Mastering The Tennis Serve - A Complete Guide

Summary

In this comprehensive tennis tutorial, Ian, a renowned instructor since 2009, breaks down the critical elements of mastering the serve. He emphasizes the importance of a smooth, circular motion for power and spin, contrasting it with the ineffective linear approach. Ian guides viewers through proper grip techniques, body mechanics, and the crucial toss, providing drills to refine the serve's trajectory and timing. His insights aim to transform the serve into a formidable weapon on the court, with a focus on consistency and athletic performance.

Takeaways

• 🎾 The serve is considered the most crucial shot in tennis, and mastering it can be achieved through understanding grip, motion, and toss.
• 📚 Ian has been sharing free tennis advice since 2009, helping millions of players improve their game with over 2,000 instructional videos.
• 🔁 A long, flowing, circular service motion is essential for building speed, acceleration, and spin on the serve, as demonstrated by professional players like Roger and Serena.
• 🚫 Avoid a linear, straight back-and-forth motion as it limits the power and spin potential of your serve due to shorter motion and less muscle engagement.
• 🤚 The proper grip for serving involves placing the big knuckle of the index finger on bevel number two of the racket handle, which facilitates a circular motion.
• 🤲 The initial racket face orientation should be away from the ball, creating a stretch in the arm and shoulder before the racket unwinds to face the ball at contact.
• 👐 The body and arm movement should start with an external rotation, creating the circular path, followed by an internal rotation to release the serve.
• 🏃‍♂️ Practicing the serve motion without the racket first helps to establish the correct body and arm movement before incorporating the racket.
• 🔄 Transitioning from a linear to a circular motion requires adjusting the timing and coordination with the ball toss to match the new serve motion.
• 📍 The optimal ball toss location is slightly to the right of the body and in front of the baseline for right-handed players, allowing for a full body rotation and reach.
• 🧍‍♂️ A smooth, single-lever toss is vital for consistency; it should be practiced to ensure the ball is released at the same point each time, typically around eye height.
• 🔄 The toss and serve motion should be practiced separately at first, gradually integrating them to find the correct rhythm and timing for a powerful serve.

Q & A

Why is the serve considered the most important shot in tennis?

The serve is considered the most important shot in tennis because it is the only shot where the player has complete control over the direction, speed, and spin of the ball, setting the tone for the point.

What is the key to delivering consistent power, speed, and spin with the serve?

The key to delivering consistent power, speed, and spin with the serve is having a long, flowing, circular service motion that allows for building speed and acceleration, which can then be used to hit the ball harder or with more spin.

How does the circular path of the serve motion help in building speed and acceleration?

The circular path of the serve motion provides a long runway to build speed and acceleration. This motion allows the player to use larger muscle groups and parts of the body, making it easier to generate significant amounts of speed and power.

What is the typical mistake made by many players in their serve motion?

A common mistake made by many players is having a linear, straight-line motion instead of a circular one. This results in a much shorter motion, using smaller muscle groups, and making it difficult to generate speed and acceleration.

How should the racket face be positioned initially in a proper serve motion?

In a proper serve motion, the racket face should initially be facing to the right for right-handed players. This allows the player to create a long, smooth circular path as they circle through the back part of their motion.

What is the recommended grip for serving and why does it help in enabling the circular path?

The recommended grip for serving is having the big knuckle of the index finger on bevel number two of the racket for right-handed players. This grip helps in enabling the circular path by allowing the racket to face different directions during the motion, facilitating the smooth, circular loop needed for an effective serve.

How can practicing the body movement without the racket help in developing a proper serve motion?

Practicing the body movement without the racket helps in developing a proper serve motion by allowing the player to focus on the core movement of turning the body and hand inwards to create the circular path, without the added complexity of managing the racket.

What is the significance of the toss in the serve and how does it affect the serve quality?

The toss is significant in the serve as it sets the trajectory and height of the ball, which the player must hit. If the toss is erratic, it can lead to inconsistent serve results, making it crucial to have a smooth, repeatable toss.

What are the two core elements of a good toss in tennis?

The two core elements of a good toss in tennis are having a long runway, which provides a smooth and repeatable motion, and using only one lever (the arm) to lift and release the ball, ensuring consistency and control.

How can practicing with a shadow swing and a practice toss help in transitioning to a new serve motion?

Practicing with a shadow swing and a practice toss helps in transitioning to a new serve motion by allowing the player to get a feel for the new circular motion and timing it with the rising and falling of the toss. This helps in developing muscle memory and coordination before attempting to hit the ball.

