warming up your serve

[dcjaybutchdc]

hay guys. i'm a decent regular player. i play everyday to every other day. half the time i am by myself practicing my serve. On the first basket (75 ball hopper) i am pretty terribad at my serve. it takes me a couple baskets to get my serve warmed up (which i am told has really good form and pace).

i was thinking that one or more of the following contributes to my tedious serve warmup: i only stretch, not loosen up first with groundstrokes, my glasses slump down(messin with my depth perception), i don't stretch enough, etc.

does anyone have tips for me to get my serve warmed up much faster?
i am desperately looking for advice, please and thank you =D

 

[tenisjugador]

Well one thing for sure that'll help is hitting groundstrokes. You don't need to hit with a partner, but maybe against a wall just for 5 minutes or so will REALLY help you loosen up. If you have no resources whatsoever, then you can just drop a couple balls and take some swings, but in any case, hit some groundstrokes before serving. Besides that, focus on staying loose on your first couple serves. Don't worry about hitting hard or being accurate the first couple times. Just take some very loose, very relaxed serves, and that ought to get you warmed up a little faster.

 

[jimstorm]

I don't know exactly how terrible it starts, but you might try starting out serving really slow, then after 5 or 6 serves start speeding it up gradually. you should have it pretty well warmed up after the first 15 to 20 shots.

 

[Kevo]

It seems strange to me that your second basket of serves would have good form and pace and the first basket would be "terribad". My guess is that something clicks in your head after a while and you start doing something differently.

My advice is to pay closer attention to what you are doing and start slow and ramp up the speed gradually. If you have someone who has a good eye, ask them to watch and see if they spot anything.

 

[Nanshiki]

The trick to getting your serve warmed up faster... start earlier.

 

[Trev343]

terribad.. really?

 

[Il Mostro]

I like to focus on staying *loose and relaxed* on serves, especially when warming up. I start with low power and less leg involvement while concentrating on maintaining correct racquet speed and wrist snap -- going easy on power but not slow. Hope this helps.

 

[supertrex]

just dont overdo your serve practice. should be 45 mins max. Serve motion can deliberately increase injury. TE, triceps muscles etc.

 

[Mountain Ghost]

Warming Up a Serve

As far as form goes, the only way your form would be worse (or less effective) at the beginning is if you don’t have correct form (in your mind and muscle memory) in the first place. It might be that you really don’t know exactly what you’re doing, are basically just adjusting your serve as you go and can eventually get it to “work”. You might want to take a few lessons from a good pro who can look at your serve and give you some concrete mental reference points to help you visualize (and repeat) a more perfect form.

As far as warming up goes, try a CONTINUOUS SERVE (with a racquet, but no ball):

(Position)

• Feet are Planted in a Platform Stance
• Relaxed Serving Position

(Motion)

• Without a Ball --- Begin the Toss & Backswing Motion
• Softly Serve UP Through the Imaginary Ball
• Follow-Through DOWN the Non-Dominant Side
• Continue Motion UP the Non-Dominant Side
• Continue Motion DOWN to the Next Toss & Backswing
• ( . . . Repeat x 12 . . . Relax . . . Repeat x 12 . . . etc.)

MG

 

[Tennisman912]

Excellent advice and perspective from Mountain Ghost,

I always try to hit a few overheads before I start serving just to wake up the general motion. Since you are practicing alone, you may throw a few balls up in the air and just hit a few easy overheads before your serve practice, after the continuous serve as recommended.

The second thing I would be aware of is really working on making sure you have a consistent toss. Most people who have poor serves, have poor toss quality which makes being consistent in your motion essentially impossible. If you know where your toss should be, then make sure you hit that spot by making a normal serve motion and not hitting the ball and seeing where it drops. If you don’t have any idea where your toss should be, take a lesson. Make sure your general motion is good and your technique is good. There is nothing worse than spending all that time practicing your serve if you are doing it incorrectly, grooving a motion you may have to change in the future to correct some flaws.

A consistent toss is one of the big reasons advanced players just walk out and start hitting serves in from the beginning. They start off rolling in kick serves, then it is just a matter of slowly speeding up the motion to full speed over time.

Good luck

TM

 

[kelz]

start with your trophy position and hit slow balls from there