Can serve without a person on the other side.

[gold325]

Hi Guys

Sorry messed up the title. It is... Cant* serve without a person on the other side?

I just can't serve without a person on the other side to receive. My instinct allows me to aim a serve relative to existing target (other player)

Multiple people told me to pick a point on the wall behind the court but it just doesn't work and the serves sail long. I am just not able to picture a point behind the net since it is hooded by the net.

Any one else suffer or suffered from this? I've almost considered buying a full size cardboard cutout of a tennis player to keep on other side but I'm concerned how stupid that will look on court and how it would hold up to wind conditions.

Yeah I know it is funny...

 

[LeeD]

Aim for points on the netcord.
Like bowling, those small arrows.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

Use a full length mirror on the other side, position it where you can see yourself as the returner, takes some edibles, serve away.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Perhaps you need to work on your visualization. Learn to visualize imaginary opponents receiving serve. Visualization can be a strong tool for a number of events in tennis. We can visualize a hitting a certain ground stroke just as we are about to start the forward swing. Or we can visualize the area where we wish to place this shot we are about to hit.

Earlier, shortly after our opponent as hit a serve or other shot, we can visualize the approximate area where that incoming ball will bounce. And then we can visualize where we must be to intercept that incoming ball. Do you not already visualize your contact point a bit before the ball arrives there? There are a number of other examples of imagery or visualization that we can employ in tennis. You are probably already doing a few of them.

How about putting cones or other targets inside the service box? No cans or targets right on the service box lines like some ppl do. Put a couple of targets a meter or a few feet (diagonally) in from the 2 back corners of the service box -- so that have reasonable targets for serving to those corners. You could also set up another cone / target to assist you with hitting "body" serves. And another cone halfway or so up the outside sideline (perhaps 25+ cm just inside that side line).

Once you get fairly good at hitting serves to these various areas, you can start to do it w/o the physical targets... you can visualize those targets instead

 

[LuckyR]

Am I the only person who aims at the point on the court where the ball will land?

 

[Dragy]

Use this to practice

 

[shug]

This is the-time/where you lock-in your contact point, strengthen the muscles you use to serve.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Am I the only person who aims at the point on the court where the ball will land?

I've done both. Quite often I'll serve to specific areas of the service box. At other times I'll look at the position of the opponent and serve accordingly

 

[Jono123]

Go practice your serve on your own with a bucket of 60 balls.

 

[nyta2]

Hi Guys

Sorry messed up the title. It is... Cant* serve without a person on the other side?

I just can't serve without a person on the other side to receive. My instinct allows me to aim a serve relative to existing target (other player)

Multiple people told me to pick a point on the wall behind the court but it just doesn't work and the serves sail long. I am just not able to picture a point behind the net since it is hooded by the net.

Any one else suffer or suffered from this? I've almost considered buying a full size cardboard cutout of a tennis player to keep on other side but I'm concerned how stupid that will look on court and how it would hold up to wind conditions.

Yeah I know it is funny...

do you get thrown off if you're serving against someone really short, or really tall?
beyond the initial peek to see where someone is standing, your focus should be 100% on the ball & contact point (as if no one is on the other side).

 

[gold325]

do you get thrown off if you're serving against someone really short, or really tall?
beyond the initial peek to see where someone is standing, your focus should be 100% on the ball & contact point (as if no one is on the other side).

Height of opponent doesnt bother me. The initial existence of the opponent before going into serve routine helps create the mental image and after no longer bothers me.

I paid attention yesterday on what I was going.

1. Take stance
2. Pick target (relative to opponent) - left of body, on body, right of body
3. Then look at the spot on the court where ball should bounce
4. Start the serve routine.

I guess without enough practice I can skip step #2

 

[nyta2]

Height of opponent doesnt bother me. The initial existence of the opponent before going into serve routine helps create the mental image and after no longer bothers me.

I paid attention yesterday on what I was going.

1. Take stance
2. Pick target (relative to opponent) - left of body, on body, right of body
3. Then look at the spot on the court where ball should bounce
4. Start the serve routine.

I guess without enough practice I can skip step #2

does your targeting system break down if say i'm cheating toward the center (down the T) in an attempt to avoid my (righty) bh?

 

[gold325]

does your targeting system break down if say i'm cheating toward the center (down the T) in an attempt to avoid my (righty) bh?

Nope at that point I don't even know where the opponent is.... I only see the opponent (and every thing else other than the sky) again only after ball has crossed the net.

 

[jz000]

Hmm I notice it too. I think there’s just a lack of point of reference.

my serves land in when there’s someone there.

I’m too relaxed when no one’s there maybe.

 

[jz000]

Nope at that point I don't even know where the opponent is.... I only see the opponent (and every thing else other than the sky) again only after ball has crossed the net.

I mean, I do use their position to decide where I wanna serve. I make the decision while I’m tossing the ball, keeping my eye on them for as long as I can.

 

[LocNetMonster]

You are too focused on the person returning the service when you should be focusing on where to put your serve. Forget picking points on the net or the wall behind the court.

1. Get some soccer cones like these:

2. Put them in each corner of the service box and one in the middle between them. Optional and for wide slice serves, add a fourth cone halfway between the net and the service line.

3. Then make-up games that you can play against yourself.

I had three starting out. Elimination - This was the first game I came up with when I started practicing this. I try to hit all four cones before I empty the basket. When the basket was empty I would have to 5 pushes for every cone I did not hit. Bounce - Same as elimination, except you can't serve to the same cone two times in a row. You have to alternate between targets. Vodka - My favorite and won rarely when I started out. Anyways, I have to hit all four cones with 10 or fewer serves. If I do, I buy a bottle of Reyka

4. Repeat on the ad side.

Make time to do this at least once a week. If you can level up to two or three times a week for an hour, in six months you will be able to serve aggressively and probably count your double faults for the match on one hand. I keep the cones in my bag so when I can't find anybody to hit or my partner is going to be late, will play one of the three games above or some other variation.