My serve. 100 + MPH with video and radar

drakulie said:
^^^Damn, this thread keeps going, and going. LOL I need to post another vid serving with the K90, however, I recently started playing with the I prestige mid. Oh well.

Anyway, Kevo, I agree with your post. Typically, the guys who "muscle" their serve have slower readings than the ones who look like they are not trying.

And even "spectators" fall into the trap/illusion that the guy who is muscling his sevre is really getting it up there on the radar.

Also, serves with more spin are typically harder to return, and as a result are more effective.
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your videos are POPULAR! lol!!

a few weeks ago at UCLA, we had a fastest serve contest and my fastest one was 122 that went in and i had another at 121 that was in and i hit one at 124, but that one was out!!

it was definitely fun watching how fast you can serve!
 
lemoneatrz said:
your videos are POPULAR! lol!!

a few weeks ago at UCLA, we had a fastest serve contest and my fastest one was 122 that went in and i had another at 121 that was in and i hit one at 124, but that one was out!!

it was definitely fun watching how fast you can serve!
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Ah do you play in college or what?
 
Drak, I'll post a vid after christmas. I got a bushnell gun (over here it's less than 1/2 the price of the box £70 to £150-160) for xmas and I'm hoping to get a video with basically "Guess the speed" I've had just over 100 on the speedtrak guns but I feel I'm serving quicker now so I can't wait to get it done all the time. I'm hoping to break your 108mph ;-)
 
Johnnyf, please do post it.

When Sup2Dresq came down a few weeks ago, I was actually serving much faster than in the vids posted here. Unfortunately, it didn't last long..... I'm still recovering from a neck injury, so my serve and game has gone down the toilet. It hurts when I look up to serve. I did however actually hit today for a few hours with a bunch of the guys from the TWSF and also GraniteChief from the boards was there as well. I posted some pics in the TWSF thread.

Anyway, please do post your vid, and Happy Holidays.
 
drakulie said:
Johnnyf, please do post it.

When Sup2Dresq came down a few weeks ago, I was actually serving much faster than in the vids posted here. Unfortunately, it didn't last long..... I'm still recovering from a neck injury, so my serve and game has gone down the toilet. It hurts when I look up to serve. I did however actually hit today for a few hours with a bunch of the guys from the TWSF and also GraniteChief from the boards was there as well. I posted some pics in the TWSF thread.

Anyway, please do post your vid, and Happy Holidays.
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Haha big Sup! Drak, I'm sorry about your neck honestly man just as you got the i.prestige's! (Yes I'm a stalker! haha :) ko)
 
^^LMAO! How did you know?? I actually have two bulging disks in my neck. When Sup was here, I had to take anti inflammatories just to get on the court with him. Afterwards had to take some perquesettes(spelling) for the pain.

It has gotten better, but I am still having trouble looking up, which results in difficulty when I serve, and have to move around a lot on the court.

Anyway, please do start that thread. Look forward to seeing your serve.
 
drakulie said:
^^LMAO! How did you know?? I actually have two bulging disks in my neck. When Sup was here, I had to take anti inflammatories just to get on the court with him. Afterwards had to take some perquesettes(spelling) for the pain.

It has gotten better, but I am still having trouble looking up, which results in difficulty when I serve, and have to move around a lot on the court.

Anyway, please do start that thread. Look forward to seeing your serve.
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Haha, I definetely will, I posted a vid of my serve on here YEARS ago, it's an abbreviated almost Roddick like serve, I'm really excited to see what I'm hitting these days (when I had it recorded I was like a 1/2 a foot shorter than I am now haha) but the thing I'm going to enjoy most is actually using the results to find out any drills, exercises etc. that will help me add more power and accuracy to my serve. I'm also planning on (more for my enjoyment) going to bring my racket collection with rackets spanning from a PDR+ and Speedport Black to a pc600, srd tour 90, borg pro and max 200g lol. Just to see what difference I'd get in speed between them.
 
