Serve video

[JZhu7]

Hi all, it's my first post here in this forum. I'm a 16 year old who plays tennis for my high school team and wanted to get some advice on my serve, which I want to turn into a weapon when the season starts in spring. I've been having some consistency problems lately and wanted to see if you guys could find anything technically wrong with it or just any advice in general. I would really appreciate it.

240 fps from my iPhone, sorry for the vertical

 

[LeeD]

Pretty good, try to get back into ready position after you serve, instead of relaxing and watching your shot.

 

[JZhu7]

Thanks, I'll pay attention to recovering more quickly. Should I be using my legs more and jumping higher? I also noticed that I take a little step forward with my left foot, anything wrong with that?

 

[LeeD]

One out of 8 pros shuffle the front foot forward during the toss, so while not recommended, it's something you can learn to live with by starting back 3" from the baseline.
Instead of thinking about jumping higher or more forwards, think about swinging the racket harder. While your serve is good for 3.5-4.0, it needs lots more pace to get another full level up.

 

[Lukhas]

Your toss isn't truly consistent most likely, which, if you have the right technical base, is most likely the causeof your inconsistency. You can see your front foot moving forward as you're starting your upward throwing motion, meaning that you're trying to reach for the ball. As a result, the way you "fire" your motion from the trophy position has a lot of movement going on in a lot of directions: your legs kinda moving but not moving upwards, your upper body that collapses early in a big effort for your arm to reach the ball.

Basically, work on having a near perfect toss, and if you're going to use your legs, use them frankly or don't use them. If you're unsure about how to use your legs, it's simply going to create more parasite movements in your serve.

 

[JZhu7]

Thx for the advice, will work on the toss next time I play. The foot moving forward will probably solved wen I place the ball better.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Thanks, I'll pay attention to recovering more quickly. Should I be using my legs more and jumping higher? I also noticed that I take a little step forward with my left foot, anything wrong with that?

You are getting a decent knee band at your trophy but you may be losing some of your leg drive with that late step with the left foot. I have seen a few videos of Roddick where he takes a step with his left foot. However, when he does take that step, it happens well before his trophy position and he has a good knee bend before he starts to drop the racket. Your left foot step comes right after your trophy, just as the racket starts to drop. As you do this, it seems that you may be sabotaging your leg drive. (The maximum knee flexion should happen just before the racket starts to drop. As the racket drops, the legs drive upward).

youtube.com/watch?v=SZbxKuLEP_o&t=28

(Note that Andy foot faults with the left foot step. This can be a risk if you are in the habit of moving the front foot forward). You may also be losing some leg drive by not getting your heels off the ground more. With heels off the ground, the feet can contribute significantly to the leg drive. When you take your left foot step, your foot comes down almost flat (heel is too low).

Your right elbow seems to be a little bit low during your trophy phase. It should be a little bit more in line with your shoulders (shoulder tilt). Your elbow appears to drop a bit right before you start your racket drop. You elbow might also be coming forward a bit -- you are losing the stretch in your right pec too soon. You should maintain that stretch during the trophy and racket drop phases.

When your left foot lands after your jump, it lands pointed a little bit to the left. Subsequently your body also falls off to the left somewhat. Try to land the left foot pointing a bit more toward the intended service box. You body should then move upward and forward rather than forward and off to the left.