B Bill: Still need advice on placing serve in specific spot
- Thread starter Jim Clark
- Start date
degreefanlindi
Rookie
Visualize?
There really is no secret that I know of...but how about simply visualizing where exactly you would like the serve to go? Even if you do this prior to the match?
There really is no secret that I know of...but how about simply visualizing where exactly you would like the serve to go? Even if you do this prior to the match?
Lot of practice, reading and getting BB response.
I think there is a great deal of truth in what degreefanlindi said "...visualizing where exactly you would like the serve to go"
Where would your racquet/football/baseball go in the service box if you were to let go of/throw it?
I think there is a great deal of truth in what degreefanlindi said "...visualizing where exactly you would like the serve to go"
Where would your racquet/football/baseball go in the service box if you were to let go of/throw it?
Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
1 - Learn a dependable slice serve. Make sure your toss and your motion are repeatable and reliable. (If you think you’ve done this already, test yourself. Tie a bandana across your eyes (blindfold) and hit your serve. If you cannot go through the whole service motion and make solid contact with the ball (at least three out of four times!) ... go back and work on the above fundamentals until you have them down pat. Seriously...!)
I say “slice” because it is more ... uniform. (A flat serve is like a fast ball. Just as a baseball pitcher’s fast ball is more difficult for him to “locate,” so is a flat serve more likely to “tail” on you. When a pitcher wants to precisely place his pitch, most of them use the curve. The curve pitch is very similar to the slice serve.)
2 - Once you’ve accomplished #1, you are ready to work on placement. Put your racket cover on the court where you want to place your serve. (A tiny Hula Hoop or a “Frisbee” will work too. I like the small Hula Hoop for my HS kids....) Using the same motion you’ve developed in #1, notice where the majority of your serves are hitting ... and adjust your stance accordingly.
If your serves are landing to the opposite side of your target (from your racket hand -- Left of your target for a Righty; Right for a Lefty) use the same stance as in #1, but start with your stance “turned” some degrees to the racket side. (Right for a Righty; Left for a Lefty.)
3 - Keep adjusting accordingly. When you can hit your target 33% of the time (and you are at least quite “close” the other times) ... move your target to the other side of the service court and go back to #2.
(I have my kids aim for only three “spots”: Up the T ... Wide to the sideline ... the “Jam,” (a spot in line with your opponent’s backhand hip.)
4 - Once you are pretty consistent with all three targets, you’ll notice the “degrees of adjustment” from one stance extreme to the other are so slight that your opponent will not be able to tell, by your stance, where you are serving. (So don’t worry.)
[Caution: When I played #2 on our HS team, the #5 player was the one guy who could consistently return (and break) my serve. Only when I caught the whole team laughing about it did they reveal that #5’s eyesight was so good that he could see where I was looking before I served. I would toss the ball, and he would immediately take his racket back and adjust his stance to return from the spot I was targeting. (After they had their fun rubbing it in, the #1 player observed that my “predicament” was both a curse and a compliment. He opined that I was the only player on the team who could actually put his serve where he aimed it(!). Thanks a lot!!!) Don’t look at the “spot” you target. Look at the player and (as has been previously posted) “envision” the spot your serve will hit.]
- KK
I say “slice” because it is more ... uniform. (A flat serve is like a fast ball. Just as a baseball pitcher’s fast ball is more difficult for him to “locate,” so is a flat serve more likely to “tail” on you. When a pitcher wants to precisely place his pitch, most of them use the curve. The curve pitch is very similar to the slice serve.)
2 - Once you’ve accomplished #1, you are ready to work on placement. Put your racket cover on the court where you want to place your serve. (A tiny Hula Hoop or a “Frisbee” will work too. I like the small Hula Hoop for my HS kids....) Using the same motion you’ve developed in #1, notice where the majority of your serves are hitting ... and adjust your stance accordingly.
If your serves are landing to the opposite side of your target (from your racket hand -- Left of your target for a Righty; Right for a Lefty) use the same stance as in #1, but start with your stance “turned” some degrees to the racket side. (Right for a Righty; Left for a Lefty.)
3 - Keep adjusting accordingly. When you can hit your target 33% of the time (and you are at least quite “close” the other times) ... move your target to the other side of the service court and go back to #2.
