Carlos Alcaraz Serve Analysis- Powerful And Very Efficient!

Summary

In this video, John Craig analyzes the serve technique of professional tennis player Carlos Alcarez, highlighting the changes he's made to improve his performance. Craig points out Alcarez's wide stance, rhythmic preparation, and efficient use of his legs for power. He also discusses the importance of head and arm positioning during the serve. However, Craig advises against certain movements that could lead to instability for recreational players. The video concludes with a free gift for viewers to enhance their own serve.

Takeaways

• 🎾 Carlos Alcaraz's serve has evolved, with notable changes that can benefit recreational players.
• 🧍 Proper stance and foot placement are crucial for a strong coil and rhythm in the serve.
• 🤾‍♂️ Weight distribution and a rocking motion at the start of the serve contribute to a smooth and powerful motion.
• 👟 Alcaraz's footwork demonstrates mobility and flexibility, though it may not be advisable for all players.
• 🏆 An effective trophy position involves a good balance and the tossing arm staying right side of the head.
• 🤸‍♂️ The serve's movement requires a combination of leg drive, arm pull, and shoulder rotation for maximum power.
• 💪 A steep shoulder angle and proper head position are key for a strong serve execution.
• 🏐 Pronation and racket string positioning are important for ball control and serve effectiveness.
• 🦵 Body positioning and counterbalance are essential during the serve, especially at the point of contact and landing.
• 📈 Continuous refinement and practice are vital for improving and maintaining a high-quality serve.
• 🎁 Staying engaged with the content provides access to additional resources and tips for enhancing one's serve.

Q & A

What significant changes has Carlos Alcarez made to his serve according to the video?

Carlos Alcarez has made several changes to his serve, including adjustments to his stance, weight distribution, knee bend, racket takeback, and trophy position. These changes aim to improve his rhythm, movement, and overall serve performance.

How does Carlos Alcarez's stance and foot placement contribute to his serve?

Carlos Alcarez's stance is wide and his feet are set beyond parallel to his target line, which allows him to get into a strong coil for his serve. His weight is forward on his front foot, with his back heel in the air, creating a rocking motion that adds rhythm to his serve.

What is the importance of the knee bend in Carlos Alcarez's serve?

The significant knee bend in Carlos Alcarez's back leg helps him create movement and rhythm in his serve. It allows him to sit down into the leg position, which is essential for generating power and control during the serving motion.

What advice is given for recreational players regarding the early tilting of the body and the angle of the head during the serve?

For recreational players, it is advised against early tilting of the body and leaning the head back during the serve, as these movements can be disruptive and may cause the ball to slip away and go too far forward.

How has Carlos Alcarez adjusted his racket takeback in his new serve?

In his new serve, Carlos Alcarez has made a significant adjustment to his racket takeback. He now brings the racket up alongside his body with the strings facing more forward, resulting in a more abbreviated and stable position that allows for better shoulder rotation and power generation.

What is the role of the left arm and foot during the serve in Carlos Alcarez's technique?

Carlos Alcarez's left arm pulls away in a semicircle and tucks while his legs drive upward, acting as a catalyst for shoulder rotation. His left foot is in the air during contact, serving as a counterbalance to his landing and the upward-forward energy he puts into the serve.

How does Carlos Alcarez maintain balance and control during the follow-through of his serve?

Carlos Alcarez maintains balance by keeping his left hand back and his right foot in the air during contact. His left arm stays in position until the ball is gone, and then both the hand and foot go back as a counterbalance to his landing.

What is the key takeaway from the analysis of Carlos Alcarez's serve?

The key takeaway is that Carlos Alcarez has developed a professional-quality serve with potential for further improvement. He has made technical adjustments that enhance his rhythm, movement, and power, and he continues to refine his technique for better performance.

What is the advice given for players who are told to keep their left arm up during the serve?

Players should be cautious about keeping their left arm up during the serve. Instead, they should stretch the left arm up to coil themselves and then pull it away to uncoil and push their legs up, which contributes to a more effective serving motion.

What can players learn from Carlos Alcarez's serve analysis?

