serve questions! knee bend or hip?

[tyu1314]

Hi i got a few serve question

I use a platform stance,when i watch most platform stance server, it seens like they bend the knee,and does not move their hip in to the court.
In bollettieri's sonic serve video, it says that player should move their hip in first and then been their knee. But in the video it is teaching people how to serve with pin point stance.

My question is that should platform stance serve move their hip in to the court? They are seen to been their knee first.

 

[LeeD]

Use archer's bow to move forward hip into the court.
That later allows your torso to face slightly upwards on your forward swing, so you actually swing slightly upwards at the ball.
True, not everybody does that well, but then again, you can't pick the ONE trait few do, and copy that.

 

[charliefedererer]

"Leading with the hip" isn't the objective.

It really is a consequence that with a steep shoulder angle, as you form yourself in a bow shape in your trophy position, the hip goes forward to counterbalance the lean to the back fence you are making with your upper body. (If the hip didn't go out, you'd lose your balance and fall backward.)

You are right that with the pinpoint serve, to maintain your balance as you go into a bow, you will need to lead with your hip more than with a platform stance.

If you have a narrow pinpoint stance like Andy Roddick, you will still get your front hip out there:

Andy Roddick Serve Slow Motion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZbxKuLEP_o&feature=related

Pete Sampras had a more classic wider based platform stance and still led with the hip:

Pete Sampras tennis serve http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNQGDfWo9dk
The hips will get out further into the court than the knee on the platform stance as well as in the pinpoint stance.

Djokovic seems to gets his hip out there like Pete:

Novak Djokovic serve slow motion analysis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtfEP6bOrvI

Fed, who has a stance similar to Sampras, doesn't protrude his hip out as far:

Tennis service slow motion Roger Federer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gUCVC4v1mE

But if you notice Fed is standing more erect, while Sampras has the whole left side of his body leaning forward, so that his hip ends out further in front than his knee because of that lean.


So the take home message to you is to let your hip go out as far as necessary to counterbalance the upper body sideways lean to the back fence as you go into your trophy position.
That bow shape and steep shoulder angle then can powerfully be reversed to help power your serve.

 

[10sLifer]

Hi i got a few serve question

I use a platform stance,when i watch most platform stance server, it seens like they bend the knee,and does not move their hip in to the court.
In bollettieri's sonic serve video, it says that player should move their hip in first and then been their knee. But in the video it is teaching people how to serve with pin point stance.

My question is that should platform stance serve move their hip in to the court? They are seen to been their knee first.

The hip going into the court is a result of other things. A little shoulder tilt and getting your toss out in front will give that hip effect. Bending and unbending the body just can't translate into racquet head speed. If you just try to push your hip out at the start of the motion this will hamper your ability to coil and get real power. The knee bend also just assist the body in coiling more.

 

[LeeD]

With archer's bow, do we bend and unbend? Or do we flex to face the chest upwards on the forward swing, without consciously trying to unbend?
And it's not ball speed or rackethead speed the reason, but rather racketarm ANGLE.

 

[Limpinhitter]

Hi i got a few serve question

I use a platform stance,when i watch most platform stance server, it seens like they bend the knee,and does not move their hip in to the court.
In bollettieri's sonic serve video, it says that player should move their hip in first and then been their knee. But in the video it is teaching people how to serve with pin point stance.

My question is that should platform stance serve move their hip in to the court? They are seen to been their knee first.

It's not either/or, it's Both!

 

[LeeD]

The more strong body parts that come into play, the more possible rackethead swing you can develop. Look at the top players serving, but really focus on the top server's serving.