Tommy Paul Serve Analysis- Natural And Solid Fundamentals!

Summary

In this Performance Plus Tennis video, John Craig analyzes the serve of Tommy Paul, the rising American tennis star. Highlighting Paul's impressive stats, Craig dissects the fundamentals of his serve, including setup, grip, ball toss, and body mechanics. He emphasizes the importance of weight transfer, rhythm, and the trophy position. The video also compares different serve types, such as the flat serve and kick serve, showcasing Paul's adaptability and power. Craig offers valuable insights and tips for viewers to improve their own serve.

Takeaways

• 🎾 Tommy Paul is having a breakout year in 2024, becoming the new American number one tennis player and making a deep run at Wimbledon with a great serving performance.
• 🏆 His serve fundamentals are strong, with a high percentage of first serve points won and very few double faults.
• 👣 Tommy's serve routine is consistent, starting with proper foot setup and weight shift forward to establish rhythm.
• 🤚 He uses a perfect Continental grip, which is crucial for control and power in his serve.
• 🔽 His racket points down the target line during setup, helping to set his hand and wrist position for contact.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Tommy's weight shifts to the back foot during the serve, with his back foot flat on the court, which is essential for generating power.
• 🏆 His trophy position is well-executed, with perfect foot alignment, knee flex, and a high elbow position that aids in creating lag.
• 🏸 Tommy's ball toss height is significant, allowing for a large drop before contact, which is not typical but works for his serve.
• 🔄 The angle of his racket at contact varies between serves, being slightly inside for a flat serve and more vertical for a kick serve, demonstrating his ability to adjust his technique based on the type of serve.
• 🚀 His serve motion involves a strong left arm pull away and leg drive, which triggers the swing and generates power.
• 🤲 The left hand's role in Tommy's serve is crucial, providing strength and control throughout the motion, and engaging the bicep muscle for power.

Q & A

Who is the focus of the video analysis?

The video analysis focuses on Tommy Paul, the new American number one tennis player, and his serve technique.

What is special about Tommy Paul's year in 2024?

In 2024, Tommy Paul is having an amazing breakout year, making a deep run at Wimbledon with a great serving performance.

What percentage of first serve points does Tommy Paul win according to the video?

Tommy Paul wins 82% of his first serve points.

What is the significance of Tommy Paul's serve routine?

Tommy Paul's serve routine is significant as it helps set up his rhythm and weight distribution for an effective serve.

What type of grip does Tommy Paul use for his serve?

Tommy Paul uses a Continental grip for his serve, which is considered ideal.

How does Tommy Paul's racket position contribute to his serve?

Tommy Paul's racket points down the target line, setting his hand and wrist position for optimal contact with the ball.

What is the importance of the 'trophy position' in Tommy Paul's serve?

The 'trophy position' is important as it indicates a well-loaded position, with proper alignment and knee flex, ready for ball contact.

How does Tommy Paul's ball toss height affect his serve?

Tommy Paul's ball toss height allows for a significant drop of the ball before contact, giving him time to get into a loaded position and hit the ball at the top of its trajectory.

What is the difference between Tommy Paul's flat serve and kick serve?

The difference lies in the angle of racket contact and the body position. For a flat serve, the racket angle is more horizontal, and the body faces more forward. For a kick serve, the racket angle is more vertical, and the body stays more sideways, allowing for a sweeping motion from left to right.

How does Tommy Paul's left hand contribute to the power of his serve?

Tommy Paul's left hand contributes to the power of his serve by pulling away in a semicircle, holding tension, and controlling the movement, especially during contact.

What advice does the video give for players regarding the ball toss in their serve?

The video advises against hitting the ball at the Apex for most players, suggesting instead to let the ball drop to gain more time for a full range of motion and a loaded position.

Outlines

00:00

🎾 Tommy Paul's Serve Analysis

In this paragraph, John Craig from Performance Plus Tennis introduces the video's focus on Tommy Paul's serve, highlighting his impressive performance in 2024. Craig emphasizes Paul's high percentage of first serve points won and his minimal double faults. The analysis begins with a look at Paul's pre-serve routine, noting his foot setup and weight shift forward to establish rhythm. Craig also discusses Paul's Continental grip, racket positioning, and the importance of his hand and wrist alignment. The serve's mechanics are dissected, from the weight transfer to the back foot, the separation of hands, and the palm position at the release point. The paragraph concludes with a slow-motion examination of Paul's trophy position, emphasizing his knee flex, alignment, and elbow height, which contribute to his serve's power and consistency.

