Breathing on the Serve -- Am I just crazy?

[Amone]

I was playing a match on monday, and was playing rather well -- Naturally, I was freaking out. As a general rule, I tend not to do well in matches. I was trying to breath at all, and it was rather hard. I tried something weird, trying to get more comfortable: I breathed in rhythm with my serving. When my toss went up, my breath went in. When I hit, I let it out (resulting in a grunt, as it happens) and I found that the effect it had on my serve was pretty big. I was hitting astronomical numbers percentage-wise, and I was (compared to my average serve) really banging them in on my first serve. Is it that the breathing is actually an important part of serving, or that I was like... calmed, or something, by breathing that way?

 

[103xStateChamp]

Thats a natural thing to me It's like bench press you breathe in when you take the bar down and out when you push it up.

 

[Ross K]

You're not crazy, no...

A while back, when I was big on studying Roddick and was watching a lot of footage of him, I noticed he sometimes has a habit of exhaling as he makes contact on the serve (ie, he blows out through his mouth as he strikes ball.) Like many details of his serve therefore, I incorporated this into my own, and still use it to this day from time to time. I have to say, it never even occurred to me as odd at all. Rather, like the 'grunt', it seems perfectly understandable that it somehow helps in channeling and harnessing energy... or put another way, the performing of certain actions in conjunction with certain ways of breathing, makes for a more dynamic end result.

Anyway, I'd def recommend ppl try this for themselves. Don't ask me how, but I've always felt this breathing out on the hit (it's more like a forcible blow - as in shooting out a dart through a blow-pipe) aided my serve. There are also, I believe, other long-standing thoughts and and theories around the issue of paying attention to your breath and harnessing its deep power (as can be found with martial arts, for example)... btw, I could be wrong, but doesn't Timothy Gallwey's well-known 'The Inner Game of Tennis' make mention of this topic? Whatever. As I say, it's ridiculously hard to put this stuff into words but, yes, I sort of know what you're talking about...

 

[SalvadorVeiga]

I find this hard to assimilate... people here at least the previous replies have been saying that they incorporated the exhaling and their serves got much better... What I ask is... how could you really serve without doing that ? I think is a natural thing to exhale automatically when you release an amount of energy... when you bench press you dont inhale when you lift the weight up I think you can't even lift 1/4 of your maximum wight if you do that way... The logical concept here is on anything you do on your life that requires a use of energy, in terms of an anaerobic view, you always exhale when releasing the energy/power... it's easier to do so thats why in martial arts etc they kind of groan, the punch/kick, etc are way more powerful when combined with exhaling...in my opinion its pretty automatic so i don't understand how can someone served this way before... I'll try tomorrow in gym and practice but I bet on serves, I will get my timing off and once I get the timing right I bet also it will be just a sit up ehehe

anyways yes you have to incorporate the breath not just on your serve, but as well forehands, backhands, smashes, slices, etc

 

[volusiano]

I agree that breathing out when you hit is only natural. The only question is whether you grunt because of it or not. Grunting can be an indication that you try to hit hard, but it can just be a developed habit, too. I don't grunt on every serve but I do grunt some times.

 

[The Gorilla]

inhale when hitting the backhand.

 

[SalvadorVeiga]

inhale when hitting the backhand.

I disagree. that is counter producent... I mean of course I inhale when doing a backhand but I inhale somewhere between my step into the ball and before contact with the ball. In moment of contact, I am exhaling... but that is a common general rule that applies to everything you do... what your doing by inhaling before making an amount of effort is to supply your muscles and cells with oxygen so they can leash their max power when you need them to (after a second or something). in my opinion if youre inhaling when doing the backhand or any other efforts you do...even on a daily basis on your normal routine...you're not repleneshing your muscles with oxygen for them to work efficiently... When you pick up a heavy box when lifting it you exhale...not the other way around !

 

[Ross K]

Hey everyone. This really isn't such a big deal...

Sometimes I'll remember to pronate on the serve. Sometimes I'll be concentrating a bit more on a deep knee bend. Sometimes it will be striking the ball at the highest contact height. Sometimes it'll be emitting a grunt as you strike. And on occassions, sometimes you let out a big breath as you make contact. In other words, it's just another aspect, which due to various reasons, you may or may not wish to incorporate this into your game.

And although I believe it helps my serve, I don't do it all the time (it's something I tend to use on the big points.) Main reason being unless your playing very casually indeed, you're often - or I am anyway - breathing fairly hard and so it kind of feels not right always.

Anyone noticed Roddick (or any other pro's) doing it yet?

 

[Amone]

Hey everyone. This really isn't such a big deal...

Sometimes I'll remember to pronate on the serve. Sometimes I'll be concentrating a bit more on a deep knee bend. Sometimes it will be striking the ball at the highest contact height. Sometimes it'll be emitting a grunt as you strike. And on occassions, sometimes you let out a big breath as you make contact. In other words, it's just another aspect, which due to various reasons, you may or may not wish to incorporate this into your game.

And although I believe it helps my serve, I don't do it all the time (it's something I tend to use on the big points.) Main reason being unless your playing very casually indeed, you're often - or I am anyway - breathing fairly hard and so it kind of feels not right always.

Anyone noticed Roddick (or any other pro's) doing it yet?

It is hard! Jeez, was it! It felt like an eternity between when I let out my breath, and when I tossed, no matter how quick I got to it. But, I figure, if I can manage anyways, on every point, my serve's better! :grin:

 

[The Gorilla]

I disagree. that is counter producent... I mean of course I inhale when doing a backhand but I inhale somewhere between my step into the ball and before contact with the ball. In moment of contact, I am exhaling... but that is a common general rule that applies to everything you do... what your doing by inhaling before making an amount of effort is to supply your muscles and cells with oxygen so they can leash their max power when you need them to (after a second or something). in my opinion if youre inhaling when doing the backhand or any other efforts you do...even on a daily basis on your normal routine...you're not repleneshing your muscles with oxygen for them to work efficiently... When you pick up a heavy box when lifting it you exhale...not the other way around !

one handed backhanded, not a two hander.

 

[Teh_pwnerer]

i tried this too and it works man i feel way more relaxed and i feel that my serves are stronger too