Serve foot-dragging

[Double Fault]

I've noticed that players like Nalbandian, Safin, and Baghdatis drag their right foot during serves:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=C-uy1Ml2wm4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QpW99VkxuKM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=F82t4JsVey4

Does this help in some aspect of the serve? Other players, like Federer and Djokovic keep their feet in place:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aenQubfCND0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=v9yKMGX6BrU

I keep my feet in place, but I'm unsure if I should be dragging the right one...

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I've noticed that players like Nalbandian, Safin, and Baghdatis drag their right foot during serves:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=C-uy1Ml2wm4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QpW99VkxuKM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=F82t4JsVey4

Does this help in some aspect of the serve? Other players, like Federer and Djokovic keep their feet in place:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aenQubfCND0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=v9yKMGX6BrU

I keep my feet in place, but I'm unsure if I should be dragging the right one...

So you use a platform serve. That is fine. The other ones you showed were the pinpoint serve which is what I use.

 

[Double Fault]

What are the advantages / disadvantages of them?

 

[toughshot]

Pinpoint serving makes it easier to transfer your weight up and out through the court, to some it feels more natural.

Platform serving puts more stress on your front leg, but it doesn't really sacrifice much.. i just feel that when I do this, i have to work harder to achieve the same results.

Its really a matter of preference, go out and hit a bunch of serves using each stance, see which one is:
1. most consistent, least erratic
2. helping your toss
3. most powerful, generating fastest racket head speed

 

[Double Fault]

So serving with pinpoint will relieve some of the stress on my front leg? I have tendonitis on it and it is coming from my upwards "explosion" to serve.

 

[[ GTR ]]

I think pinpoint gives more forward momentum and your serve would go faster. I think platform is better for spin serves especially kickers. It's just personal preference though.

 

[armsty]

It's all about a transfer of weight. The foot draggers have their weight going forward and then up to the ball, which I feel gives the advantage of a little more height, whereas the non draggers rely of a lot of leg power to get up the the ball.

 

[Jim Clark]

So serving with pinpoint will relieve some of the stress on my front leg? I have tendonitis on it and it is coming from my upwards "explosion" to serve.

DF, Is your tendonitis patellar? If so, I have the same problem and I use the platform stance. What are you doing for the tendonitis?

 

[EricW]

The reason why players drag their foot during the serve is because starting pinpoint is awkward(Roddick for example). The foot-drag is merely to get into the pinpoint stance, and nothing more.

 

[Fay]

I started with platform, went to combination then went to pin point. Once coach suggested the pin point as she didn't like the double bend I was taking to regain my balance during the toss.

Biggest surprise of my life as I never thought I would like the pin point. BUT I found out it closely resembled the feeling of the rise and bend of my knee in figure skating. Go figure. Totally helped everything else in my serve.

Thought it would make me more unstable and in fact made me much more stable, allowed be to time my twist and chest turn better as my feet were not moving around -- and able to hit the ball more accurately now with more pace. Nevah would have guessed it, LOL. Glad I tried it.

But I agree about the slice using the platform because of the angle of hitting the ball ... tempted to use both ... but I'd hate to telegraph my intentions like that. Still refining.

 

[[d]ragon]

all preference. i hate pinpoint, always puts me off balance and doenst really add any more power (actually less than platform)

 

[DrewRafter8]

DF, Is your tendonitis patellar? If so, I have the same problem and I use the platform stance. What are you doing for the tendonitis?

I have patella tendonitis in both of my knees. Best thing I ever did was buy a pair of Asics Gel Resolutions. Two weeks and no knee pain! I serve using a pinpoint stance though and am a severe toe dragger!

 

[Double Fault]

DF, Is your tendonitis patellar? If so, I have the same problem and I use the platform stance. What are you doing for the tendonitis?

A lot of things haha

It starts with trying to serve less powerful balls since most of that power comes from the knees.

Ice after every match.

Laser therapy three times a week.

But the only thing that really works is Mobic, an anti inflammatory I found down here. It literally removes all the pain in both knees and wrist. The problem is that you can't take Mobic for the rest of your life which is why I have an appointment on Wednesday with one of the country's top knee doctor (he usually sees soccer players, etc.)

 

[Serve_Ace]

it all comes down to what you're most comfortable with

 

[Bungalo Bill]

What are the advantages / disadvantages of them?

Hard to say. Some try to say that either gives you more power then the other.

I just find on the pinpoint stance it brings my legs together sooner and I can spring off my toes forward into the court. The platform stance sort of brings the legs together as you rise off the ground.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWC1hcKBh4g&feature=related

There is no definite answer to which is better or worse. It does fall into the area of preference.

I remember a small study was done in which they determined that players who use a platform stance can get to net slightly sooner then those using a pinpoint stance.

This could come from the fact that pinpoint stance players bring their back foot up and then stop there - sort of pausing the forward momentum. I don't know, I am out to lunch on that.

The advantage of a pinpoint stance would be a slightly higher contact point. I am out to lunch on that as well.

What you should be thinking about is which do you prefer.

 

[Double Fault]

I prefer the one that is easier on my tendonitis, even if it means developing a new serve

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I prefer the one that is easier on my tendonitis, even if it means developing a new serve

There you go! Try em out and see whcih one will help. In the end, good serving mechanics is most important to either of the stances.

 

[shwetty[tennis]balls]

I think it develops naturally based on how one serves. It comes down to weight transfer and timing. It just depends on one's serve specifically. Federer doesn't do it, neither does Roddick, and they're some of the biggest servers.

 

[Double Fault]

Well, Roddick is already in pin point position when he serves, but he does use the stance.

 

[Double Fault]

So, I've been trying this serve throughout the week and it seems to work.

Basically, what I like about this pin-point serve is the fact that everything seems to be in motion forward.

When you actually time your toss correctly so that you minimize or eliminate the time your knees are paused waiting for the ball to come down, the result is a spectacular "explosion" into the court.

My serve accuracy has also been reduced a bit. With this stance I noticed that my first serve is slower, but with better placement and more spin.

My serve's ending feels a lot like what Sharapova's looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjt9K_iEC2U

I end up with my left foot well inside the court, right foot up and body almost parallel to the ground. Its a nice feeling actually.

The key is to time it right so that you're always moving forward once the ball has left your hand.