Please help me improve the weakest part of my game (the serve)...

[indpndntrd]

My serve is definitely the weakest part of my game.. Please critique!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated..

***Halfway through the vid, I record from a different angle..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D__SRTRbU24

 

[krprunitennis2]

Is that a continental grip?

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

I'm no expert, but I think you're tossing too high, resulting in a hitch in your service motion. You throw the ball WAY up and then after that you bend your knees and just wait for the ball to come down. Lower your toss a bit and your service motion will probably be much more fluid.

Also, I noticed that your tossing arm doesn't extend up far enough after you toss the ball. I know because I do this all the time. Think about extending your arm straight towards the sky. This should also rotate your shoulders farther back resulting in a much better shoulder rotation on your serve. Right now you're facing the net a little too much during your preparation.

I can't really tell what grip you're using (because of the poor quality and my stupidness) but you should be using a continental. It kind of looks like you may be using your forehand grip for your serve. This will limit your racquet head speed severely and should be corrected immediately. If you're using anything other than a continental you should switch as soon as possible, unless you're hitting kick serves, IMO.

Some people like to hit flat and slice serves in an eastern backhand, but for most people the continental is the best bet.

Hope this helps!

 

[Sentinel]

Forgive my disagreeing, djoko, *no expert here either* -- i dont think the toss is too high, i belive its okay to err on the high side than have a low toss and rush through.

1. You seem to be hitting forward rather than upward. Your serve will have a low clearance, and often sail out, if it crosses the net.

Keep your toss arm vertical for a tad longer, hold it there as you wind up.

Try to hit upwards not forwards, this should happen to some extent when you keep your toss arm vertical, and lower your serve shoulder.

Also make sure the max racket speed is before you hit the ball, and not in your follow-thru.

Please check these links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnUDKkiyToc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E6fgVJF6DU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhC9j0AzHu0

 

[Sentinel]

Could you specify the weakness ...

Do you get few serves in ?

Or do you get them in, and they are weak ?

Are they badly placed, or lack spin ?

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

Don't get me wrong, Sent, a high toss works for many people, but just watch his motion. It looks a bit awkward between his initial knee bend and his contact point.

JMO.

 

[indpndntrd]

Is that a continental grip?

No.. It is the same grip I use for my backhand...

Could you specify the weakness ...
Do you get few serves in ?
Or do you get them in, and they are weak ?
Are they badly placed, or lack spin ?

I don't have problems getting them in, but I would like to generate more pace and incorporate spin and placement as well.. I am been told by other players that I should switch over to the continental grip if I want my serve to improve in those aspects, but I have never been able to make the switch successfully.. I've practiced, but it doesn't seem to work for me... Would you say that a continental grip is a must if I want to improve? Is the grip that I am using now preventing me from improving?

 

[iamke55]

Yes, you need to hit with a continental grip. Upload your second serve and you will see exactly why.

 

[gunbuster]

Which is better for serve -- continental or eastern BH?

 

[RestockingTues]

I don't think the toss is too high, if anything it's too low. You're meeting the ball a few inches above your head, and it's going to be wayyy awkward serving like that, not to mention the strain you put on your shoulder. It was my problem on my serve until a few months ago.

Nice racket head speed on the serve though, I think all you need to work on is the toss (height, getting the same location every time) and keeping your balance on your serve.

Just wondering, how long have you been playing?

 

[RestockingTues]

No.. It is the same grip I use for my backhand...



I don't have problems getting them in, but I would like to generate more pace and incorporate spin and placement as well.. I am been told by other players that I should switch over to the continental grip if I want my serve to improve in those aspects, but I have never been able to make the switch successfully.. I've practiced, but it doesn't seem to work for me... Would you say that a continental grip is a must if I want to improve? Is the grip that I am using now preventing me from improving?

Lol get used to the continental grip as soon as possible, because when you get comfortable with a continental you'll be learning how to serve with a one-handed eastern backhand.

Don't argue against the continental, it's a must for any player that wants to improve their game. If you aren't convinced yet just watch a video of ANY pro serving; they all use continental grips.

 

[Grizvok]

You NEED to start using the continental grip immediately.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

No.. It is the same grip I use for my backhand...

So the question is, what grip are you using for your BH? It really looks like you are using something closer to a FH grip on your serve. If so, using a continental will facilitate more spin on spin serves and more pronation on flatter servers.

Could be my failing eyes, but I had a difficult time determining if you are using much forearm rotation (pronation) on your serves. As your racket moves upward from the back (scratch position), you should be leading with the blade (edge) of the racket rather than the stringbed.

The toss: It's not that your toss is too high, but your contact point is too low (as RT mentions above) -- this probably makes the toss look higher than it really is. It appears that your racket arm does not extend up to the ball to make contact -- the arm seems to be bent quite a bit at contact. The arm should extend so that it is comfortably straight at contact.

...

Keep your toss arm vertical for a tad longer, hold it there as you wind up.

Try to hit upwards not forwards, this should happen to some extent when you keep your toss arm vertical, and lower your serve shoulder...

I agree that the tossing arm needs to continue moving upward (to the vertical) after releasing the ball -- the trophy pose. This will do a couple of things things for your serve. Firstly, it will get your front shoulder significantly higher than your rear shoulder so that you have a better shoulder tilt for your trophy position. Secondly, it will get your tossing hand up in the air to give you a good reference point for the toss -- it should give you a better feel for where the ball is, in space, with respect to your body.

The tossing arm should stay up there until your racket head bottoms out in the racket drop (back scratch) and is ready to start moving upward to meet the ball.

It is actually ok to drive forward (in the direction of the serve). However, you really do need to drive upward more -- upward & forward rather than just forward. The lack of arm extension is part of the problem here. Your torso also appears to lean a bit too much to the left. Try to extend your whole body upward -- lengthen the body more -- the legs extend first and then the right arm and racket extends up to the ball.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

The tossing arm should actually drop a little bit sooner than I suggested above, but it might be more helpful to your serve mechanics to try to keep it up there until the back scratch (racket drop).