topspin serve

[aznstyle]

im trying to learn how to do a topspin serve. ive been attempting lately, but im unsure of how the prep is different compared to the flat serve. also, i dunno how to contact the ball. i know the stance is more side ways, the ball is tossed more above ur head, and u brush up on the ball, but when I serve, it looks almost like a lob, with no pace at all. the balls i use are a bit flat, but that shouldn't be making nearly as much as a difference as what it is.

[Ash_Smith]

The ball toss is slightly left of centre (for a righty) but not behind the head - this only results in the lob effect you mentioned. The ball should still be in front of your body.

You're correct about holding sideways for longer. Prep wise the racquet comes up from more on the inside of the body - more inline with the spine rather than from behind the shoulder as with the flat(ter) serve.

You want to be hitting up the ball from about 7 to 2 on the clockface and the racquet breaks away to the outside of the court (away to the right for a righty).

Hope this makes sense!!!

[swimntennis]

I had trouble learning a topspin serve too because it seemed to go against the serve motion I already knew. Before I learned the topspin serve, I solely used slice or no spin. To get used to the serve, don't try anything fancy and don't do your normal "set-up" right away. Just stand there and brush the ball up. Get the feeling of how it is to actually hit the ball with topspin. Then you can add on the other parts of the serve.

[kimba]

HI there,
I have a tip that has help me alot with my topspin serve.
I used to have alot of trouble getting heavy spin on my topspin serve But I started to hit with a satelite player and he soon fixed it for me,
the problem for me was I tryed to contact the ball at to high of a point leaveing no extencion to brush up the back of the ball,
I now have a lower ball toss and my contact point on my topspin serve is alot lower leaving plenty of room to really brush up the back of the ball.
It helped me