I am interested in knowing how much time some of you spend on practicing your serve each week. Do you go out with a basket of balls specifically to hit serves for an hour or two a few times a week, or just hit a few minutes of serves in your practice sessions? Do you split time between your first and second serves, or focus on one particular serve at a time?
Practicing Serves Routines?
- Thread starter Mr. Ed
- Start date
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
I go out with the specific intent of practicing serves.
First I practice my toss for 5-10 minutes.
No exaggeration.
Toss, hold trophy, catch toss.
Repeat.
Both sides.
Great if you have a wall nearby so you can work up a good sweat before serving.
DO NOT TRY TO SERVE HARD IF YOUR BODY IS NOT WARMED UP!!!!!
I like serving against a wall to start off, be nice easy loose and free.
Serving against the wall at first allows me to just focus on clean contact and smooth motion, without thinking about in or out.
Then head over to the court.
I start hitting topspin serves, since that is the easiest most natural and smooth motion for me.
Straight topspin, loose and smooth, first down the T then body then out wide.
Then I move to hard sliders.
Then to big kickers.
Then to flat balls.
Quality is more important than quantity.
Better off focusing and concentrating and hitting 10 quality serves, rather than just whacking a bucket full.
Go through your pre-serve routine on every ball, decide serve type and location before you step to the line.
Put up targets, bright cones are best, but ballcans are also acceptable.
Build up slowly if you are developing arm strength. If you get tired or frustrated, stop.
Better off practicing well for 15 minutes, than keeping yourself out there pissed off for two hours.
J
Fay
Professional
That is a an interesting routine. I am going to try these specifics and work more on this kind of detail.
How I started out was to use my serve as my warmup every single day. Very relaxed and using 200 balls for warmup. I just would use visualization to try to get the ball in and did this for warmup each day until my serve became comfortable and consistent through repetitions. I was confident that with repetition my body would eventually make the corrections needed.
But my coach said every week "your serve is consistent but you need more pace."
I made myself put the ball where I had to launch myself forward & up to it. That of course means changing to something that isn't comfortable, but I like this plan .....gives good structure. ThanX !
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
Thanks for the props, let me know how it works out for you guys.
J
J
How many serves does one usually do in a match? 150 of them, split over 2hoursish?
Was wondering if practicing a lot of serves can help with your endurance.. there has been times in the past that practicing for 1-2 hours 3-4 times a week left my chest and arms hurting.. not lately though
Was wondering if practicing a lot of serves can help with your endurance.. there has been times in the past that practicing for 1-2 hours 3-4 times a week left my chest and arms hurting.. not lately though
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
How many serves does one usually do in a match? 150 of them, split over 2hoursish?
Was wondering if practicing a lot of serves can help with your endurance.. there has been times in the past that practicing for 1-2 hours 3-4 times a week left my chest and arms hurting.. not lately though
It would be abnormal to hit more than 100 serves in a best of 3 set match.
J
W
Wheelson
Guest
well think about it 8 + per game you can serve 7 games per set 8*7=56 possibly 3 sets 56*3 thats 168 give or take a few i did that in my head
W
Wheelson
Guest
oh best of three sorry so then its about 112 ish +or- probably 10-20 for deuce and ad points
Djokovicfan4life
Legend
I would advise against marathon serving practices like that. I hit serves for about 2 hours before and my legs were sore for the rest of the week! :shock:
On the bright side, it probably means that I have good leg drive!
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
Yea, I consider it abnormal to hit 8+ serves per game, and serve 7 games per set.
Not saying I haven't done it, just saying a typical match would be under 100 serves.
J
Bungalo Bill
G.O.A.T.
Go out about two times per week for an hour or to how long you can handle it while maintaining good form.
TOOLS YOU SHOULD HAVE
1. Cones: Buy about three or four flat soccer cones for target practice.
2. Secure a ball to a loose rope a little longer then your racquet length. This helps loosen up and get your motion smooth.
3. Jump rope: Your feet provide some spring in your efforts to move up and to the ball after your toss. Loosen your ankles up and get those feet warmed-up.
4. Stretching rope
STRETCH
1. Stretch the shoulder thoroughly. This is the most important body part to stretch out. You must get very good range of motion in this area.
2. Stretch your hips. Find some hip stretching exercises.
3. Stretch your arms and upper body.
EXERCISES
1. Squats
2. Abs
TIME AT PRACTICE
1. Start out slow, work your way up to your normal fast serve.
2. Split time working on your first serve and then your second serve
3. Devote sometime trying to improve your spin. This can be done by backing up to the back fence and slowly spinning the ball in. Then moving up slowly and hitting it faster with your normal swing.
Rafael_Nadal_6257
Semi-Pro
Question BB: When you say use flat soccer cones...why flat?? Wouldn't it be better to use those like construction cones because hitting them would be more noticeable??
And abs exercises for good core and body rotation during serves, right??
And abs exercises for good core and body rotation during serves, right??
Djokovicfan4life
Legend
Why would you want to have to go pick them up after knocking them all over the place?
racquetlab
Hall of Fame
What do you do with this?
Rafael_Nadal_6257
Semi-Pro
Ah thanks Djokovicfan, I feel really stupid now and unasian 
...
nyc, I think BB intends with that exercise to help one improve racket-head speed and whip the racket 'through' the ball. I think you are supposed to do your service motion as usual, but of course without your racket.
...nyc, I think BB intends with that exercise to help one improve racket-head speed and whip the racket 'through' the ball. I think you are supposed to do your service motion as usual, but of course without your racket.
