I can´t serve with my main racquet

[Internety]

Hey everybody,

I have been playing with the Wilson Clash 100 for the past few years now. But I really struggle with it on serve. Obviously it´s something in the technique, but I have tried several racquets like:

Ezone 100/98
Vcore 100/98
Clash 98/100PRO
Blade 98
Speed MP/Pro
Gravity TOUR/MP/PRO



And with each of these racquets I serve noticeably better. But on anything other than the serve I prefer the Clash 100 by a lot and I don't really wanna switch.
I have tried a few coaches to help me with the serve but none of them are really that helpful. Still looking for one in the area but until then any suggestions with this situation?

 

[Hawks9451]

Can you identify exactly what the serve failure feels like or looks like? Like are you totally shanking the ball? Or are you missing the box?

I mean, the general answer is that you can learn to serve with any racket with more practice. As long as there are strings in it.

 

[Internety]

With my flat serve I hit long by a lot. Now I usually just slice serve with medium pace as first serve just to get it in. But In competition and tournaments on my level i get broken too often.

Then with the vcore 98 for example my flat serve goes in way more often with the same technique/toss.

 

[Hawks9451]

If by a lot you mean several feet, it's a technique failure that you could band-aid with a different racket. If it's a few inches, just string your Clash 3lbs tighter.

Alternatively, practice serving more.

 

[Yamin]

For hitting long on flat serve with a clash you can go either way in tension. -3 will make it pocket more delaying the release, +3 will reduce the launch angle.

 

[BlueB]

Try to add some weight at the throat. Bunch of rubber bands, or some Bluetac...

 

[TennisHound]

Hey everybody,

I have been playing with the Wilson Clash 100 for the past few years now. But I really struggle with it on serve. Obviously it´s something in the technique, but I have tried several racquets like:

Ezone 100/98
Vcore 100/98
Clash 98/100PRO
Blade 98
Speed MP/Pro
Gravity TOUR/MP/PRO



And with each of these racquets I serve noticeably better. But on anything other than the serve I prefer the Clash 100 by a lot and I don't really wanna switch.
I have tried a few coaches to help me with the serve but none of them are really that helpful. Still looking for one in the area but until then any suggestions with this situation?

Probably not the racquet, completely. 95% of the time, the toss is too low. Toss it higher and swing a little earlier to hit it at a higher point.

 

[Hawks9451]

For hitting long on flat serve with a clash you can go either way in tension. -3 will make it pocket more delaying the release, +3 will reduce the launch angle.

Try to add some weight at the throat. Bunch of rubber bands, or some Bluetac...

Maybe a tackier overgrip will help you hold on for a sterner pronation.

Or take a bucket and hit 100-300 serves 40x over the course of 3 months.

 

[Internety]

Probably not the racquet, completely. 95% of the time, the toss is too low. Toss it higher and swing a little earlier to hit it at a higher point.

I’ll try this thanks

One of my coaches told me to toss lower and that ****ed up my serve so much it took me back months and a lot of lost matches.

 

[J D]

It’s probably not a technique issue since it’s better with every other frame. It’s likely a balance/weight distribution issue. It could be a bit too much weight in the head, making you late. Going to a lighter gauge string will make a difference. If you use a dampener, even a lighter vibration dampener can change the way the head comes through on serves.

Or, it could be weight distribution causing too much resistance to rotation (pendulum effect). Moving the COM (center of mass) towards the handle can help. Weight in the handle or even weight 9” from the bottom of the frame will make a difference, but it might also cost you a few mph’s on your serve.

There’s no harm in experimenting to figure out which it is.

 

[Boubi]

With my flat serve I hit long by a lot. Now I usually just slice serve with medium pace as first serve just to get it in. But In competition and tournaments on my level i get broken too often.

Then with the vcore 98 for example my flat serve goes in way more often with the same technique/toss.

Step back one foot from the court line

 

[AmericanTwist]

Add 1g to the tip at a time and see how that suits you. Like others have said work on your technique since you prefer the clash in all other strokes. The frame is very forgiving and does have some power and can generate a really spinny ball.

 

[stapletonj]

I can only speak to the vcore 100, but I have both it and the same clash. I did not switch, but liked the clash a lot.
I think the clash might be a little more head heavy and powerful than the stock vcore 100.
(I added some lead to my vcore at 3 and 9.) The extra weight on the clash probably does 2 things:

a. might make you just a little late and hence your racket face is a little more open at point of contact
b. the little bit of extra mass in the head is making the ball travel a little faster, giving the ball less time to drop into the service box.

just my $0.02 and doesn't solve the problem, but only possibly describes it, I know. But figuring out what is causing the long serves is 1/2 the battle.