^^^ No, I wasn't able to open it. I tried, and tried>>> but just wasn't happening. Could you repost it on another host??
 
Just got the SpeedTrac - topped out at 109mph 20 min into serving, low 90's average first serve :neutral:
 
Anton, did you find when you tried to serve harder, the results were slower. Additionally, when you swung nice and relaxed you got more pace??
 
drakulie said:
Anton, did you find when you tried to serve harder, the results were slower. Additionally, when you swung nice and relaxed you got more pace??
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My biggest serves are by far those when I stay REALLY nice and loose. ;) Hit some last Saturday after my regular game and was topping out at 117mph. ;) CC
 
Craig A. Clark said:
My biggest serves are by far those when I stay REALLY nice and loose. ;) Hit some last Saturday after my regular game and was topping out at 117mph. ;) CC
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Did you get a speedtrac CC?

In reguard to the not trying to serve hard thing.

Lets just say if I had a nickel for every time I said "It CANT be this easy." :)

J
 
drakulie said:
Anton, did you find when you tried to serve harder, the results were slower. Additionally, when you swung nice and relaxed you got more pace??
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hmm well no not really, some of the shots I was trying to push the issue did go past 100, but so did some more-fluid-motion ones...I still have to spend more time serving to sort this out with the radar I guess.

My fastest serve I remember to be fairly "rip-it".

I watched some video of my serves and compared it to the excellent serving guide at http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/index.php?col=260823 and seems that I could get some more juice out of my serve by prorating a bit more, otherwise it seems I have all the elements right.

Anyway...going to serve now...
 
I put the Speedtrac almost on the net and received the results I thought I should be getting. I've been playing with it at the T and I swore that it seemed a little slow. I'm 6'5" and the angle wasn't really working for me. I put it at the net and seemed to get a very good read. I hit triple digit heat, none of the boys on my high school team hit that today. However, my #1 and #2 are sick and were not at practice.
 
Craig A. Clark said:
My biggest serves are by far those when I stay REALLY nice and loose. ;) Hit some last Saturday after my regular game and was topping out at 117mph. ;) CC
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117??? Not bad for an old fart! LOL. J/k CC. What type of radar were you using??


Anton, keep us updated.

DrewRafter8, are you a HS tennis coach?? What do you suspect the 1 and 2 are going to top out at?? Lastly, what frame are you using???


Side Note: I need to seriously update this vid. I'll see if I could go out and take some more vids this weekend.
 
drakulie said:
117??? Not bad for an old fart! LOL. J/k CC. What type of radar were you using??


Anton, keep us updated.

DrewRafter8, are you a HS tennis coach?? What do you suspect the 1 and 2 are going to top out at?? Lastly, what frame are you using???


Side Note: I need to seriously update this vid. I'll see if I could go out and take some more vids this weekend.
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Yea Drak, High School.

1 and 2 can bring some heat. They'll hit 90's to low 100's. I was impressed I hit 100 on the third serve I hit with no warm up or stretch. I was thrilled. Kids were impressed too.

Using a Vantage 100" 63RA 27.5 12pts HL 330 gram stick.

I told the kids that I think their serves are harder then what I'm measuring since I'm placing the Speedtrac at the net. They measure pro's at point of contact correct?
 
J011yroger said:
Did you get a speedtrac CC?

In reguard to the not trying to serve hard thing.

Lets just say if I had a nickel for every time I said "It CANT be this easy." :)

J
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Jo11y!!

The radar I used was one of the inexpensive ones sold on the net. I'm not sure of the brand. The Bushnells are more accurate and easier to use, but I didn't have access to one that day........it was a kind of off the cuff idea just to see where I might top out.

It's taken me this long to figure out staying loose is the key, so if you pick that up now you'll have a full 20 extra years of that knowledge on me! ;)

Best,

CC
 
those black boxes are so inaccurate. some how my every kick serve I hit is 92mph. I doubt it. I peeked at 102mph with a slice serve, which is realistic, but I doubt that my kicker is 92 mph. more likely somewhere between the 70's and 80's. It has a great deal of spin and arch on it, and it's effective, but definitely not 90+ mph
 
I think with the speedtrac the key is placement. I knew that it might be a little off placing it at net, but we at least have a reference point.
 