Players can learn the importance of proper foot placement, body positioning, and racket technique in achieving a powerful and controlled serve. They can also understand the common pitfalls to avoid, such as excessive body tilt and incorrect head positioning.

What is the 'free gift' mentioned in the video, and how can viewers access it?

The 'free gift' is a guide covering five key elements needed to master the serve. Viewers can access this by clicking on the link provided in the video description.

Outlines

00:00

🎾 Carlos Alcarez's Serve Analysis - Introduction and Stance

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on analyzing the serve technique of professional tennis player Carlos Alcarez, who recently won the B&B Paros Open in Indian Wells, California. The speaker, John Craig, shares his observations from watching Alcarez practice and highlights the changes made to his serve. The paragraph delves into the specifics of Alcarez's stance, noting the wide positioning of his feet, the forward weight placement, and the readiness to create a rhythmic and powerful serve. The speaker also offers a free gift to viewers who watch the video till the end, promising insights to improve their own serve.

05:00

🎾 Serve Technique Breakdown - Toss, Trophies, and Contact

In this paragraph, the speaker continues the analysis of Carlos Alcarez's serve by examining his toss, trophy position, and contact. It is noted that Alcarez's body positioning has evolved, with a significant change in his takeback and the angle at which he enters the serve. The speaker advises against certain movements due to the risk of losing balance or control, especially for recreational players. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of head positioning, shoulder rotation, and the role of the left arm in maintaining balance and facilitating a powerful serve. Alcarez's footwork and the counterbalancing of his limbs during the serve are also discussed, with a focus on the effectiveness of his current technique.

10:02

🎾 Improving Serve Technique - Key Takeaways and Advice

The final paragraph wraps up the serve analysis by highlighting key takeaways and offering advice for viewers to improve their serve. The speaker points out specific areas where Alcarez has made adjustments, such as his head position during the toss and the positioning of his racket for better rotation and power. The paragraph also addresses common mistakes and provides recommendations for safer and more effective serve techniques. The speaker encourages viewers to pay attention to their own serve mechanics, particularly head position and racket placement, to enhance performance. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to engage by leaving comments, subscribing to the channel, and accessing a free gift for further assistance in mastering their serve.

Keywords

💡Serve

In tennis, a serve is a shot to start a point. It is one of the most important strokes in the game as it sets the tone for the rally. In the video, the focus is on analyzing and improving the serve of Carlos Alcarez, a professional tennis player. The script discusses various aspects of his serve, including his stance, arm movement, and body positioning, to provide insights on how viewers can improve their own serve.

💡Stance

Stance in tennis refers to the position and alignment of a player's feet and body during a shot. A proper stance allows for balance, power, and effective movement. In the video, the presenter appreciates Carlos' wide and parallel foot placement, which enables him to get into a strong coil for his serve, contributing to his power and accuracy.

💡Trophy Position

The trophy position is the ready position before executing a tennis shot, named so because it resembles the way a winner holds a trophy. It is crucial for setting up an effective serve or stroke. The video emphasizes the importance of having the head to the right of the arm, the tossing hand extended, and the body coiled in this position to maximize the potential for a powerful serve.

💡Takeback

Takeback refers to the initial part of the serving motion where the player pulls the racket back before striking the ball. It sets the stage for the follow-through and affects the power, spin, and direction of the serve. The video discusses Carlos' takeback, noting how he has adjusted it to improve his serve's effectiveness.

💡Rhythm

Rhythm in tennis refers to the consistent pattern of movements and timing a player uses when executing a shot. A smooth rhythm can lead to more accurate and powerful shots. The video highlights Carlos' efforts to create rhythm in his serve, such as the rocking motion and the slight waggle of his racket.

💡Rotation

Rotation is the turning motion of the body during a tennis stroke, which generates power and spin. Proper rotation is essential for an effective serve. The video emphasizes the importance of shoulder rotation and how Carlos' serve benefits from his ability to rotate his shoulders around and get his serving arm high.

💡Pronation

Pronation is the movement of the forearm where the palm faces downward. In tennis, it is a crucial component of the serving motion that allows players to generate spin and control over their shots. The video discusses how Carlos improves his serve by pronating his arm to maximize the rotation and cutting effect on the ball.

