HunterST
Hall of Fame
It's a fairly common piece of tennis wisdom that a big part of power on the serve comes from leg drive up. However, I personally just cannot find an explosive upwards move all that helpful. I certainly think a degree of upward leg drive is necessary, but I think movement into the court is maybe more important.
The serve is often compared to an upward throw. If this analogy is trusted, it would suggest the jumping motion would not be fundamental. When a quarterback throws a ball up at a steep angle, they do not jump. There is certainly a bending and a straightening of the knees, but power is not derived from a jumping motion.
Another common analogy, swatting a fly on a fence, does not support this jumping motion either. To swat a fly that is up high on a fence, we would coil our bodies (which, yes, would involve some leg bend but not the type or degree that people suggest) and then uncoil into the fence.
Now, I know that many people who are far better at tennis than me claim the opposite, so I'm not sure what I'm missing. When I focus on leg drive, I do not feel any added power. To me, it seems like knee bend is part of coiling and straightening them is part of uncoiling, but most people seem to suggest thinking of it more as an explosive jumping movement.
What are your views on the role of leg drive in the serve?
The serve is often compared to an upward throw. If this analogy is trusted, it would suggest the jumping motion would not be fundamental. When a quarterback throws a ball up at a steep angle, they do not jump. There is certainly a bending and a straightening of the knees, but power is not derived from a jumping motion.
Another common analogy, swatting a fly on a fence, does not support this jumping motion either. To swat a fly that is up high on a fence, we would coil our bodies (which, yes, would involve some leg bend but not the type or degree that people suggest) and then uncoil into the fence.
Now, I know that many people who are far better at tennis than me claim the opposite, so I'm not sure what I'm missing. When I focus on leg drive, I do not feel any added power. To me, it seems like knee bend is part of coiling and straightening them is part of uncoiling, but most people seem to suggest thinking of it more as an explosive jumping movement.
What are your views on the role of leg drive in the serve?