05:01

🏸 Key Elements of Tommy Paul's Serve

This paragraph delves deeper into the mechanics of Tommy Paul's serve, focusing on the ball toss, weight transfer, and racket movement. Craig points out that Paul's ball toss reaches its apex just as he makes contact, allowing for a significant drop before hitting the ball. This technique provides ample time to get into a loaded position. The discussion continues with the importance of the left hand's role in pulling away and the legs driving forward to initiate the serve. Craig emphasizes the need for the racket to remain low and the body's movement to cause the racket to rise naturally. The paragraph also covers the sequencing of the serve, with the left hand pulling away first, followed by the legs driving and the racket swinging. The analysis compares flat and kick serves, noting the differences in contact point and racket angle. Craig concludes by highlighting the importance of shoulder rotation and leg drive in generating power in the serve.

10:02

🤔 Tommy Paul's Serve Variations and Technique

In this final paragraph, Craig continues the analysis of Tommy Paul's serve, focusing on the differences between his flat and kick serves. He notes how Paul adjusts his body position and elbow movement to achieve different types of serves. For the flat serve, Paul faces the net more and leads with his elbow, while for the kick serve, he stays more sideways and swings across his body. Craig emphasizes the deliberate ball placement and the importance of the left hand's strength and tension in controlling the serve. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on the importance of the palm position and how it engages the bicep muscle for power and control. Craig summarizes the key takeaways from the analysis, praising Paul's serve technique and offering insights that viewers can apply to their own game.

Keywords

💡Serve

The serve is a fundamental shot in tennis, where the player initiates the point by hitting the ball into the opponent's service box. In the video, Tommy Paul's serve is the central focus, with an emphasis on his technique and the high percentage of points won on his first serve, illustrating the importance of a strong serve in tennis.

💡Tommy Paul

Tommy Paul is an American professional tennis player who is highlighted in the video for his exceptional serving performance during his breakout year in 2024. His serve is analyzed in detail, showcasing his rise to prominence and his role as the new American number one player.

💡Aces

An ace in tennis is a serve that lands in the service box and is not touched by the receiver, resulting in a point for the server. The script mentions that Tommy Paul is serving 'a ton of Aces,' indicating his serve's effectiveness and the difficulty opponents face in returning his serves.

💡Double Faults

A double fault occurs when a player fails to get a serve into play on both the first and second attempts, resulting in a point for the opponent. The video notes that Tommy Paul has very few double faults, which is a testament to the consistency and reliability of his serve.

💡First Serve Points Won

This refers to the percentage of points won on the first serve attempt. The script states that Tommy Paul is winning 82% of his first serve points, underscoring the effectiveness of his serve and its contribution to his success in matches.

💡Fundamentals

Fundamentals in tennis refer to the basic skills and techniques that form the foundation of a player's game. The video discusses the fundamentals of Tommy Paul's serve, such as his setup, grip, and ball toss, which are crucial for executing a successful serve.

💡Continental Grip

The Continental Grip is a type of grip used in tennis for serving and volleying. It is characterized by the base knuckle of the index finger resting on the third bevel of the racket handle. The video script praises Tommy Paul's 'perfect, ideal Continental grip,' which is essential for power and control in his serve.

💡Ball Toss

The ball toss is a critical part of the serve, where the player throws the ball into the air before striking it. The video analyzes Tommy Paul's ball toss height and the distance the ball drops before contact, which is vital for generating power and spin in the serve.

💡Trophy Position

The trophy position in tennis is the culmination of the serve motion, where the player's body is fully extended and ready to strike the ball. The script describes Tommy Paul's trophy position, noting the alignment of his body parts and the readiness of his racket for contact.

💡Kick Serve

A kick serve is a type of serve that imparts topspin on the ball, causing it to 'kick' upwards after bouncing. The video compares Tommy Paul's flat serve to his kick serve, highlighting the differences in ball placement, racket angle, and body positioning to achieve the desired spin.

