Topspin Shot
Legend
Because Jeff Salzenstein sent me his newsletter e-mail, and it featured this question from a guy named Michael. I hope Jeff doesn't mind me posting this, as it isn't from his paid content.
Question: I have a question about the racket drop. Your
clips on Youtube all demonstrate that the racket drop is
important to serve with power.
My serve barely has the racket behind my head, sometimes
a little deeper. I can get into a pretty trophy position like you,
but I just cannot put the racket on my back WHEN I am tossing
the ball. If I do not toss the ball, I can swing the racket freely
and have a deep racket drop.
Is there any drill to make some an improvement on this? I am
nearly 50, in good fitness but flexibility might be issue.
What should I do to achieve a nice racket drop?
Just more practice?
-Michael
Answer: Wow. That's a great question about the serve and a
challenge that so many of you are having with your motion,
specifically how to make the racquet drop properly.
Let me address each part of Michael's question/comment
about the racquet drop.
"The racket drop is important to serve with power"
This so true.
You must have a good racquet drop to have power, and usually,
the quality of your racquet drop is determined by your ability to
relax and swing freely.
Too much tension and you won't have a racquet drop...period.
You must give up trying to control your swing and learn to swing
effortlessly, instead.
This is not easy for you if you who don't have a natural throwing
motion, you have too much tension as you grip the racquet, or
if you have the wrong grip (a forehand grip instead of a continental).
"I can get into a pretty trophy position like you, but I just
cannot put the racket on my back WHEN I am tossing the ball.
If I do not toss the ball, I can swing the racket freely and have
a deep racket drop."
The reason you don't have a good racquet drop with the ball in play
is that you're too focused on hitting the ball. Your body will go into
"survival mode" and do whatever it has to in order to make contact
with the ball using your old swing pattern.
You also resort to your old swing because you want to get the ball in.
Getting the ball in is more important than creating a new movement
pattern. That is why you can swing freely with a good racquet drop
without a ball.
You aren't "worried" about hitting the ball.
You're focusing on the racquet drop when the ball isn't a factor.
This is one of the biggest challenges when learning a new movement
pattern.
So, how do you break old habits and established new ones?
"Is there any drill to make some improvement on this?"
Yes, I have some suggestions that can really help.
First, continue to perform shadow swings where you feel the
racquet drop behind you.
But, you can take it a step further.
Perform these perfect swings with a great racquet drop with your
eyes closed. Closing your eyes will help you tap into the "feeling"
that you want to create when you start hitting the ball.
The other thing that I want you to do is to lower your grip so that
you have the pinky and ring finger off of the racquet. You'll
loosely hold the racquet with your thumb, middle finger, and
index finger.
The racquet should feel like it's dangling, but make sure it's not
so loose that it flies out of your hand when you swing. Lowering
your hand on the grip will teach you to let the racquet swing more
freely and let you feel that racquet drop.
Swing this way several times to get the feeling. Then, choke up a
little to your normal position, and try to feel that same relaxation with
the racquet drop when hitting the ball.
But that's not all.
One of my favorite drills/concepts to improve serve technique including
the racquet drop is serving into a fence. That's right...turn and face
the side or back fence being aware of not serving into the sun.
Practice serving into the fence.
When you do this, you stop focusing on where the ball goes, and
you put more of your attention on the new technique (in this
case the racquet drop).
Serving into the fence can be the learning progression that you use
after performing shadow swings and before attempting to use your
new technique while hitting the ball over the net. To establish new
habit with a better racquet drop, I would serve A LOT into the fence
until this new feeling gets totally ingrained.
Want to take this another step further?
If you still can't get the racquet drop while serving into the fence,
I want you to try this....
Toss the ball in the air and swing and miss the ball.
That's right.
Swing and miss....
...with the goal of making sure the racquet drop happens.
You see, the ball gets in the way of things again. Your body just
wants to hit the ball the way you're used to doing it.
It takes courage, discipline, and a leap of faith to give up control
and miss a lot of serves until you get the feeling of the new way of
swinging the racquet.
Shadow swings with the eyes closed, swinging in o the fence, and
the swing and miss drill are all great strategies to help you transform our bad racquet drop into a good one.
"I am nearly 50, in good fitness but flexibility might be issue."
Flexibility could be an issue as you age if you haven't been working
on it over the years. However, if you feel you can get into a good
racquet drop without the ball in play, then it's is probably not flexibility
that will solve the issue. Most likely, it's having the ability to swing
effortlessly when you want to hit the ball. Work on your flexibility,
but focus more on the drills I outlined above to develop that awesome
racquet drop.