💡Balance

Balance in tennis is the ability to maintain stability and control during and after a shot. It is essential for effective shot execution and preventing injuries. The video highlights the balanced positions Carlos achieves during his serve, such as landing with his left hand extended and his foot in the air, which serves as a counterbalance.

💡Counterbalance

Counterbalance in sports refers to the act of using one part of the body to stabilize or offset the movement of another part. It helps maintain balance and control during dynamic movements like serving. The video discusses how Carlos uses counterbalance moves, such as his left arm pulling away and tucking while his legs drive upward, to optimize his serving motion.

💡Head Position

Head position in tennis is critical for maintaining focus and balance during a shot. Proper head position allows players to track the ball and maintain stability throughout the stroke. The video advises against Carlos' previous head position during the serve, where his head leans back, and suggests that keeping the head forward would be more beneficial.

Highlights

Carlos Alcarez's serve analysis by John Craig from Performance Plus Tennis.

Alcarez won the B&B Paros Open in Indian Wells, California.

Notable changes in Alcarez's serve technique.

Alcarez's stance and foot positioning for optimal coil and rhythm.

Observation of Alcarez's unique waggle and fake start with his racket.

Significant knee bend on the back leg for movement and rhythm.

Alcarez's old serve had a vertical body position and a late tilt, not advisable for most players.

Adjustment in Alcarez's takeback, bringing the racket alongside the body for a more compact position.

Alcarez's trophy position and head placement for optimal serve.

The importance of the left arm pulling away and tucking while legs drive up for serve momentum.

Alcarez's serve rotation and steep angle for powerful serves.

Positioning of the head out of the way for shoulder rotation and serve power.

Alcarez's older serve had a different degree of pronation and elbow position.

The counterbalance move of the left arm and right foot during serve.

Alcarez's left hand leading and racket drop technique.

Key takeaways for players to improve their serve based on Alcarez's technique.

Advice against certain old serve techniques and the benefits of the new ones.

