Should you decide on what serve to hit before getting to the service line?

[sientelo]

This guy called Qureshi who got to 125 singles in the world says you should decide what serve to hit before getting to the line http://youtu.be/8sQtsmS4zIU?t=2m11s

I always thought you decide what serve to hit when you were at the service line based on e.g. where your opponent was standing, weak side, last serve etc.

Am I wrong? Sounds like it

 

[colowhisper]

Choosing serve placement based on where your opponent is standing is flawed. Any skilled player makes changes to the return position during the toss. I think a major benefit of selecting serve in your mind prior, or during your serve routine of ball bouncing etc, is to allow your mind enough time to *visualize* the serve result. But I am a freak.

 

[Lukhas]

Well I do think it's better to know what you're going to do, what strategy you choose to apply before actually executing it.

 

[LeeD]

Both.
You need to know what shot your plan to use after the last point ended, but you also need to know, when you get to the service line, what shot you should serve that you feel comfortable with looking at the current situation.
Tennis is intuition, as much as statistics, meaning neither is worth a pile of dog doo without the other.

 

[LuckyR]

In my experience if you change your serve to match the receiver's position, you are going to be vulnerable to wily old guys (which happen to comprise a lot of players around here).

Why do you think those guys stand 2 feet from the service line on second serve on break point? Because they induce more DFs than average, that's why...

I am not saying not to take into account the tendancies of the receiver, of course you need to do that, but that decision should be based on prior points, not where the guy is standing for this point.

 

[Vcore89]

Spontaneity however, is best when the match is on the line lest one chokes by over thinking.

 

[LeeD]

Everyone, read post #4 again.
This takes care of decision making, when to, and takes into account some flexibility on deciding what serve to hit.

 

[Topspin Shot]

I have a few different serves I can rely on. Spins are topslice, topspin, and twist, and I can place the ball wide, T, or body. I look to mix these up pretty randomly so the returner can't get a groove, but over the course of the match, I pay attention to which serves work better than others. The ones that work best are the ones I'll hit on the big points.

 

[tennis_balla]

Well it doesn't matter one bit really. If you're gonna serve from the service line all your serves will be deemed as foot faults so there's no point really in thinking about it

 

[West Coast Ace]

Mostly agree with @Lucky - letting the receiver dictate to you is not a good idea.

And Qureshi is a pro with a solid serve. OP, since we don't know your level what works for him might not work for you. At a lower 3.5, 4.0 level you might want to just serve to your opponent's BH most of the time. At the pro level if he did that he might get crushed.

 

[GuyClinch]

The pro is correct. It's not likely a huge difference maker though.. I will admit I occasionally change my mind but usually have my serve ideas worked out well before I get up there.

I think something like top/slice to the body followed by kick up the middle (if I am serving to say the deuce side) for example.

At my level its all about hitting high quality shots - not really tricking the opponent. You do mix it up to prevent the guy from grooving on the same serve.. But its all about quality of shot.

 

[LuckyR]

Everyone, read post #4 again.
This takes care of decision making, when to, and takes into account some flexibility on deciding what serve to hit.

Well, the second half of post #4 is only valid if you can trust that the positioning of the receiver actually is telling you some actionable information. If your competition is giving away that sort of info, by all means take advantage of it (it sounds like you do that all the time, good for you). But just be aware that there are a ton of players who bank on fooling servers by "telegraphing" fake info with their positioning.

 

[WildVolley]

I find it is usually best if I decide a target before I hit the ball.

However, some of my best aces come when I totally miss my target - say I'm aiming down the T and the serve goes wide.

 

[comeback]

I tried something completely new to me that kind of worked..My opponent was standing a few feet from the service line and it was bothering me..For the next set, I never looked at him or in his direction. I walked up to the line and only looked at my bouncing ball and toss (NEVER ONCE LOOKING TO THE OTHER SIDE). I figured if i hit a good serve no matter where; it would win the point..It worked very very well..I still do it but forget when other opponents stand behind the baseline so i find myself looking at them before i serve..I have to remind myself..DON'T LOOK...try it for yourself!

 

[Silent]

I find it is usually best if I decide a target before I hit the ball.

However, some of my best aces come when I totally miss my target - say I'm aiming down the T and the serve goes wide.

pfff...that never happens to me, no sir !

 

[heninfan99]

If you take as long as Rafa you can decide at the line before you toss.

It used to seem that Goran decided during the toss sometimes. lol

 

[dominikk1985]

a late decision is usually bad for rec players. pete sampras might be able to change his direction mid toss but if a rec player wants to go down the middle and then in the last second switches his decision to wide the result will usually be in the middle of the box or even a fault.

make a decision as you bounce the ball before the toss and then go with it no matter what the opponent does.

between serves if the returner runs around his BH all the time of course you should adjust but not in the last second. make a confident choice and then go with it.

the same goes for playing in a baseline rally. make up your mind early what you do (before the ball bounces in your court) and then execute it well, often a last second decision change will lead to a half assed stroke.