What is the recommended location for the ball toss in a serve?

The recommended location for the ball toss in a serve is a little bit to the right of the body and a little bit in front of the baseline for right-handed players. This provides room for the body to unwind and turn, and allows for an extended reach without getting too jammed up.

Outlines

00:00

🎾 Mastering the Tennis Serve: Grip, Motion, and Toss

The video script emphasizes the importance of the serve in tennis and introduces Ian, the instructor, who has helped millions improve their game since 2009. The focus is on achieving a consistent, powerful serve with speed and spin through a long, circular service motion. Ian illustrates this with examples from professional players like Roger and Serena, highlighting the contrast between their circular motion and a common linear one. He explains the correct grip for serving, which involves placing the big knuckle of the index finger on the second bevel of the racket handle, and the importance of starting with the racket face facing away from the ball to create a smooth, circular path. The video also addresses common mistakes and provides a visual guide for the correct motion.

05:01

🏸 Developing a Smooth and Effective Serve Motion

The script continues with a detailed explanation of the body mechanics involved in creating a smooth, circular serve motion. Ian recommends starting with a simple drill to practice the body rotation and hand movement, which forms the foundation for the serve. He then introduces the use of the racket with the correct grip, emphasizing the transition from the initial position to the release of the racket strings towards the ball. The video shows a student's progress from a linear motion to a circular one, highlighting the importance of body coordination and timing. Ian also mentions the need for good tactics and strategy in tennis, directing viewers to tennissecret.com for further learning.

10:02

🚀 Advancing Serve Technique with Toss and Motion Integration

In the final paragraph, the focus shifts to the coordination of the serve motion with the ball toss. Ian explains the challenges of transitioning from a linear to a circular motion and the need for a longer 'runway' to execute the new motion effectively. He suggests practicing with fake tosses to get accustomed to the timing and rhythm of the new serve motion. The importance of a consistent toss is also discussed, with tips on how to achieve a long, smooth arm movement that releases the ball at the right height and location. The video concludes with a demonstration of the improved serve motion and an invitation to watch another instructional video on developing a kick serve.

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. It is crucial for setting the tone of the rally and can be executed with power or spin. In the video, the serve is emphasized as the most important shot, with a focus on delivering consistent power, speed, and spin through a long, flowing, circular service motion.

💡Grip

Grip in tennis refers to how a player holds the racket, which significantly affects the type of shots that can be executed. The video discusses the importance of finding the right grip for serving, suggesting that the Eastern forehand grip with the big knuckle of the index finger on bevel number two is optimal for enabling a circular path, which is essential for a powerful serve.

💡Motion

Motion in this context refers to the physical movement a player makes when executing a serve. The video script describes a 'long, flowing, circular service motion' as ideal for building speed and acceleration, which is crucial for a powerful serve. The script contrasts this with a 'linear' motion, which is less effective for generating speed.

💡Toss

The toss is the action of throwing the ball into the air before hitting it during a serve. The video emphasizes the importance of a consistent and well-executed toss for a successful serve. It discusses the need for a 'long runway' and a single lever lifting the ball to ensure a smooth and repeatable toss.

💡Acceleration

Acceleration in tennis serves refers to the increase in speed of the racket as it moves towards the ball. The video script explains that a long and smooth circular path of the service motion allows for greater acceleration, which in turn enables the player to hit the ball harder or with more spin.

💡Spin

Spin is the rotational force applied to the ball during a serve, which can influence the ball's trajectory and bounce. The video script mentions using the acceleration developed through the service motion to hit the ball with more spin, making it a more challenging shot for the opponent.

💡Racket Face

The racket face is the hitting surface of the tennis racket. The video script explains how the orientation of the racket face changes during the service motion, initially facing away from the intended direction of the serve, and then unwinding to face towards the service box just before contact with the ball, creating a circular path.

💡Bevel

A bevel in the context of a tennis racket is one of the angled sides of the racket handle. The video script describes numbering the bevels to find the correct grip for serving, with the big knuckle of the index finger placed on bevel number two for a right-handed player, facilitating a circular motion.

💡Trophy Pose

The trophy pose is the final position of the player's arm and racket after executing a serve, resembling holding a trophy. The video script uses this term to illustrate the end of the service motion, where the racket face is oriented towards the service box, indicating a successful serve.