(I have my kids aim for only three “spots”: Up the T ... Wide to the sideline ... the “Jam,” (a spot in line with your opponent’s backhand hip.)
4 - Once you are pretty consistent with all three targets, you’ll notice the “degrees of adjustment” from one stance extreme to the other are so slight that your opponent will not be able to tell, by your stance, where you are serving. (So don’t worry.)
[Caution: When I played #2 on our HS team, the #5 player was the one guy who could consistently return (and break) my serve. Only when I caught the whole team laughing about it did they reveal that #5’s eyesight was so good that he could see where I was looking before I served. I would toss the ball, and he would immediately take his racket back and adjust his stance to return from the spot I was targeting. (After they had their fun rubbing it in, the #1 player observed that my “predicament” was both a curse and a compliment. He opined that I was the only player on the team who could actually put his serve where he aimed it(!). Thanks a lot!!!) Don’t look at the “spot” you target. Look at the player and (as has been previously posted) “envision” the spot your serve will hit.]
- KK
Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
all of the above.
I especially like Kehvens comments about cones. Cones will really help you hone in the fine tuning you need to place the ball in a certain part of the box. You will learn where your toss should be, how much to rotate your shoulders, where to make contact with the ball, etc.
If you are using the continental grip, make sure your feet are not pointing to far sideways. I am always in sort of an angle towards the service box.
I especially like Kehvens comments about cones. Cones will really help you hone in the fine tuning you need to place the ball in a certain part of the box. You will learn where your toss should be, how much to rotate your shoulders, where to make contact with the ball, etc.
If you are using the continental grip, make sure your feet are not pointing to far sideways. I am always in sort of an angle towards the service box.
Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
I also wanted to add it could be in how much yoru turning your shoulders and when you hit the ball. Both can contribute to a misplacement.
You really got to go out and practice the serve movement. It is very dynamic and without seeing your serve or how you line up, you will have to take this advice and try it out and then give us some feedback. Otherwise, I would seek a USPTA coach and have them look at your motion and find out what you can do to "aim" better. But do the cone thing, it will "force" you to find the serve motion that allows you to paint the lines.
You really got to go out and practice the serve movement. It is very dynamic and without seeing your serve or how you line up, you will have to take this advice and try it out and then give us some feedback. Otherwise, I would seek a USPTA coach and have them look at your motion and find out what you can do to "aim" better. But do the cone thing, it will "force" you to find the serve motion that allows you to paint the lines.
Slice serve is much safer shot than flat serve. And I think you do have more control over the ball. Think of this way, if you flatten out your groundies, the ball's more likely to go long. But if you hit it with spin, then ball's more likely to stay inside the line. Thus you have more control over the ball.
If you just look at the spot you want to serve (w/o turning your head), then there is no way the other guy can see your eyes.
If you just look at the spot you want to serve (w/o turning your head), then there is no way the other guy can see your eyes.
But Kaptain Karl was talking about pitch location, not just keeping the ball inside the lines, but about trying to hit a certain spot. I still think a flat serve is the easiest way to hit a certain spot. Slice and Topspin are harder to pinpoint a spot but still easier to get in thanks to the extra spin on the ball curving it down and in. I think there is more direction control with a flat serve since the motion is much simpler than the other types of serves.
Well BB and "The Kaptain" mentioned cones - cones have been mentioned before in many post but until the other day I have never owned any – used them but they belonged to the club.
Going down the main road the other day (returning from where else but the courts) and I see cars slowing down and swerving around things in the highway (two-lane NOT an Interstate) directly in front of me. As I slow down its obvious that there are a bunch (six in all) cones scattered right across the road - everyone else seems bothered (horn honking, headlight flashing etc) but I see opportunity and pull over and stop.
I can just imagine what people thought as this "old fart" in tennis garb starts running across the road picking up traffic cones - got every last one. No markings on them indicating ownership and other than being run over quite a few time they are really in good shape - stack quite nicely also.
So now I can bring them with me (along with all my other paraphernalia) when I go off - wife wonders if "others" need so much “crap” just to play a game ---- tennis bag, ball machine, huge bag of balls, ball pick up contraption, milk crates and now my coverted cones. She says maybe I need a truck - perhaps one with antique plates but I think she's just jealous.