Good luck!
Question: I have a question about the racket drop. Your
clips on Youtube all demonstrate that the racket drop is
important to serve with power.
My serve barely has the racket behind my head, sometimes
a little deeper. I can get into a pretty trophy position like you,
but I just cannot put the racket on my back WHEN I am tossing
the ball. If I do not toss the ball, I can swing the racket freely
and have a deep racket drop.
Is there any drill to make some an improvement on this? I am
nearly 50, in good fitness but flexibility might be issue.
What should I do to achieve a nice racket drop?
Just more practice?
-Michael
Answer: Wow. That's a great question about the serve and a
challenge that so many of you are having with your motion,
specifically how to make the racquet drop properly.
Let me address each part of Michael's question/comment
about the racquet drop.
"The racket drop is important to serve with power"
This so true.
You must have a good racquet drop to have power, and usually,
the quality of your racquet drop is determined by your ability to
relax and swing freely.
Too much tension and you won't have a racquet drop...period.
You must give up trying to control your swing and learn to swing
effortlessly, instead.
This is not easy for you if you who don't have a natural throwing
motion, you have too much tension as you grip the racquet, or
if you have the wrong grip (a forehand grip instead of a continental).
"I can get into a pretty trophy position like you, but I just
cannot put the racket on my back WHEN I am tossing the ball.
If I do not toss the ball, I can swing the racket freely and have
a deep racket drop."
The reason you don't have a good racquet drop with the ball in play
is that you're too focused on hitting the ball. Your body will go into
"survival mode" and do whatever it has to in order to make contact
with the ball using your old swing pattern.
You also resort to your old swing because you want to get the ball in.
Getting the ball in is more important than creating a new movement
pattern. That is why you can swing freely with a good racquet drop
without a ball.
You aren't "worried" about hitting the ball.
You're focusing on the racquet drop when the ball isn't a factor.
This is one of the biggest challenges when learning a new movement
pattern.
So, how do you break old habits and established new ones?
"Is there any drill to make some improvement on this?"
Yes, I have some suggestions that can really help.
First, continue to perform shadow swings where you feel the
racquet drop behind you.
But, you can take it a step further.
Perform these perfect swings with a great racquet drop with your
eyes closed. Closing your eyes will help you tap into the "feeling"
that you want to create when you start hitting the ball.
The other thing that I want you to do is to lower your grip so that
you have the pinky and ring finger off of the racquet. You'll
loosely hold the racquet with your thumb, middle finger, and
index finger.
The racquet should feel like it's dangling, but make sure it's not
so loose that it flies out of your hand when you swing. Lowering
your hand on the grip will teach you to let the racquet swing more
freely and let you feel that racquet drop.
Swing this way several times to get the feeling. Then, choke up a
little to your normal position, and try to feel that same relaxation with
the racquet drop when hitting the ball.
But that's not all.
One of my favorite drills/concepts to improve serve technique including
the racquet drop is serving into a fence. That's right...turn and face
the side or back fence being aware of not serving into the sun.
Practice serving into the fence.
When you do this, you stop focusing on where the ball goes, and
you put more of your attention on the new technique (in this
case the racquet drop).
Serving into the fence can be the learning progression that you use
after performing shadow swings and before attempting to use your
new technique while hitting the ball over the net. To establish new
habit with a better racquet drop, I would serve A LOT into the fence
until this new feeling gets totally ingrained.
Want to take this another step further?
If you still can't get the racquet drop while serving into the fence,
I want you to try this....
Toss the ball in the air and swing and miss the ball.
That's right.
Swing and miss....
...with the goal of making sure the racquet drop happens.
You see, the ball gets in the way of things again. Your body just
wants to hit the ball the way you're used to doing it.
It takes courage, discipline, and a leap of faith to give up control
and miss a lot of serves until you get the feeling of the new way of
swinging the racquet.
Shadow swings with the eyes closed, swinging in o the fence, and
the swing and miss drill are all great strategies to help you transform our bad racquet drop into a good one.
"I am nearly 50, in good fitness but flexibility might be issue."
Flexibility could be an issue as you age if you haven't been working
on it over the years. However, if you feel you can get into a good
racquet drop without the ball in play, then it's is probably not flexibility
that will solve the issue. Most likely, it's having the ability to swing
effortlessly when you want to hit the ball. Work on your flexibility,
but focus more on the drills I outlined above to develop that awesome
racquet drop.
Good luck!