💡Drill

A drill in tennis training is a specific exercise designed to improve a particular skill or aspect of the game. The video script provides several drills to help players practice the serve motion, such as facing to the side to practice the body and arm movement, and using a basket as a target for practicing the toss.

💡Shadow Swing

A shadow swing is a practice technique where a player goes through the motions of a swing without a racket or ball, focusing on the movement itself. The video script mentions using a shadow swing to practice the new circular motion of the serve before incorporating the racket and ball into the practice.

Highlights

The serve is the most important shot in tennis and mastering it involves a step-by-step process.

Ian has uploaded over 2,000 free tennis videos since 2009, helping more than a million players improve.

A long, flowing, circular service motion is crucial for consistent power, speed, and spin.

Roger Federer's serve motion traces a circle, providing a long runway to build speed and acceleration.

Serena Williams demonstrates the same principle of a long, smooth, gradual circle in her serve motion.

Avoiding a linear serve motion is essential as it uses smaller muscle groups and is less effective.

Elite players start with their racket face initially facing to the right before the circular motion.

The circular path is created by not facing the racket strings towards the ball right away.

The right grip is crucial for enabling a circular path in the serve motion.

The Eastern forehand grip is recommended for serving as it supports the circular path.

Moving the body correctly is the first step before incorporating the racket into the serve motion.

Practicing the serve motion facing sideways helps to create the core movement for the circular path.

The second drill involves practicing the motion with the racket in hand, tracing a circle instead of a line.

Transitioning from a linear to a circular serve motion requires adjusting the timing and coordination with the toss.

The length of the toss is important for creating a consistent and repeatable serve.

A single lever lifting the ball ensures a smooth and repeatable toss.

The optimal toss location for a right-handed player is slightly to the right and in front of the baseline.

Using a basket as a target for the toss helps to practice accuracy and fine-tune the release point.

Developing a fundamentally sound tennis serve involves the right grip, swing motion, and toss.

Tennissecret.com offers strategies to make half as many errors in tennis matches.

