Toss depth for 2nd serve?

[TimeToPlaySets]

For a flatter first serve, I toss into the court, off to the side. Same side as racket arm.

For second, I toss at baseline depth, directly overhead.

Do you toss into the court for your second?
I'm taking about a topspin reliable safe second serve.

 

[styksnstryngs]

Yeah, I can't get any drive otherwise. Unless I'm going for a kicker.

 

[Chadillac]

Depends how far you lean in.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Yes. But only a few inches into the court, I think.

 

[Ramon]

Makes perfect sense. Personally, I try to get my tosses to look similar so my serves are harder to read.


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[TimeToPlaySets]

Ok, so into the court, but not as much as a flat?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Ok, so into the court, but not as much as a flat?

Yup, that's the ticket. The image below says it all. Note the position of the ball relative to the baseline (and the light post in the background). Flat and slice near the same. Kick or Topspin (usually, topspin-slice) serves about half as much into the court.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

Actually, I think that is pretty much what I do.
Next serve practice, I will note if my topspin serve is at baseline, or slightly inside.
Either way, nothing I am going to worry about.

 

[dct693]

For a topspin/kick serve the toss can't be too far into the court, otherwise how would you be able to get under the ball to impart topspin? Compare it to the topspin forehand - there's an optimal contact point. Too far in front (or in back) of that contact point and you can't get the proper spin on it.

 

[fuzz nation]

Actually, I think that is pretty much what I do.
Next serve practice, I will note if my topspin serve is at baseline, or slightly inside.
Either way, nothing I am going to worry about.

I agree that it's not something to much worry about, just because your best contact point for a certain type of serve doesn't much change relative to where you're set up. Your flat serve will need a slightly different swing path and contact point than your topspin serve, so those toss locations will be a little different - no great revelation there.

I grew up playing serve and volley style, so I can definitely say that when I'm trying to go to the net directly behind my serve, my toss needs to be slightly more forward for any sort of serve I'm going to hit. That lets me generate slightly more forward momentum to get to the net more quickly compared with serving and staying at the baseline. But even though these tosses are slightly more out ahead of me, the slice toss is still located a little more off to the right (I'm a righty) compared with my location for a flatter serve, which it usually straight out in front of me.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

I've started tossing the 2nd serve a few inches inside the baseline (just like the 1st flat)
I find this to make a big difference, and the ball seems to have more pace and spin, while still being a topSlice.
I think I will make the switch to neither serve ever landing on the baseline.

 

[dgold44]

For a flatter first serve, I toss into the court, off to the side. Same side as racket arm.

For second, I toss at baseline depth, directly overhead.

Do you toss into the court for your second?
I'm taking about a topspin reliable safe second serve.

Yes that is right
What happens when you toss more to the left and over your left shoulder
Does it hurt or help

 

[dgold44]

On slice it is easier to toss slightly to the right