 

[fuzz nation]

With my flat serve I hit long by a lot. Now I usually just slice serve with medium pace as first serve just to get it in. But In competition and tournaments on my level i get broken too often.

Then with the vcore 98 for example my flat serve goes in way more often with the same technique/toss.

Classic symptoms of serving with a racquet that doesn't have a balance that's familiar for you. If the Wilson is sailing serves long for your compared with your VCore, the Clash could easily be less head-light (HL) than your Yonex. This is a racquet issue that often hides in plain sight. Even though your toss location and serving tempo are the same as usual, the less head-light racquet will "pivot" around your gripping hand through a slightly wider arc and need a little more travel distance to "turn over" and put the ball down in the direction of the box.

In basic lingo, serving with less HL racquets forces us to relocate our toss further out ahead of us to get the ball in.

Even if the Clash is about the same as the VCore in terms of balance, the flex profile of the Clash might just not be head-light enough to fit your particular serving technique. Some frames interact with the ball a little differently than others, even if many or their specs are about the same.

You can do a simple measurement of the balance of both frames at home. Whenever I add weight to my racquet handles to get a more familiar balance that works for me, I place 1/2" lead tape on my handle (on top of the replacement grip) and then cover that with my overgrip. It can stay like that for a long time if it's right, but it's also easy to tweak it if necessary, especially compared with putting silicone inside your handle or something like that.

I'd bet that if you can bump the balance of the Clash toward just a couple points more head-light, you'll be able to use your natural serve technique - including the same toss location - to more easily drive your serve down into the box.

 

[CosmosMpower]

Clash pattern is pretty open and it’s a high power frame

 

[Vicious49]

It’s probably not a technique issue since it’s better with every other frame. It’s likely a balance/weight distribution issue. It could be a bit too much weight in the head, making you late. Going to a lighter gauge string will make a difference. If you use a dampener, even a lighter vibration dampener can change the way the head comes through on serves.

Or, it could be weight distribution causing too much resistance to rotation (pendulum effect). Moving the COM (center of mass) towards the handle can help. Weight in the handle or even weight 9” from the bottom of the frame will make a difference, but it might also cost you a few mph’s on your serve.

There’s no harm in experimenting to figure out which it is.

I agree with this and the later assessments of it being the balance of the Clash causing him to swing differently or not being able to bring it around fast enough.

 

[socallefty]

Choosing a racquet for me is always a compromise between the ones I play well with from the baseline/net and the ones I serve best with on 1st serves. Usually the racquet I end up with is not the best in either category, but scores highly in both.

 

[Anton]

Hey everybody,

I have been playing with the Wilson Clash 100 for the past few years now. But I really struggle with it on serve. Obviously it´s something in the technique, but I have tried several racquets like:

Ezone 100/98
Vcore 100/98
Clash 98/100PRO
Blade 98
Speed MP/Pro
Gravity TOUR/MP/PRO



And with each of these racquets I serve noticeably better. But on anything other than the serve I prefer the Clash 100 by a lot and I don't really wanna switch.
I have tried a few coaches to help me with the serve but none of them are really that helpful. Still looking for one in the area but until then any suggestions with this situation?

Grab a bucket of balls and go serve 40 min twice a week. Should fix your clash quick.

 

[Hulger]

Racquets that bend significantly can lead to a delayed ball release affecting the launch angle. Firmer racquets are generally more accurate for flat serves.

 

[Fluffy_Skye]

Choosing a racquet for me is always a compromise between the ones I play well with from the baseline/net and the ones I serve best with on 1st serves. Usually the racquet I end up with is not the best in either category, but scores highly in both.

I have the exact same problem. Like OP, I play very well with my Pro Staff 100 at the baseline/net but can never serve very well. However, when I switch to extreme tour or radical mp, I immediately serve faster and more accurately. I agree with the analysis that my Pro Staff 100, just like OP's Clash 100, has a balance or whatever that makes the hoop wrap around too slow so I couldn't get the timing right on my natural swing. On the other hand, with racket that do wrap around on time for my serves, I find them lack plow through on ground strokes. So basically I like a fast racket on serve but a slow racket on ground stroke. Quite a conundrum.

 

[Internety]

Choosing a racquet for me is always a compromise between the ones I play well with from the baseline/net and the ones I serve best with on 1st serves. Usually the racquet I end up with is not the best in either category, but scores highly in both.

I will take the vcore 98 for some matches and some hitting sessions. If it will result in me winning my service games easier..... I will seriously consider compromising my confidence off the ground with the clash 100 for a stick that makes me win more service games.