What should I work on with my serve?

[FiReFTW]

My nemesis in 4.0 singles tournaments had an even weirder racquet prep, but without the dance moves. Think Goose flapping wings ... and two or three pre-flaps before going into trophy position. His entire game was homegrown unorthodox, but tough to beat ... he won some 4.0 tournaments. I refused to move to 4.5 until I beat him in a 4.0 tournament ... that was a glorious day. That is what I mean with you getting value from lower level tournaments. It's a rite of passage paying your dues thing.

lol ... one day I saw a lady playing tennis that I immediately knew was this guy's wife. I had never seen her before ... but she was flapping like crazy.

Yea its weird, I mean I get people have different techniques, pancake serves, weird swing motions and all, nothing weird to me about that.

But I don't get why some people have some really weird moves like dancing or hopping or rotating in weird ways and flappin wings and so, what the heck lol, why?

 

[ByeByePoly]

Yea its weird, I mean I get people have different techniques, pancake serves, weird swing motions and all, nothing weird to me about that.

But I don't get why some people have some really weird moves like dancing or hopping or rotating in weird ways and flappin wings and so, what the heck lol, why?

Did you see the joy on his face playing tennis? He already won ... he is having ESR free tennis bliss. A good lesson ... don't want to turn a game into a second job.

 

[IowaGuy]

I have an intriguing idea and I know most people will laugh at this. Suppose you maintain all the fundamental elements of a good serve but use a SW forehand grip! I will sure experiment this but wonder what folks think about it. This is basically about a flat serve and speed. I'm just eliminating the pronation completely and hitting the hell out of the ball head on with on open racket face and I will be using all the ESR, torso rotation, leg drive and that. If you needed to hit a guy on the head with a sauce pan as hard as you can, how would you do it? with pronation or a sauce pan grip?! I seriously think I can hit a 120 mph serve like this. Delusion? Maybe. I will give it a go...

Probably lose a lot of spin this way with the frying pan, so will be lower %.

Just flatten out your normal serve a bit if you want more pace...

 

[Curious]

Probably lose a lot of spin this way with the frying pan, so will be lower %.

Just flatten out your normal serve a bit if you want more pace...

I see guys 20cm shorter than me hitting pancake flat serves relatively fast and consistently. I was just thinking if I can add a significant amount to the pace (which I believe is possible) why not use it as a change up sometimes?

 

[IowaGuy]

I see guys 20cm shorter than me hitting pancake flat serves relatively fast and consistently. I was just thinking if I can add a significant amount to the pace (which I believe is possible) why not use it as a change up sometimes?

Why do you think it would be faster than your already good serve mechanics flattened out a bit?

If pancake grip were such a fast way to serve, why didn't Groth, Sampras, Federer, Ivanisevic, Becker, Edberg, McEnroe, Rafter, Krajick, Stich, Isner, Karlovic, Querry, Raonic, Roddick, etc - serve that way once in a while to add a significant amount to their pace?

Maybe Roddick or Groth could have reached 180MPH with a pancake grip?

 

[Curious]

Why do you think it would be faster than your already good serve mechanics flattened out a bit?

If pancake grip were such a fast way to serve, why didn't Groth, Sampras, Federer, Ivanisevic, Becker, Edberg, McEnroe, Rafter, Krajick, Stich, Isner, Karlovic, Querry, Raonic, Roddick, etc - serve that way once in a while to add a significant amount to their pace?

Maybe Roddick or Groth could have reached 180MPH with a pancake grip?

Because I have a feeling that pronation could be a distraction and hindrance at rec level. For PROs it won’t be useful because of the low percentage and also it will be easily read by the opponent.

 

[Hmgraphite1]

Why do you think it would be faster than your already good serve mechanics flattened out a bit?

If pancake grip were such a fast way to serve, why didn't Groth, Sampras, Federer, Ivanisevic, Becker, Edberg, McEnroe, Rafter, Krajick, Stich, Isner, Karlovic, Querry, Raonic, Roddick, etc - serve that way once in a while to add a significant amount to their pace?

Maybe Roddick or Groth could have reached 180MPH with a pancake grip?

I believe there was a movement against cruelty to the fuzzy spheres about

 

[IowaGuy]

Because I have a feeling that pronation could be a distraction and hindrance at rec level. For PROs it won’t be useful because of the low percentage and also it will be easily read by the opponent.

