. Like these guys say you can get it even faster by pre-coiling more in the torso, shoulder, and elbow and wrist. Might be better to work on placement or different spins first. gl

[Kalin]

I usually serve pinpoint but played a whole match recently using platform to minimize the effect of a small injury.

While feeling a bit awkward, it did force me into a bigger shoulder turn and a deeper knee bend, things that often become slovenly with the pinpoint where I would just open the shoulders in advance and arm the serve in. As a result, I was able to hit some very good angles with good spin.

As I play less than before I've often thought of switching to platform since it does seem the more consistent move

[Graphiteking]

Thanks for the advice guys, I do see myself not getting my legs more involved and that is affecting my mph. I went out last night worked on all the issues you all gave me. I will be posting new vids soon. Oan, leeD I will get to 4.5. NEVER TOO OLD..

[Wilander Fan]

Coincidentally, I also decided to try platform today after pinpoint for my entire life. I only played a set but I noticed better consistency but less spin and power. I made the change because I noticed on video the pinpoint was much more vulnerable to slightly off tosses since you are committing yourself very early in the motion as your entire body is angled towards the expected toss. Platform makes you wait a bit. I did notice I was hitting more pace later into the set so I dont think the sacrifice in power permanent but there does seem to be a big benefit in consistency and balance.

Anyway, you can pronate more if you try to hit up at the ball and not through it. Also, I noticed that you have to leave the ground/jump from the platform more than the pinpoint in order to get any power.

[LeeD]

There is some time needed to adjust to the platform motion. I think the loss in power is much less than we must suspect, as the wrist hinge and arm snap can be a snappier movement getting more rackethead speed without as much body forward movement, and ab crunch and twisting can be added with the feet pivoting off a more solid platform.
Hit another 50 odd platform first flat serves. 52 degrees, old flat balls of at least 5 months, every single serve can bounce IN and still make the backstop around knee to thigh high, with one in 4 bouncing much higher...either the balls were better or the snap was quicker.
One thing that seem to help ME was trophying with the racket pointed straight up at the sky, elbow very bent.
Strange, that is NOT how I hit my pinpoint serves for 30 years, but it works with platform for me.

[LeeD]

Another weirdo now that I have time to crunch the #'s.
Seems platform might work with more open stance, and a stunted trophy sorta like Roddick's. You whip the racket, snap it, instead of long takeback and swing.
Gonna try some more tomorrow. Weird, to wander towards Roddick's style now that he has retired.
Anyways, it seems like easier power, which I need.

[martini1]

Originally Posted by Graphiteking

Present- Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQcrv...e_gdata_player
 

Sent from my iPhoneCheck out this video on YouTube:
Past- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYzC0...e_gdata_player


Sent from my iPhone

Your platform looks better than your old serve. Your old serve is more like a step up than a pinpoint to me. Not enough toes and not brought together enough to me. I am a platform guy myself.

[yemenmocha]

nice serve Graphite King

[mbm0912]

I just made the switch from pinpoint to platform as well. I wish I did this earlier!

[Kalin]

Guys, one question- I remember Bollettieri in an old video advising to always keep the entire weight on the front foot during the pinpoint serve even after the rear foot is brought alongside it.

Where is the weight during the platform serve? Is it mostly front or evenly balanced? Also, does it shift more to the forward foot during the serve motion or does it stay the same?? Many thanks for any info!!