Needs serious help with my serve!

[georgeadey1]

Hi

I have here a vid with some clips of some matchplay from yesterday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05pkqh5cGw - I am the guy wearing black shorts. My serve recently has been very poor and while a few first serves went in, in this vid, I think there are some major technical issues. Can anyone help me with it. I realise it is hard to criticise the serve just from this vid so I will make a separate one in the next few days

Thanks

 

[Bagumbawalla]

Actually, your serve is not horrible. On the other hand, it looks like something that you never practice- or have stopped practicing.

Your footwork seems odd, as if you are groping for balance, sometimes making several intermediate motions. It is hard to say why, but, possibly, you are not tossing your ball to an exact spot and are therefore having to make too many adjustments.

This is also evident in that you are not striking the ball at the optimum moment and sometimes seem so be guiding or pushing the ball. At the 2:57 mark everything seems to come together for you- so you can do it, you are just not doing it at will.

Also, you are not really placing the ball and hitting spots. So, my suggestion is lots of practice. Get a bucket of balls, set up some targets (I suggest a bright towel about a foot by a foot and a half). Work on the toss and hitting to a definite spot.

Your hitting partner actually had a nice, compact serve that he placed fairly well, you might just ask him to watch as you serve and make some suggestions.

 

[georgeadey1]

t

Thanks for your comments, I think the weird foot shuffle is to do with wayward ball toss placement so I will practice that. My serve doesn't look too bad in this video but this was one of the better days in the last few weeks. I am also worried about the 'trophy' or 'nike tick' position when the ball is in the air when i am serving

 

[LeeD]

Serve... not horrible.
But you swing as slow as possible, you don't move in, you don't explode up to the ball, you are very awkward and seemingly clumsy, very mechanical.
You will have a great serve, but nobody does playing for one year. Give yourself more practice, more serves, and two more years for a total of around THREE, then you serves tend to mature and consolidate.