 

[sientelo]

Well it doesn't matter one bit really. If you're gonna serve from the service line all your serves will be deemed as foot faults so there's no point really in thinking about it

So THATS where I've been going wrong! I'm going to stop watching all these Youtube videos and just make sure I'm standing behind the correct line

I tried something completely new to me that kind of worked..My opponent was standing a few feet from the service line and it was bothering me..For the next set, I never looked at him or in his direction. I walked up to the line and only looked at my bouncing ball and toss (NEVER ONCE LOOKING TO THE OTHER SIDE). I figured if i hit a good serve no matter where; it would win the point..It worked very very well..I still do it but forget when other opponents stand behind the baseline so i find myself looking at them before i serve..I have to remind myself..DON'T LOOK...try it for yourself!

I like this idea! Im going to try it out.

The reason I thought you decided where to serve based on your opponents stance etc was because I remember reading this somewhere -or possibly on a video online. I'm pretty new to tennis and just assumed it was correct. Error

 

[Captain Ron]

So THATS where I've been going wrong! I'm going to stop watching all these Youtube videos and just make sure I'm standing behind the correct line







I like this idea! Im going to try it out.



The reason I thought you decided where to serve based on your opponents stance etc was because I remember reading this somewhere -or possibly on a video online. I'm pretty new to tennis and just assumed it was correct. Error

I suggest deciding what you want to do before looking at the receiver. You can always change if you see an advantage by hitting a different serve.
Only change if you see an advantage, don't hit away from the receiver. If you let them dictate where you serve, they will have you playing a guessing game and you will lose. There is no reason not to hit a wide serve even if the receiver is standing wide. Hope that makes sense. If you see an advantage take it, otherwise stick with your planned serve!

 

[tennis_balla]

You guys should check out the video "The 16 Second Cure" by Dr. Jim Loehr

 

[Chotobaka]

If you take as long as Rafa you can decide at the line before you toss.

It used to seem that Goran decided during the toss sometimes. lol

Some of my best serves have come on slightly "off" tosses where I have to make an athletic adjustment. Obviously, no plan other than striking the ball properly. It doesn't happen often, though.

I think Rafter also used to talk about not knowing where the ball was going as something not to get bent out of shape about -- something like "if I don't know where the ball is going, my opponent surely will have no clue".

 

[Velvet Ga el]

This guy called Qureshi who got to 125 singles in the world says you should decide what serve to hit before getting to the line http://youtu.be/8sQtsmS4zIU?t=2m11s

I always thought you decide what serve to hit when you were at the service line based on e.g. where your opponent was standing, weak side, last serve etc.

Am I wrong? Sounds like it

I'll go one step farther and say that you should plan the shot after the return to the extent you can:

- deuce court wide serve, look for a ball you can put into the away corner with an inside out forehand.

- deuce court wide serve, look for a ball you can hit behind a recovering player

- deuce court up the T, serve and volley with a firm punch volley deep down the middle

- deuce court up the T, look for short ball in middle you can hit with a forehand to opponent's backhand corner

- ad court kick wide, serve and volley with sharp angle volley to open court

- ad court kick wide, serve and volley with punch volley down the line

Obviously, it doesn't always work that way, but it's what elite players do. They've already got a pattern in mind, and they're looking for the next ball after the serve and return.

 

[sientelo]

I'll go one step farther and say that you should plan the shot after the return to the extent you can:

- deuce court wide serve, look for a ball you can put into the away corner with an inside out forehand.

- deuce court wide serve, look for a ball you can hit behind a recovering player

- deuce court up the T, serve and volley with a firm punch volley deep down the middle

- deuce court up the T, look for short ball in middle you can hit with a forehand to opponent's backhand corner

- ad court kick wide, serve and volley with sharp angle volley to open court

- ad court kick wide, serve and volley with punch volley down the line

Obviously, it doesn't always work that way, but it's what elite players do. They've already got a pattern in mind, and they're looking for the next ball after the serve and return.

I like this! I was aware of this but I know I don't actually do it most of the time. Quite often I get a massive mind blank when my first serve goes in and I end up hitting a nothing second shot resulting in rally with no advantage.

But the way you list the above is helpful for really focusing on planning

 

[sientelo]

I tried something completely new to me that kind of worked..My opponent was standing a few feet from the service line and it was bothering me..For the next set, I never looked at him or in his direction. I walked up to the line and only looked at my bouncing ball and toss (NEVER ONCE LOOKING TO THE OTHER SIDE). I figured if i hit a good serve no matter where; it would win the point..It worked very very well..I still do it but forget when other opponents stand behind the baseline so i find myself looking at them before i serve..I have to remind myself..DON'T LOOK...try it for yourself!

I tried this yesterday and found it surprisingly helpful. One thing it does that I didnt expect was to actually remind me aim. Quite often I hit a serve without properly having an idea what serve I'm trying to hit. Sounds silly but easy to forget - especially when things get tight.

Today I tried just saying to myself before getting to the baseline 'slice wide' or 'flat up T' and really helped focused me on what I was doing. Thanks

 

[comeback]

I tried this yesterday and found it surprisingly helpful. One thing it does that I didnt expect was to actually remind me aim. Quite often I hit a serve without properly having an idea what serve I'm trying to hit. Sounds silly but easy to forget - especially when things get tight.

Today I tried just saying to myself before getting to the baseline 'slice wide' or 'flat up T' and really helped focused me on what I was doing. Thanks

Sure, no problem, it really works