BeHappy said:
hows your health Drak?

who's been rating this thread so badly LOL ;)
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I'm doing much better. Been hitting the courts pretty hard the last few weeks.

As for the rating>>> I thought it was fairly accurate at zero stars, but 1 star is way too high, so not sure who is big fan. LOL

DrewRafter8 said:
Yea Drak, High School.

1 and 2 can bring some heat. They'll hit 90's to low 100's. I was impressed I hit 100 on the third serve I hit with no warm up or stretch. I was thrilled. Kids were impressed too.

Using a Vantage 100" 63RA 27.5 12pts HL 330 gram stick.

I told the kids that I think their serves are harder then what I'm measuring since I'm placing the Speedtrac at the net. They measure pro's at point of contact correct?
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yes, as CC stated>> the pro serves are measured at contact.

Keep us posted on how well your 1 and 2 do.

BTW, nice frame.

Craig A. Clark said:
Thanks Drak!! ;)

I think it could have been even faster if it hadn't been for my gout, flatulence, and lumbago all actin' up at the very same time. ;)

CC
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Muahahaha! I've noticed your posts are getting funnier and funnier. Good stuff! When are you coming to south florida again??
 
drakulie said:
I'm doing much better. Been hitting the courts pretty hard the last few weeks.

As for the rating>>> I thought it was fairly accurate at zero stars, but 1 star is way too high, so not sure who is big fan. LOL



yes, as CC stated>> the pro serves are measured at contact.

Keep us posted on how well your 1 and 2 do.

BTW, nice frame.



Muahahaha! I've noticed your posts are getting funnier and funnier. Good stuff! When are you coming to south florida again??
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Thanks Drak!

Yes, I am in a very happy time in my life. ;)

I was just in Tampa last weekend. No tennis, unfortunately. All work and no play.......you know the story.....

No South Florida travels planned right now but I am definitely going to be in touch first thing when I schedule my next Miami talk.

Best,

CC
 
Craig A. Clark said:
It's taken me this long to figure out staying loose is the key, so if you pick that up now you'll have a full 20 extra years of that knowledge on me! ;)

Best,

CC
Click to expand...

Can't wait till spring when I can get out on court for a couple of weeks with my hopper and new frames, and build myself a legit flat ball.

My topspin ball tops out around 110, so I have big hopes for the flat ball.

J
 
drakulie said:
Anton, keep us updated.
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I've spend good amount of time watching this step by step breakdown - http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/index.php?col=260823 and let me tell you - WELL WORTH IT.

I was serving more today and keeping those steps on my mind - I started out by serving and paying careful attention to each individual element one by one, the most difference I found was:

1. PRONATION - this one has consistently added some snap to my serve
http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/index.php?id=410738&col=260823&offset=6

I did notice from my videos that this element was somewhat lacking, so I was expecting this.

2. I shortened my ball toss a bit - this allowed me to speed up the forward weight transfer.

Once I got more or less comfortable with each element I started concentrating on making it all happen together - and I was impressed with how much sense everything started to make - The better I executed each element and timed them in unison the faster the serve was - period.

It seems almost obvious, but it's not often that you have the luxury of being able to confidently know what it is you need to do to improve a skill and exactly how to go about improving it.


I didn't break the 109mph today, but my average serve speed has gone from about 90-91 to 96-97 (Plus I was now serving at about 65% compared to about half of it yesterday) . Considering that I'm running on three hours of sleep and was serving after a 12 hour work day I'm feeling really positive about the improvements so far...Its only been two times out :)

The radar readings really have made serving a lot more fun and took a lot of guessing out of equation - best $150 I've spent in some time imo
 
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Anton said:
Well what I'm wondering is how can the radar separate the velocity of the frame from the ball, if the measurement takes place at impact?
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well, might not be exactly at impact, but like a couple inches away, as opposed to a couple yards, which significantly (in the order of 5 mph) detracts from the speed...
 
