Flat Serve Placement: Controlling left,right, and middle placement.

[Raul_SJ]

I find almost all my serves are going in the same general area:
Down the T on the Deuce and in the corner/wide on the Ad court.

This is good in a way, especially for doubles, but I need to vary the placement once in a while.

The coach says that there is just a subtle difference -- just a few degrees of racquet tilt will change a T serve into a wide serve using the exact same toss.

(Note: These are Flat first serves, not slice serves. And I am tossing at ~12:30 ).

But I am finding it difficult to get a feel for it... I have heard that one can think of pointing the front shoulder to the target area?

Are there any other tips for controlling left,right and middle placement for flat serves using the same toss? Can't seem to find any online videos on serve placement on the flat serve. Just a few videos about slice serves...

 

[Fxanimator1]

Look at where on the ball, you are going to make contact with your strings and adjust in subtle contact point positions.

 

[Fintft]

I have heard that one can think of pointing the front shoulder to the target area?

Pointing the front shoulder it's something I've tried as well, with modic results; I find it that it affects my points of reference (such as the baseline for the toss etc).

How about visualising? That usually works better.

 

[tennisdad65]

For a flat serve, the racquet has to approach the ball edge on and then you pronate just before contact. So the edge of your racquet before pronation starts, should align with the target.

Now if you pronate late, you will slice it left of target if you are a righty, and right of target if you are a lefty..

 

[Lukhas]

Try to follow-through towards the direction you want the serve to go.

 

[LeeD]

Lukas has it. Trying to adjust swing path causes other difficulties, so the followthru direction is easiest, everything else the same.

 

[SmilinBob]

How do you hold the racquet?

I tend to spread my hand out along the handle quite a bit and hold the racquet very low. The bottom of my hand is usually just off the racquet with my pinky around the butt cap. I then "hook" my index finger such that the second knuckle (the first one entirely on the index finger) is on the grip bevel directly opposite the contact side of the racquet face. Kind of like Todd Martin:

When I want to move my serve around, as I go up at the ball and start to pronate through, I simply "push" my knuckle towards my target, which manipulates the racquet face and the direction of my follow-through. I'm sure there's all sorts of other biomechanic outputs, however moving that knuckle towards my target is my mental trigger. Ha, trigger finger, if you will.

The beauty of this is that I can hit all my spots with the same toss and the same motion until just before contact and follow through. The downside is it requires pretty good timing.

 

[5point5]

Lukas has it. Trying to adjust swing path causes other difficulties, so the followthru direction is easiest, everything else the same.

For adjusting your follow through, you will have to adjust your swing path.

 

[LeeD]

In other words, and SBob's, you start exactly the same, you look where you look ( I only look up the T on EVERY serve), you line up the same, and the only difference is where your racket ends up after hitting the ball.
By then, it's too late for the returner to pick it up.
Yes, path is different due to different place of followthru.

 

[5point5]

In other words, and SBob's, you start exactly the same, you look where you look ( I only look up the T on EVERY serve), you line up the same, and the only difference is where your racket ends up after hitting the ball.
By then, it's too late for the returner to pick it up.
Yes, path is different due to different place of followthru.

That's what I thought chief.

 

[Fxanimator1]

In other words, and SBob's, you start exactly the same, you look where you look ( I only look up the T on EVERY serve), you line up the same, and the only difference is where your racket ends up after hitting the ball.
By then, it's too late for the returner to pick it up.
Yes, path is different due to different place of followthru.

Show, don't tell, visual instruction always works best.

 

[LeeD]

Lots of good servers serve the flat to only ONE side of the court, then adjust direction using a slice or top/slice to the other.

 

[Curious]

I find almost all my serves are going in the same general area:
Down the T on the Deuce and in the corner/wide on the Ad court.

This is good in a way, especially for doubles, but I need to vary the placement once in a while.

The coach says that there is just a subtle difference -- just a few degrees of racquet tilt will change a T serve into a wide serve using the exact same toss.

(Note: These are Flat first serves, not slice serves. And I am tossing at ~12:30 ).

But I am finding it difficult to get a feel for it... I have heard that one can think of pointing the front shoulder to the target area?

Are there any other tips for controlling left,right and middle placement for flat serves using the same toss? Can't seem to find any online videos on serve placement on the flat serve. Just a few videos about slice serves...

6 years on, have you been able to figure this out yet?

 

[LeeD]

Watch pro tennis.
My 2014 post is correct