Hitting targets on a serve

E

ejewels

New User
Hello,

So I may be too critical of myself, but here goes...

I have been playing seriously for about 3 years now, and I am about a 3.5-4.0 self rated player. My serve is my strongest asset; I have a good consistency rate with my first serves and have a decent second serve with good spin. I decided to try a drill to improve my accuracy, so I set up a water bottle on the "T" to try and hit. I came close... but couldn't hit it! I've heard of these drills before, but my question is this... how often do you actually hit the target!? It seems really hard!
 
ejewels said:
Hello,

So I may be too critical of myself, but here goes...

I have been playing seriously for about 3 years now, and I am about a 3.5-4.0 self rated player. My serve is my strongest asset; I have a good consistency rate with my first serves and have a decent second serve with good spin. I decided to try a drill to improve my accuracy, so I set up a water bottle on the "T" to try and hit. I came close... but couldn't hit it! I've heard of these drills before, but my question is this... how often do you actually hit the target!? It seems really hard!
Click to expand...

I have seen Safina doing the same drill at 2009 SEO Practice, she hit the Gatorade bottle after about 80 (eighty!) tries!!! Majority of her serves came within about 5 inches of the bottle. So, I would not feel too bad in your case...
 
The key to this drill (and maintaining your self-esteem) is to pick an appropriate target for your skill level. NOT a water bottle.

A ball hopper (not the kind with wheels) is a pretty good target. Your tennis bag would work. A small trash can, etc.
 
Serve targets should be no smaller than your tennis bag.
Groundie targets closer to a chair or small table.
Volley targets better just a bit bigger than above.
Size of 6pac bag, you might hit it once every 40 firsts flats full speed.
On seconds, better around one in 20.
 
ejewels said:
Hello,

So I may be too critical of myself, but here goes...

I have been playing seriously for about 3 years now, and I am about a 3.5-4.0 self rated player. My serve is my strongest asset; I have a good consistency rate with my first serves and have a decent second serve with good spin. I decided to try a drill to improve my accuracy, so I set up a water bottle on the "T" to try and hit. I came close... but couldn't hit it! I've heard of these drills before, but my question is this... how often do you actually hit the target!? It seems really hard!
Click to expand...

Pin point accurracy is tough. A 1 foot radius around the bottle is good if you can hit that area consistently
 
I use empty tennis cans.

For me, it's just a target to aim at but I don't expect to hit it with a high success rate.

If I get within 3 ft of it, then I feel that I'm doing well.

Besides, practice is one thing. You can hit all the targets in practice where you stand in one place and get to groove the stroke by hitting over and over. But in a match where serves are interspersed with groundstrokes, sprinting, volleys, etc, it's a very different story.

So, performance in practice for any stroke might be impressive, but performance and consistency in matches is a true test of one's abilities.

r,
eagle
 
I use two cone targets to set a "range" and also a window - what I want to do is work on hitting it through a window instead of to a point.

For example, I'll set up 2 cones out wide and short on the ad side, and work on pulling my slice shorter in the box to get a sharper angle. Same deal with a slice up the middle on the ad court, or a kicker out wide. Knowing where the spin will carry the ball is key to being able to wisely pick targets and will help with situational serving.
 
Yeah, well Andy has not paid for my service lessons lately, so I didn't include him or his skills.
Easy to post a vid of ONE serve hitting a water bottle, if you're a pro with photogs following you around. Much harder to post a vid of your 30 slice second serves, and if even ON hit the bottle, you're extremely lucky.
This game has been played since the dawn of tennis, and I've been around to see a tiny bit of it.
 
It is very useful drill, I personally serve better with targets. I use empty ball cans as targets and can hit the 3-4 targets per 100 serves. I realize that with my second serve (although it is more secure) I am unable to control the ball placement, but with my first serve I achieve the best results.
It is good idea to make a target shooting competition here at TW, and post the results here. It will be interesting to see the best target shooters among us.
No doubt for me, among the ATP players the best target shooter will be Federer with results around 40% I suppose.
 
even 3-4 per 100 seems awesome. I couldn't hit them for s##t, but was getting darn close... it's tough, and I'd imagine that even the pros would find it difficult.
 
Did you watch the Querry-Isner SAP?
Sideline/service line intersect, they must have hit it 20 times each in 3 sets. Duece court with top/slice, ad court with top/kick.
 
ejewels said:
my question is this... how often do you actually hit the target!?
Click to expand...

A lot more often when you practice! I like to set up the little orange cones you can buy all over the place. Cluster a couple together or line them up in a corner or along the service line. I really get a kick when I hit one and it goes flying.
 
My regular service practice

Every week (or so) I focus a practice on serving. I set up a cone (same size as the ones in Murray's video) in each the 4 corners of the service boxes (about 1 / 2 inches in from the lines, rather than on the actual lines, so the serve will be definitely in), then I set a second one about 18" along the service line, and another 5 again about 18" apart up the insides of the sides of the service boxes. Basically, my target is to focus on down-the-T serves and also on sliders from the deuce side and wide kickers from the ad side. For bodyserves, I go for kickers down the middle from the ad side, and sliders down the middle from the deuce side.

I'm more of a doubles specialist, so I focus on fractionally less power but better placement, and on being able to hit either side of the service box with the same serve for disguise. I also practice a first serve followed by a second serve (if I missed the first), alternate from deuce to ad side, and move the serves from each side around the box (or sometimes I concentrate of putting say 75% of the hoop to the backhand from both sides on both serves) - so, as close as I might get it in doubles with a good partner at the net which enables us to dominate on my service games and make them quick.

Overall, my estimate is I get 60-70% of first serves in, and about 90% of seconds (and I still go for the cones on these). I use the cones to give me a better idea of how close I get to the specific targets I aim at (rather than just lines or corners). Still, out of an 80-ball hoop, I hit an average of about 4 cones - typically, mostly up the outside lines of the boxes (so, the wide sliders and kickers) - and will probably hit about 20-25 serves in-between cones. The remaining "in" serves tend to land within 1' inside the cones, so broadly on target and within 2' of the lines. I do 10 - 12 hoops each serving session, so 800-900 serves.
 
Last edited:
I usually serve at targets every other day after practice. I warm up serves for like 30 mins then put up 2 ball cans (1 on the T and 1 out wide) and serve 50 times at each on the deuce side and then again on the ad side. So outta 200 serves the most I've hit the cans is 9 (mainly up the T) and the least was 2.
 
I like to use my spare racket as a target. If I hit the racket face, the ball shoots high in the air, grabbing the attention of any passersby.

Very rewarding, that.
 
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