1st Serve Placement

[chrisab508]

Hey guys,
I was wondering what you change overall when serving (1st serve) to change the placement? Out wide, in the middle, down the line? Is it the serve toss? i've always been told not to modify the toss? If not the toss, what is it?

Thanks a lot guys.

 

[divito]

It is the arm swing motion for me. I either sweep across my body for outside placement when serving from Deuce side. Slightly across for normal serves, and almost swinging away from me for down the line. Most, if not all my serves use some spin, unless it is a normal serve which I try more or less to make flat and hard. And they are all the same toss for 1st serves, 2nd serve is slightly different toss. Since the people I play can hardly return my 1st serve (when it actually goes in -_-), I rarely bother trying to place anything.

I'd say if you want to try new ways of placement I suggest what I do for some practice. I first start by standing in my serving position and just toss and lightly hit to where I want to place it. I continue and slowly put more effort, force and spin (if necessary) into each shot. This helps with muscle memory and is a lot easier to know what motion you have to do instead of just bashing them with some aim.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

NO, it isn't just the arm.

It's the whole rocking motion/weight transfer. It must be oriented towards the target (your body must "fall" towards that direction).

To understand that, check:

tennis serve leg and lower body action
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=34774

Does this suggest Im using too much 'arm' on the serve?
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=42330

What is the right way?I think i transfer weight too early when serving..
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=41838

Serve Placement
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=44470

and other threads in the Sticky thread at the top of this forum.

 

[NoBadMojo]

if you start breaking down the slight variations in all the moving body parts of the serve depending upon what kind of serve you are attempting and what placement you are looking for, you'll go crazy..the best thing to do if you cant take a series of serving lessons from a qualified pro is to develop a good basic service motion and then hit lots of hoppers of balls and develop the variety based upon a good result and then duplicating the good result until it becomes ingrained. as far as toss location goes, i'm from the sampras school of thought and try and place my toss in the same place no matter what type of serve i am attempting, but the rule of thumb is for a slice serve toss further to the right if right handed, for a flattish serve more in line w. your body, and for a kicker/twister more to the left of your body

 

[thejackal]

I just think about where I want my serve to land. The arm takes care of the rest.

 

[TennsDog]

I'm with jackal, I have never really thought about what I do to make the ball go where I want it to. I just kind of think about where I want it to go and then it goes there...hopefully. I think a better idea for aiming is to set up targets (or just use the lines) and hit a bunch of serves. If you miss, adjust however you feel necessary to make it go to the target w/o changing your actual serve or toss. The minute differences in angles and small measurements of time during the serve make it nearly impossible to actually think about adjusting your arm or really anything else to put it where you want. It's more of a feel thing, I guess.

 

[darkhorse]

Yeah, I just go on feel. I know how to make my body put the ball where I want, but I could never explain to anyone. I'm pretty good with a wide serve on the duece side, I can put it almost right in the middle of the box on the sideline consistently. It's pretty much unreturnable.

 

[Kaptain Karl]

... the best thing to do if you cant take a series of serving lessons from a qualified pro is to develop a good basic service motion and then hit lots of hoppers of balls and develop the variety based upon a good result and then duplicating the good result until it becomes ingrained.

Yup. This is the answer. Lots and lots of hoppers of balls. Then your body will "just know" what to do to hit your spots.

- KK

 

[kaiwin]

Mistake, Wrong post sry >.<

 

[alan-n]

Practice your serve and placement as much if not more than other all other strokes combined. You'll find out how to do it. For me its simply the amound of forearm pronation for the angle. How much body weight into / over for flat or more spin.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

if you start breaking down the slight variations in all the moving body parts of the serve depending upon what kind of serve you are attempting and what placement you are looking for, you'll go crazy..the best thing to do if you cant take a series of serving lessons from a qualified pro is to develop a good basic service motion and then hit lots of hoppers of balls and develop the variety based upon a good result and then duplicating the good result until it becomes ingrained. as far as toss location goes, i'm from the sampras school of thought and try and place my toss in the same place no matter what type of serve i am attempting, but the rule of thumb is for a slice serve toss further to the right if right handed, for a flattish serve more in line w. your body, and for a kicker/twister more to the left of your body

Yup, develop the basic motion, try to keep them as similar as possible especially for placement, set up some cones, get a bunch of balls, and hit away. No replacement for practice.

 

[chrisab508]

Thanks for all the replies guys!
I understand what most of you said, about just "knowing" how to place it. I figured that might be the case (like my forehand, no one "showed" me how to hit crosscourt vs. down the line, i just knew how to) I just thought that maybe (since I've never tried serve placement, never been this advanced) there was something else to it.

Thanks a lot guys.