OK, looking forward to what you find out!

Do you have access to a radar gun, so as to be objective about the results?

 

[Curious]

OK, looking forward to what you find out!

Do you have access to a radar gun, so as to be objective about the results?

My buddies will be the radar. I won’t tell them anything and will just serve. If most of them say “ mate, what have you done, you serve much faster”, voila!!

 

[Hmgraphite1]

My buddies will be the radar. I won’t tell them anything and will just serve. If most of them say “ mate, what have you done, you serve much faster”, voila!!

Do you have a flat serve with your regular motion to compare it to. Where you pronate to that flat point.

 

[Curious]

Do you have a flat serve with your regular motion to compare it to. Where you pronate to that flat point.

I think I can if I try hard but no it's not easy for me to produce really flat serves with a proper serve form.

 

[Hmgraphite1]

I think I can if I try hard but no it's not easy for me to produce really flat serves with a proper serve form.

Just need to time the pronation so its flat when it meets the ball and drive the swing path straight ahead. I have bad consistency but it bounces low great for t serve

 

[Curious]

Just need to time the pronation so its flat when it meets the ball and drive the swing path straight ahead.

Can't believe how I missed this! The bold part is the issue. With pronation I tend to always swing a little from left to right not straight on. So the ball always goes slower and spinnier than I would like. I will focus on that tonight. Thanks, mate.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Can't believe how I missed this! The bold part is the issue. With pronation I tend to always swing a little from left to right not straight on. So the ball always goes slower and spinnier than I would like. I will focus on that tonight. Thanks, mate.

Just hit a bunch of flat serves deuce T. Unless you are trying to kick or slice T, the serve swing path will just happen. It would be easy to try flat sw deuce T ... I bet you won't like it since you already have good serve mechanics.

 

[Curious]

Just hit a bunch of flat serves deuce T. Unless you are trying to kick or slice T, the serve swing path will just happen. It would be easy to try flat sw deuce T ... I bet you won't like it since you already have good serve mechanics.

I tried and hit a few flat serves tonight but need to practice more. By the way my sauce pan grip serve experiment didn’t work because I couldn’t keep the ball in the box, it kept going 2 meters to the right. I guess pronation is quite ingrained in my serve.

 

[ByeByePoly]

I tried and hit a few flat serves tonight but need to practice more. By the way my sauce pan grip serve experiment didn’t work because I couldn’t keep the ball in the box, it kept going 2 meters to the right. I guess pronation is quite ingrained in my serve.

I would love to record the firefighters that play at my park court. Two of them probably have a frying pan serve that hits 100 mph ... 2nd server 10 mph.

 

[StringSnapper]

I would love to record the firefighters that play at my park court. Two of them probably have a frying pan serve that hits 100 mph ... 2nd server 10 mph.

Be sneaky... do it I double dare u

 

[ByeByePoly]

Be sneaky... do it I double dare u

You would love watching them play. Most 25-35 ... all fit and fast ... not one bh or 2nd serve. One wing bandits ... they try and kill each other with short slap FHs. They don't know not to charge the net when opponent is already at net. Peg rich environment.

 

[5263]

Currently:

Seemingly i've just got a proper ESR racquet drop for the first time, mostly I think from the Salzy from tennis evolution tip of a "good first move - keep palm down". BTW sometimes my racquet hand cramps when i serve now. Is there something im doing technically wrong to cause this?

I'm trying to:
1. Toss accurately
2. Good first move (trying to keep palm down / ESR active)
3. Rise into contact


What should I work on next? I notice my motion isn't very smooth, i seem to pause at trophy a bit. I also seem to fall to the right too much perhaps? Not sure what else is wrong, but i dont seem to be getting massive power.

Latest serve vid taken today:

Sorry about the camera angle, missed my lower half. I seem a bit more fluid in the last minute or so of the video compared to the start hey?



@IowaGuy @ChaelAZ @Keendog @FiReFTW @Curious @sredna42 @S&V-not_dead_yet @GuyClinch @Bender @nytennisaddict @ByeByePoly @Keendog @IowaGuy @Raul_SJ

erratic toss, racket opening too soon, and arm too much inline with arm at contact (causing your cramps among other things)