Transcripts

the serve is the most important shot in

tennis so this is the most important

tennis video you're ever going to watch

because it reveals step-by step how to

master your serve grip motion and toss

for consistent powerful serves hey my

name is Ian and since 2009 I've uploaded

over 2,000 free tennis videos that have

helped more than a million tennis

players improve let's Dive Right In to

deliver consistent power speed and spin

with your surf we need a long flowing

circular service motion watch the tip of

Roger's racket here as he moves through

this motion and watch how it traces a

circle comes around back behind him

drops down low and then comes back up

smoothly towards the point of contact

this circular path gives him a long

Runway to be able to build Speed Build

acceleration and use that acceleration

to hit the ball either harder or with

more Spin and the longer and smoother it

is the EAS EAS it is to do that here's

Serena from the opposite angle so that

you can get a sense for that Circle same

idea long smooth circular again trace

the tip of a racket with your eyes and

you're going to see a long smooth

gradual Circle and that circle is used

to build acceleration to build speed

throughout the motion and then all of it

is delivered and focused right around

the point of contact as it releases and

snaps through I'm going to tell you

exactly how that snap occurs and how it

doesn't occur in just a second first

here's the type of motion we're looking

to avoid not to make fun of this player

at all I just worked with a student this

is super typical this is very normal

watch the tip of her racket how her

racket goes back and then fourth it's a

straight line it's linear this is much

shorter of a motion much shorter of a

Runway and it uses much smaller muscle

groups and parts of the body so it's

very very difficult it takes a lot of

work to get very little speed and

acceleration out of this type of motion

the way we create that long smooth

circular path is by not facing the

racket strings towards the ball right

away any Elite player starts with their

racket face initially facing to the

right this is the hitting surface that

Novak is going to use to hit the ball

then as he circles through the back part

of his motion AKA like the the back

scratch and then starts going up towards

contact now his strings are facing to

the left and in right before contact

he's going to release that stretch that

he has with his arm and his shoulder and

then the Racket unwinds and faces

forwards towards the box now watch

Serena look at how in her trophy pose

her strings hitting surface is facing

out to the right and then as she drops

and rotates her body and starts swinging

up towards contact now her strings are

facing towards the left and then right

before contact she's going to unwind her

Racket and face her strings forwards

towards the box that's what creates this

long smooth circular loop with the

racket now let's look at my student

again the first thing she does is face

her strings upwards and that makes sense

in a in a way because we want the

strings to be facing towards the box as

we hit the ball so the ball goes in the

service box but the problem is as you

play more and more tennis and you want

to hit a better and better serve as long

as you stick with that back and forth

motion you're never going to be able to

generate significant amounts of speed

and therefore power or spin

if this video's already been helpful it

would really mean a lot if you would

click the like button thank you so much

for supporting my videos the first thing

we have to address if you want a proper

service motion is to get the right grip

so to find the right grip first you want

to put your racket on edge and then

we're going to number the different

sides or bevels of the handle 1 2 3 four

and five going around in clockwise

fashion if you're right-handed the best

grip for serving because it helps to

enable that circular path is having your

big knuckle of your index finger right

here on bevel number two of the racket

number one is all the way up on the top

and then the next one over to the right

if you're right-handed player is number

two and you want the big knuckle of your

index finger on that second bevel and

make sure that your hand is spread

across the grip or across the handle so

that it's kind of fanned out a little

bit it's possible to hit a proper serve

with a an Eastern forehand grip which

has your big knuckle on the flat bevel

on the side of your grip bevel number

three but once you start getting around

towards bevel four and bevel five which

is semi-western and full Western

forehand those grips are basically

custom made for the linear straight kind

of motion that we saw from my student a

second ago now let's focus on how to

move the body correctly and then we'll

start putting the racket back in our

hand but first we just need to get a

sense of how to move our body how to

move our arm and hand to stretch and

release release our shoulder to create

that circular path so the first throw I

recommend you do is start off facing to

the side just turn 90° to the Baseline

have your chest facing sideways and put

your arm out at a neutral angle so have

your upper arm be just level with your

shoulders create a 90° Bend with your

elbow and then just face your hand in a

neutral position forwards and practice

turning your body forwards and turning

your hand inwards to face toward your

ear this is kind of the core movement

that starts to create that Circle back

behind us after you've turned forwards

and turned your hand inwards and laid

your shoulder back then it's time to

unwind and face our hand forwards and

eventually out to the side AKA pronate

or release but before we can pronate we

have to turn our hand and our shoulder

Inward and that's what creates the right

to left circular path down back behind

us below down to our waist and then up

towards the ball again is this external

rotation of the arm and the hand and

Then followed by an internal rotation of

the arm and the Hand here's my student

with that pushing motion initially

practicing that it's just starting to

get the feel for what it's like to face

her hand to the right turn forwards and

face her hand to the left and then

eventually getting a feel for what it's

like to unwind her arm and her hand and

face it forwards towards the box so that

the ball actually goes in that direction

ction the second drill you're going to

want to do is put the racket in your

hand now with that Continental grip and

now get comfortable moving your body

through that same motion with the racket

in your hand so notice as I set up my

racket is now facing along the Baseline

to the right and then as my body turns

forwards I'm pivoting turning my hand to

face in towards my ear that's what

starts that circular motion brings the

racket down into the racket drop and

then as I continue facing forwards I'm

going to unwind my arm and my shoulder

and face my racket towards the Box

here's my student practicing her new

motion with her racket you'll see that

now she's tracing a circle with the tip

of a racket instead of going in a line

back and forth now her racket starts off

facing to the right and by the way

there's a lot of refining to do here

there's a lot of optimizing we're just

getting her on the path and so there's

still plenty of things we can work on