💡Flat Serve

A flat serve is characterized by minimal spin, resulting in a ball that travels quickly and with less bounce after landing. The script discusses Tommy Paul's flat serve, noting the slight angle of his racket at contact and the flatter trajectory of the ball compared to a kick serve.

💡Shoulder Rotation

Shoulder rotation is a key component of the serve's power generation, where the player rotates their upper body to add force to the shot. The video emphasizes the importance of shoulder rotation in Tommy Paul's serve, illustrating how it contributes to the power and effectiveness of his serve.

Highlights

Tommy Paul's serve is analyzed in detail, highlighting his exceptional performance in 2024.

Tommy Paul is the new American number one tennis player, making a significant impact at Wimbledon.

Tommy's serve fundamentals are discussed, including his impressive statistics such as 82% of first serve points won.

The video gives a shout out to Court Level Tennis for providing footage, promoting their YouTube channel.

Tommy's serve routine and setup are examined, emphasizing the importance of proper foot positioning and weight shift.

The ideal Continental grip used by Tommy in his serve is pointed out as a key element.

The video notes the significance of Tommy's racket pointing down the target line for hand and wrist positioning.

Tommy's back foot flatness and weight distribution during the serve motion are analyzed.

The 'trophy position' of Tommy's serve is described, detailing the perfect alignment and knee flex.

The video discusses Tommy's ball toss height and its impact on the serve's effectiveness.

Tommy's serve is compared to the advice of hitting the ball at the apex, showing a different, more effective approach.

The angle of Tommy's racket on contact is noted, especially when hitting a flatter serve.

The video emphasizes the importance of body movement and sequencing in Tommy's serve technique.

Tommy's left hand movement and its role in the serve's power and control are highlighted.

The difference in ball placement and racket angle between Tommy's flat and kick serves is compared.

Tommy's serve is analyzed for its power generation through leg drive and shoulder rotation.

The video concludes with a summary of the key takeaways from Tommy's serve technique.

