Returning a flat serve

[gameboy]

Not sure why but I am having some problem returning flat serves lately and I hope someone can help.

There is this guy at my club who serves a decent flat serve very consistently. It is not a blister, but enough pace to make it heavy. I have no problem getting to the ball and getting good contact on it, but more often than not, I end up hitting the net right around the tape. If I start aiming higher, the ball sails out.

I don't have this much trouble with topspin and slice serve of similar speed. I can hit a much more of a topspin return and get them back in. But with this flat serve, I somehow always end up hitting a flat return and my margin of safety goes way down.

What the heck am I doing wrong?

 

[10s talk]

move forward.....

 

[Funbun]

This is the same problem with me. I've tried many things, like split stepping even earlier, or psyching myself to stay alert and stay on my toes. They only work sometimes. Other times, I frame my returns or dump them into the net.

 

[charliefedererer]

On slice and topsin serves the ball will take longer to get to your racquet because of the curved path and going to bounce higher. Thus, it is going to be easier to put topspin on the ball with your return as you hit from low to high, and that spin is going to help bring the ball into the court.

On a flat serve the ball is not going to bounce as high. It is going to be harder to hit your normal swing pattern from low to high, especially if you have a western grip.

So on flat serves you've got to come out of your split step with your knees bent more than usual while anticipating that low bounce, and really concentrate on maintaining that low to high swing that will impart more topspin on the return. You've also got to reset your estimation of when the ball will arrive, as it will seem to arrive much earlier since it is coming straight at you rather than the curved path of spin serves.

On the backhand side you can take an alternative approach by taking speed off the return with a backhand slice. If you are having real trouble with returning a hard first serve that backhand slice can really improve your return rate, and if you are having success with it, use it for all "body serves" as well as serves wide to your backhand.

If you have a practice partner, get out there and practice your returns of a flat serve. This matter of resetting your timing and lower stance out of the split step will take practice to get right. If your practice partner does not have a good, consistant flat serve, invite him to "cheat" a few feet in from the base line to hit these serves at you, affording him a chance of a much better angle to hit his flat serves (you will have to tell him to concentrate on consistancy, not bombing away this close), and you'll then get that practice you need on returning flat serves. If your practice partner seems bored, let him play "serve and volley" from this forward position, and you'll both then get in a good practice session.

 

[Fedace]

Not sure why but I am having some problem returning flat serves lately and I hope someone can help.

There is this guy at my club who serves a decent flat serve very consistently. It is not a blister, but enough pace to make it heavy. I have no problem getting to the ball and getting good contact on it, but more often than not, I end up hitting the net right around the tape. If I start aiming higher, the ball sails out.

I don't have this much trouble with topspin and slice serve of similar speed. I can hit a much more of a topspin return and get them back in. But with this flat serve, I somehow always end up hitting a flat return and my margin of safety goes way down.

What the heck am I doing wrong?

simply put the racket head in the path of the ball and block it back.

 

[WildVolley]

Blocking it back is usually going to be your best option. The trick is getting the racket face at the correct angle. If it is a hard flat serve, opening the racket face slightly too much will send the return long.

 

[gameboy]

The trouble with blocking back is that I play a lot of doubles and floaters are going to get crushed by the netman...

 

[xFullCourtTenniSx]

The trouble with blocking back is that I play a lot of doubles and floaters are going to get crushed by the netman...

Block it back CROSSCOURT.

Or you can take it up a notch. Block it and push through contact. It'll give you a little extra punch on the ball. But yeah, AIM your shot and you should be fine against those poachers.

 

[Puddy]

simply put the racket head in the path of the ball and block it back.

Dr. Fedace!

Good call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LeeD]

Of course, if you don't have time to swing even with a short takeback and short swing, you need to volley it back with a volley grip.
Short downswing, backspin, same grip covers either side AND into the body serves.
If you think you need to blast every return, you are now known as the .....
LOSER.

 

[SuperDuy]

Of course, if you don't have time to swing even with a short takeback and short swing, you need to volley it back with a volley grip.
Short downswing, backspin, same grip covers either side AND into the body serves.
If you think you need to blast every return, you are now known as the .....
LOSER.

I"snt that what Roddick used to do lots? Just chip/volley those fast flat serves back in? And if the serves are coming to your left shoulder if your a rightie and you have no time to react just step away right leed?

 

[[d]ragon]

Block it back CROSSCOURT.

Or you can take it up a notch. Block it and push through contact. It'll give you a little extra punch on the ball. But yeah, AIM your shot and you should be fine against those poachers.

Blocking it back is usually going to be your best option. The trick is getting the racket face at the correct angle. If it is a hard flat serve, opening the racket face slightly too much will send the return long.

The bolded IMO is the best option for doubles. With the racquet face angle, you should keep the face slightly closed to ensure the ball doesn't deflect up too much. Pushing forward with a low to high path would help add some spin to the return as well.

The other option is to stand further back. You would give the other team more time to get to the net but as a trade off, you would be able to take a fuller swing and put more power and spin, making the volley harder to hit.

Both can be effective and it depends which you are more comfortable with. How far you should stand back depend on how fast you're reactions are and how fast the flat serve is