Going down the main road the other day (returning from where else but the courts) and I see cars slowing down and swerving around things in the highway (two-lane NOT an Interstate) directly in front of me. As I slow down its obvious that there are a bunch (six in all) cones scattered right across the road - everyone else seems bothered (horn honking, headlight flashing etc) but I see opportunity and pull over and stop.
I can just imagine what people thought as this "old fart" in tennis garb starts running across the road picking up traffic cones - got every last one. No markings on them indicating ownership and other than being run over quite a few time they are really in good shape - stack quite nicely also.
So now I can bring them with me (along with all my other paraphernalia) when I go off - wife wonders if "others" need so much “crap” just to play a game ---- tennis bag, ball machine, huge bag of balls, ball pick up contraption, milk crates and now my coverted cones. She says maybe I need a truck - perhaps one with antique plates but I think she's just jealous.
Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
papa said:
Oh man that is funny!
Well Papa, you are truly a die hard at this game. I had a much more pleasant experience. There was this beautiful woman behind the counter at SportMart here in California and I asked her where they have "soccer" type cones. Soccer players use these cones to outline the playing field or make imaginary goals.
They are flat cones (like the top is cut off them), but bright and come in different colors. I have about six of them. They have a large hole in the middle of them and they fit quite nicely in my tennis bag and are very light. 8)
Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
papa - That was great. I have this “Beverly Hillbillies” image of your overloaded wheezing truck rolling up to the courts.
BB - Yeah. Those cones....
- KK
BB - Yeah. Those cones....
- KK
Sometimes, especially if you're a little tight about it, it's easy to pull your head off the ball when serving. Just a fraction of a "pull" will send the ball away from your intended target, even if not into the bottom of the net.
The cones are a great tool, but if your motion has a slight glitch, you'll only be trying to fix the placement without fixing the problem. I've had back and shoulder issues lately so I feel your frustration with the serve. What I've been doing is to focus on two things: 1) keep the head up through contact - see the ball off the strings and to the target as best as you can, and 2) pull back on the racquet head speed and emphasize the pronation of the hitting arm - in practice, I'm simply attempting to keep the stringbed driving toward the target through contact. Again, I'm forgetting about power and focusing on lengthening the hitting zone. By pronating the forearm, the stringbed remains "aimed" at my target as I strike the ball.
The cones are a great tool, but if your motion has a slight glitch, you'll only be trying to fix the placement without fixing the problem. I've had back and shoulder issues lately so I feel your frustration with the serve. What I've been doing is to focus on two things: 1) keep the head up through contact - see the ball off the strings and to the target as best as you can, and 2) pull back on the racquet head speed and emphasize the pronation of the hitting arm - in practice, I'm simply attempting to keep the stringbed driving toward the target through contact. Again, I'm forgetting about power and focusing on lengthening the hitting zone. By pronating the forearm, the stringbed remains "aimed" at my target as I strike the ball.
Glad to hear it!!!
On the serve, if the head pulls downward during the motion, the shoulders inevitably follow and you abbreviate your extension to the target. Result: the server loses depth, placement and ultimately, confidence ... There is a tendency to "peek" to see the result of our serve, especially when the points are tight. This is why it's important to relax between points in order to stay loose and maintain good form in order to serve more effectively.
Let me know how it comes along.
On the serve, if the head pulls downward during the motion, the shoulders inevitably follow and you abbreviate your extension to the target. Result: the server loses depth, placement and ultimately, confidence ... There is a tendency to "peek" to see the result of our serve, especially when the points are tight. This is why it's important to relax between points in order to stay loose and maintain good form in order to serve more effectively.
Let me know how it comes along.
Bungalo Bill said:
Since everybody is sharing their tools why should I be quiet?
You guys know the rubber cloth that you keep under the rug to keep it from
sliding around?
I cut 1ftx1ft "napkins"
What is good about these is that I can use it when I hit groundstrokes with my
students. They are flat and even if I step on one I will not slip.
Even if the ball hits is, I can still return the ball, since the bounce will not change
that much.
Regards Predrag
Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
Good tip, predrag. I have about six "mini" Hula Hoops I use for targets. Your "napkins" seem like they'd make better targets.
(Ever seen one of these Hula Hoops take-off when someone's serve *hits* it solidly...?!!)
- KK
(Ever seen one of these Hula Hoops take-off when someone's serve *hits* it solidly...?!!)
- KK
Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
Kaptain Karl said:
Now there is an idea, hula hoops.
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