Transcripts

hello everybody John Craig here with

Performance Plus tennis welcome to

today's video we're going to take a

close look at the serve of Tommy Paul

who's having an amazing breakout year

here in 2024 the new American number one

player making a deep run at Wimbledon

with a great serving performance so far

serving up a ton of Aces very few double

faults winning 82% of his first serve

points and the fundamentals of his serve

are a good reason why but before we get

started let's give a big shout out here

to court level tennis for providing the

footage for today's video they have a

great channel here on YouTube check them

out and there's a lot of great coverage

that you can watch and enjoy okay so

let's go ahead and get into the serve

here and the first thing I want you to

notice about Tommy is how he he does his

routine every time he receives the ball

and he gets set up makees sure that his

feet are set up properly the ghost feet

are set up goes into his routine and in

his routine you can see that his weight

is shifted forward which is going to

help set up his rhythm for his serve and

when he gets going here he resets his

hands and before he starts entering into

service hands are reset but the heel is

still up in the air here in the back

looks really really good he's going to

use this to get his rhythm okay and you

can see he has a perfect ideal

Continental grip it's absolutely perfect

okay everything looks really good I also

like the way his racket is pointing down

the target line it sets his hand in his

wrist position in a similar feel and

position as it's going to be in contact

and for me that really helps me quite a

bit so pay attention to the position

you're in here in your setup with your

hand hands in the racket okay now now

he's going to go into his reserve look

how his weight shifted to the back foot

and now his back foot is flat on the

court clearly his weight is on the back

leg now and he's coming up here his

hands separate away leading with the

left hand in the C into the release

Point look here and you can see now the

Palm is down the racket face is down the

weight is still in the back foot and the

head is starting to tilt away that the

left which we'll talk about a little bit

later now the ball continues to rise and

we're going to go slow motion here the

ball is going to go out of his hand and

once it leaves his hand his left hand is

going to continue to rise here and it's

going to lead him right into this trophy

position so when the ball gets to the

top Tommy is perfectly loaded here so

let's take a look at his trophy position

the feet are perfect the back heels in

the air the front heels in the air he's

got a very nice knee Flex probably more

than an amateur player is going to get

or need but it's a very nice knee Flex

notice too how his his right knee is a

little bit more than his left knee is a

little lower and that's because the hip

is naturally going to be a little bit

lower too which is going to somewhat

match his shoulder angle not quite as

much but that right hip's going to be

lower so that right knee is going to

have a little more Flex in it and the

knee is definitely going to have a

little bit lower position this is

perfect okay the alignment is also

perfect okay keeping him perpendicular

or slightly Beyond perpendicular to his

Target line so everything looks really

good here also notice how his palm is

facing upward and in the trophy position

here and his head is definitely out of

the way here as you can see looking

really really good one thing I will note

here is his elbow tends to be higher

than a lot of players if we reset that

I'm going to reset that line again his

elbow tends to be a little bit higher

than his shoulder line but actually

that's going to work in his favor

because he he can lengthen his lag and

you're going to see that a little bit

here so now let's take one look at

another thing that I always like to do I

always like to look at Ball Toss height

because if you watch if you watch Tommy

hit a serve here and we're going to go

back and watch him into to serve it

looks like he hits the ball at the Apex

look it looks like it barely Falls at

all but when we advance forward here we

take a look at his serve and the ball

gets up to the Apex right here right

there we're going to mark that

line and now we're going to go to

contact remarkable isn't it it's amazing

that the ball actually drops probably 24

inches because the rre is 27 look at the

look at the racket look at the racket

length here clean that up put a better

line there we know his Apex was up in

this area so you know he he definitely

let's go back up here and look at it see

if we can find that Apex keep going the

ball see it's just about to that line

isn't it so there it is so you can see

that he's definitely getting about uh 24

in of rack of ball drop to racket

contact see that look at that beautiful

so it looked like you were see in the

ball of the Apex I bring this up because

there's a lot of coaches out there

saying hit the ball at the Apex very

very few players do it it doesn't really

work for most players so I wouldn't

recommend you do that okay let the ball

drop 24 Ines gives you lots of time to

get into a loaded position go through

the full range of motion and get the

ball at the top of the contact now I

want to not one other thing here too

that he's hting a flatter serve here and

you're going to see later in the video

we're going to look at some different

serves but look at the angle of his

racket on contact it's slightly inside

the left hand the the the hand not the

left hand the right hand slight angle

inside the right hand you do not want to

hit your serve with a racket directly

above your hand because you'll just

weaken your contact and eliminate the

rotation that you want from your

shoulder which we'll talk about as well

okay so let's see what happens here

let's go back again kind of getting

ahead of myself a little bit but I want

you to see some key pieces notice how

his knees are are are falling as the

ball's Rising when the ball begins to

descend he's in perfect position to

spring up on it and what's going to

trigger his motion and this is so

important is watch how the left hand

will pull away and talk in a semicircle

while the legs drive forward and upward

watch up and watch the recet fall as the

body moves and you've got to get this

you've got to get the racket to make its

move here because of the movement the

body makes in this position right here I

see so many recreational players with a

racket already over here you want to

keep the Palm down and the racket down

as long as possible and let the move

move of the body cause the racket to

fall and rise and it will if you're

relaxed and loose it will fall and rise