but in one session together look at how

now her racket is starting off by facing

mostly to the right and that now she's

tracing a circle and her racket tip is

dropping and now her strings are facing

to the left and then on the way up as

she rotates she turns her hand and then

her racket starts to face forwards we're

getting directionally correct starting

to trace a circle she's not in a

continental grip but she's in eastern

forehand grip which is a big improvement

over the semi-western that she had

before and so we're moving things in the

Direction having a smooth effective

serve is going to help you win more

matches but you need good tactics and

strategy as well which is why I set up

tennis secret.com where you'll learn how

to make half as many errors which is how

most tennis points end in your very next

match it's totally free go check it out

right now at tennis secret.com the next

phase of training is to start to

coordinate the motion the new motion

with a ball which is going to be tricky

because her prior motion and many of you

out there if you're making this

transition your prior motion is probably

very linear straight back and forth and

if your new motion is circular and

longer it takes more time so initially

your old way of tossing your old timing

with your toss your old toss location is

probably not going to work because we

need more room we need more time to be

able to actually make our way through

that new motion so what I had her do is

do a a shadow swing and practice the new

motion and then I did a practice toss

for her out to the side so that she

could practice going through her new

circular motion and try to time it with

the rising and falling of my practice

toss out to the side because if your

brain is thinking oh it's time to serve

it's time to hit the ball you're

probably just going to go right back to

your old straight line back and forth

kind of hinge motion and you're going to

lose the circle you're going to lose the

smoothness and the runway so do some

fake tosses or some practice tosses at

first before you try to hit the ball to

get the feel for what it's like to toss

and do this new circular motion

correctly the final stage is to actually

put your new motion into action with an

actual toss and actually practice

hitting the ball finding the right

Rhythm the right timing the right toss

location so that you can trace that full

circle and actually meet the ball in the

right place by following those drills

watch how just in one session together

one afternoon together watch how my

students old motion was back and forth

and look at how she would finish on the

same side of her body because she was

just whipping her arm and hinging in a

straight line back and forth as hard as

possible compared to her new motion just

a couple hours later with the racket

dropping look at how low the tip of a

racket is getting now her strings are

facing to the left instead of facing

upwards the entire time and now she's

tracing a circle and she has a much

longer Runway can we still improve this

absolutely but now she's on the right

path she's on the right track she has

the ability now to generate much more

speed and much more Spin and she's on

her way to being able to develop an

athletic surve now that we have the

right grip and we have the correct swing

motion we need to talk about the toss

because if our toss is all over the

place if it's erratic then we're never

going to get good quality serve results

so there's two core elements that are

most important about the toss element

number one is that we have a long Runway

and element number two is that we only

have one lever lifting the ball so let's

talk about the length first look at how

the back of Roger's hand is starting up

against his leg and from that position

he's going to make a long swooping

motion with his arm and it's not so much

that he's throwing the ball like toss is

actually kind of a bad word what we're

really doing here is smoothly bringing

our arm all the way up into our trophy

position and then just letting the ball

go watch how he just lets the ball go

and it almost looks like it it's kind of

like weightless and it just kind of

floats out of his hand and that's

because his arm is still moving and he

has this long path just like the

circular motion we're developing with

our racket arm we want to develop a long

smooth Runway so that we can release the

ball in the same way each and every time

so aside from the length it's critical

to point out that his arm his elbow his

hand his fingers are all neutral you

could hinge at the fingers and kind of

flip the ball up in the air you could

hinge at the wrist and flick the ball up

in the air you could hinge at the elbow

and flip the ball up in the air instead

Roger is just moving one lever along a

long path and that allows him to make

this very very smooth and

repeatable let's go back to Serena now

in another one of the best servers of

all time look at how her hand is very

close to the front of her leg and then

she's going to lift in one piece

continue her arm moving just like Roger

she's just going to let her fingers open

and also just like Roger you'll notice

that elite players tend to let go of the

ball right about eye height and then

from there it just floats out of her

fingers because her left arm continues

to move upwards into her trophy pose

you'll notice that as she lets go of the

ball her elbow her wrist her hand her

fingers are all in a neutral position

and so she's just moving in a long

smooth Runway a long path one single

lever moving the ball up into the air

and then just letting it go so where

should you toss the ball like where do

you physically want the ball to be the

best location if you're right-handed

player is a little bit to the right of

your body and a little bit in front of

the Baseline so that there's room for

your body to unwind and turn and also

room to be able to extend and reach

without getting too jammed up so this is

my favorite drill to work on that I've

got a basket here just inside the

Baseline and a little bit to the right

of my stance and I'm practicing keeping

my arm in one piece and just using the

lever of my shoulder to lift and raise

the ball up into the air and my goal

here is to place the ball in that spot

in space where it would be easy for me

to turn forwards and reach up and extend

and make contact in a high athletic

position and then I'm just letting it

drop for the purposes of this drill to

see how accurate I am so I'm using the

basket as a Target and immediate

feedback so if I toss a ball that lands

here then I would make a little bit of

an adjustment with where I'm Letting Go

with the ball continue to raise with one

big long lever but you might want to

release the ball in a little bit

different place so that it goes

someplace a little bit different and so

depending on where the ball lands you

can fine-tune adjust your toss and get

more and more and more precise and

accurate now you know step by step how

to develop a fundamentally sound tennis

serve if this video has been helpful do

me a favor and click the like button and

on the screen now you'll see my other

favorite video on the serve which is all

about how to develop a kick serve which

is one of the most useful and frankly

fun and exciting types of serves that

you can hit in tennis check it out right

now so you can learn how to hit a big

kick