Anton said:
Well what I'm wondering is how can the radar separate the velocity of the frame from the ball, if the measurement takes place at impact?
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The radar is tuned to not pick up readings below 70mph or so. So racquethead speed is below the bottom threshold of what the radar will read.

J
 
J011yroger said:
The radar is tuned to not pick up readings below 70mph or so. So racquethead speed is below the bottom threshold of what the radar will read.

J
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Racket head's tip speed at impact is only fractionally slower the ball coming off the stringbed (less then 10%), certainly above 100 for professionals, so the measurement must be taken at least a little bit further down.
 
power_play21 said:
well, might not be exactly at impact, but like a couple inches away, as opposed to a couple yards, which significantly (in the order of 5 mph) detracts from the speed...
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From tennis physics book - "10-20mph" and "a typical serve will lose 0.6 mph for each foot it moves through air", so seems 15mph is closer...though that would mean that I put in a 124+mph serve :confused:
 
drakulie said:
Some more:

On these two watch the ball carefully "take-off" immediately after the bounce. Try to watch it in "full screen".

105 MPH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYjOyfMicR0

108 MPH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDNhhzaj3wc

Here is an action shot of the 108 MPH serve:
100_0073.jpg
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thats a cool setting but the net needs repair. whats up w/the stick in the middle of the net?
 
J011yroger said:
The radar is tuned to not pick up readings below 70mph or so. So racquethead speed is below the bottom threshold of what the radar will read.

J
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not true. it will actually pick up slow stuff up to 5mph. i think it picks up moving objects specifically somehow
 
Anton said:
Racket head's tip speed at impact is only fractionally slower the ball coming off the stringbed (less then 10%), certainly above 100 for professionals, so the measurement must be taken at least a little bit further down.
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Actually ballspeed is 1.4-1.5 X racquet speed on a serve, more on a groundstroke. Still your argument is valid among bigger servers. I know that most radars do have settable low speed filters, perhaps they read the fastest thing and not the first thing, or perhaps because the racquet is traveling UP towards the ball, and not FORWARD towards the radar, that the forward vector of the racquet head is not very fast.

J
 
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drakulie said:
frido, set it up. Post in the TWSF you want to set up a meet. I'll be there, and take the radar out. That would definitely be cool.
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I'll post tentatively a day like this coming Saturday to see how that works the rest of the guys @ SFTCH.

Javier
 
J011yroger said:
Can't wait till spring when I can get out on court for a couple of weeks with my hopper and new frames, and build myself a legit flat ball.

My topspin ball tops out around 110, so I have big hopes for the flat ball.

J
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My kickers are typically in the high 80s to low 90's, so it wouldn't suprise me if you can top out at 130mph+. Lots of the kids on the local DI team do.

CC
 
ubel said:
When I look at the two videos and judge time between when their racquet contacts ball and when the ball hits the back fence, they both seem about the same.. at least to me they do. Try it yourself, look at your video, then compare it to the 105 video. The only difference I'd say is your video's guy completes the follow through while drak stops his for some reason. Also, drakulie is serving from the ad side toward the body while yours is down the middle from deuce.
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But also depends on how much spin there is. Maybe from the time of contact to the service box would be easier to compare:confused:
 
J011yroger said:
Actually ballspeed is 1.4-1.5 X racquet speed on a serve, more on a groundstroke. Still your argument is valid among bigger servers. I know that most radars do have settable low speed filters, perhaps they read the fastest thing and not the first thing, or perhaps because the racquet is traveling UP towards the ball, and not FORWARD towards the radar, that the forward vector of the racquet head is not very fast.

J
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Because of the rotational axis all parts of the frame move at different velocity - tip doesn't strike the ball, but it is the fastest moving point on the frame and according to physics of tennis, right past the point of impact it is very close to the balls velocity.
 
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