okay next

up notice the sequencing here this is so

important too another key thing that I

see with so many players the left hand's

got to pull away the legs are going to

drive and that triggers the swing now

watch where the left hand is it's

already it's already down you can't see

it particular particularly right here

but it is as low as the for the racket

it's already down so if you have a coach

telling you to keep your left arm up how

long do you keep the left arm up you

keep it up until you're ready to make

your move and the left arm is a catalyst

to get your swing to to fall and Rise

naturally okay beautiful position here

rackets coming up on edge beautifully

behind the ball rotates into that

beautiful contact with that slight angle

from the right hand perfect he's not

going to pronate as much through this

because he's hitting and projecting out

towards his Target hitting a flat slic

serve looks really really good okay very

very cool serve love it now he gets a

pretty good back bend here uh he even

gets a little bit more on his on his

kick serve as you'll see a little bit

later and that's okay because watch him

get out of it watch him come up and get

out of it and get himself into a fairly

vertical position so he uses the leg

Drive beautifully and the shoulder

rotation to get him in contact okay now

look how his head also is out of the way

we talked about that earlier clear your

head has to get out of the way so your

shoulder can get up if your head is in

the way you'll never get into this

position where you've got this nice

angle okay and speaking of angles watch

how this angle almost matches the angle

in the trophy position look at it here's

his

trophy there it

is and now watch how he gets a full

rotation around and reverses the

shoulder positions you get it there

there's the core of your power right

there folks using the the leg drive and

the left arm pull away to get that

shoulder rotation is critical to

generating a lot of power in your serf

okay all right let's Advance forward

let's have a little fun here take a look

at at Tommy hitting a couple kick serves

here

um and I want to I want to go back here

because I think he hits a think H

another flat serve here

first yeah that's fairly flat isn't it

yeah it's fairly flat let's take a look

what I want to do here is I want to I

want to compare the Fairly flat serve or

the flat slice Serve contact and we're

going to compare that ball placement

there it is we're going to put a mark

there okay because I love to do this we

put a mark there and we're going to put

a mark at his contact and look at that

contact right between the shoulder and

the ear I can clean that up and make

that better there we go that's perfect R

it's on a slight angle of contact let's

keep those lines there and let's Advance

forward to his next serve which is a

kick serve

watch the difference now he is going to

go for the big kicker watch where the

contact is

wow this is why he needs that extra Flex

in his back and he's so fit look at this

right there now what we want to note

here is look how far to the left the

contact is from the original contact I

would say that's at least 24 in but more

importantly maybe perhaps or just as

importantly is look at the angle the

racket's on a contact versus the other

one which is more almost vertical right

look at that that's a beautiful

beautiful Top Spin surface hitting now

here in this angle you can actually see

the left hand more clearly here he comes

and here comes the left hand and watch

it hold the whole time the racket's

rising look the left hand is sitting

right there so for the those of you

trying to give your left arm up it's

just blocking you from getting the

action you need on your Surf and look at

how interesting how that left hand comes

down and then it pulls in as you make

contact it pulls into the body because

it holds you still now you might be

thinking why couldn't we see the left

hand on that serve previously well now

that he see a kick serve he's actually

playing a kick serve he's deliberately

going to stay sideways and look how his

elbow doesn't project as much forward

and that allows his racket to sweep

across the from from a left to right

position watch how it sweeps across look

at that okay and because it's staying

more sideways then he would be on a on a

surf where he's going forward so if we

go back to the previous one what's this

he's going to go more forward with a

swing he's going to face the net more

his elbow's leading look how his elbow's

leading in more and look how the elbow

goes forward he's sitting he's sitting

that flatter serve isn't he now if we go

over here and compare that to his kick

serve you'll see how he stays sideways

more he's going to stay sideways and the

elbow's going to stay behind more and

swing across see that the elbow never

really projects towards the Target and

nor there's the swing it goes from left

to right look at that sweeping left to

right action okay he'd have to do that

because of the way place where the

placement of the ball is but the

placement of the ball is very deliberate

okay so so many great things that Tommy

does on his serve finally he does get

that Palm I think I mentioned this

earlier the Palm is up so that when he

pulls away it's facing the target okay

look at the strength on that left hand

so for those of you who don't really

understand the left hand watch how the

left arm looks so strong all the way

from from the from here here watch it

and it's

power and control in the shoulder watch

it watch How It's strong here way past

vertical leads him well into this trophy

position that's a beautiful now watch

how strong it is when it pulls away look

how it's got tension it's actually

controlling this movement look at that

and then tucking and holding look at

that okay and the reason why his palm is

up because engages the the bicep muscle

and holds the power in that left arm as

he's coming through contact then when

the ball's gone he can finally relax the

left hand and let it go okay so many

takeaways from this analysis of Tommy's

serve I think he's got a very very good

serve cons concept wise I think he

tosses the ball a little bit more behind

his head than I would recommend for most

recreational players but the Rhythm the

tempo um the setup um the consistency in

his practice um the grip uh everything

is ideal so hopefully there's some

things you can take away from this video

um please go ahead and leave your

comments down below give us a like if

you haven't subscribed the Channel

please do so we've got a lot more coming

here at Performance Plus tennis that'll

help your serve and um thanks so much

for watching today's lesson and I hope

to see you again in the next video