Transcripts

hello everybody John Craig here with

Performance Plus tennis welcome to

today's video we're going to break down

the serve of Carlos alcarez who just won

the B&B paros open in Indian Welles

California and I had an opportunity to

get out to Indian Welles and see him

practicing and uh he's made some changes

in his serve that I think are worth

noting that may help you with your serve

so we're going to get into that and more

here today and before we get started

though if you stick around till the end

I got a free gift for you that covers

some key things that are going to help

you with your serve so hopefully you'll

stick around for that and let's go ahead

and get started so in the beginning

we've got Carlos on both sides here

current and before and his setup with

his stance is virtually identical and I

really love the way his feet are nice

and wide apart and he's got his feet set

up so he's Beyond parallel to his Target

line so he's going to enable him to get

into a good strong coil on his serve

looks very very good and notice too here

that he's got his weight forward on his

front foot he's got in his back heels in

the air he's set up to create a nice

rocking motion which will give him

Rhythm entering into his serve so let's

go ahead and watch him here on the left

hand side as he he does a little another

little thing too he does this little

waggle like his racket looks like he

does like a little fake start with his

hands and then as he moves in he brings

it a little bit more forward and he

rocks back the heel comes down the hands

follow back and he enters into the serve

here okay and if we watch now from this

side the hands are about to separate

away I'm going to go over to the current

one pretty much the same movement here

comes back one thing you can see here

that you really couldn't see on the

other side is that he has a significant

knee band here on his back leg gets a

nice Flex into his back leg he likes to

sit down into that leg position it just

helps him create movement and Rhythm

that he really likes on his serve so

something you can also try to help

create more rhythm in your serve if you

feel a little stuck at the start okay

now let's go to the left here and watch

what he he did before and this is is

very interesting because this is

something I'm really not an advocate of

and we're going to make Marks here for

his body is virtually you know in a

vertical position his shoulders are

absolutely horizontal but when he enters

into his tossing you'll see his hand is

rising his body is tilting

simultaneously and his head is starting

to go backwards so by the time he gets

to the point of release his shoulders

are in a pretty significant angle the

ball has barely left his hand really

there we go ball's still in his hand and

his head is leaning back and for most

recreational players this would not be

advisable because it's very easy for the

ball to actually slip away and and go

too far forward but clearly he practices

enough so that he is able to do this but

I wouldn't advise that position that

tilting of the body early and also the

angle of his head going back look at it

going on this angle usually is a

disruptive movement for most

recreational players okay so let's carry

on here and the other thing that he does

that he used to do in his in his

movement here is this racket would

actually point to The Back Fence so this

causes a little bit of an opening in the

shoulder a little bit of a roll okay and

for most wck players this is where the

Palm continues to roll and it rolls open

and we get ourselves into a waiter trade

position so this is really kind of ill

advised you can see he's really got that

recet pointing to The Back Fence and by

comparison let's go over here to this

new serve you'll see that he brings the

wet up alongside of him the strings

actually face not that it's relevant but

the strings really face the target not

that that's relevant to how he actually

makes contact but you can see here that

he's his strings are actually facing

more forward the hand is more alongside

of him and is very abbreviated and what

it does it gets him into a good position

here where his where his you know his

palm is a little more downward the

racket strings while they're not that

much downward they're certainly more

than they are over here on this side so

you can see he's made a significant

adjustment um in his takeback and I

think part of it is I can't see it from

the side view on the right but I think

what we see over here is kind of a

counterbalance move he's reaching pretty

far out to the to behind him and he's

reaching pretty far forward to the front

of him so he can kind of be stable and I

think that if we could look at his serve

now we would see that he's leaning back

less and his hand is staying a little

bit closer to him here his right hand

and you can see now he's setting

up his racket is sitting here on the

right side of his body and the elbow

position is beautiful the angle of the

shoulders is excellent elbow position

position is excellent let's compare that

to over here okay now his trophy

position in the old serve isn't much

different and does get into a very good

position um couple key things on the

left here notice how his his tossing

hand hand arm has actually gone beyond

vertical so he can really feel like he

stretches himself back and really coils

himself this is a beautiful position

okay and you can see here from both of

these images that his head is positioned

to the right of his arm arm so he's

really looking up his tossing arm and

his tossing arm is remaining on the

right side of his head you can see that

on both sides that's very important

position to get into okay and you can

see that his head is actually leaning

away and that's very important as well

because when he enters into a serve he

needs to keep his head out of the way so

he can rotate his shoulders around and

get this right shoulder to get up high

which you're going to see here in a few

minutes but overall his trophy position

is really quite good but I think if we

looked at it from a side view if we

could look at the new one from a side

view it would look like this is a little

bit more compact in this area Okay much

more like hogar Runa is doing and kind

of a takeoff from the way Andy rodic's

position was as well okay even though

their Tempo and the rhythm's different

the position is very similar okay all

right next up we're going to watch

Carlos here on the left and you'll see

he's going to make his move and one

thing I want to mention here and show

you when he loads into his trophy

position his feet are a little SPL

they're a little bit you know kind of a

hard if you will one's going this way

the foot's going that way not advisable

for for most players but he's so mobile

and flexible he probably just simply

gets away with it okay but he's in

otherwise in a beautiful balanced trophy

position when he's ready to make his

move watch how the left arm is actually

going to pull away in a semicircle and

Tuck while his legs drive up and that

will be the Catalyst that will take his

shoulders from a 45 degree angle here

and rot them rotate them all the way

around and if from a side from a side

view can't see it but when we go over

here you're going to see he's going to

rotate all the way around and he's going

to get into that steep angle here again

so there's his similar angle a little

steeper than 45 but we want to get that

rotation in there and now you can see

how his head has to be out of the way so

we can get his shoulder up because his

shoulder's about as high as the top of

his head so that's really important that

the head is out of the way if you're

struggling with your serve a little bit

check your head position that'll help

you quite a bit okay so you can see here

once again he's going to make his move

the left arm's going to pull away and

Tuck the legs are going to drive upward

and he's going to go from this 45°

rotation here this very beautiful steep

angle and he's going to rotate that

around shoulder over shoulder and come

around and now look at this angle again

look at that there it is so it pretty

much matches as he comes into contact

okay beautiful positioning really okay

so these are key elements now you can't

see his left hand here you can't see it

there but it's it's there if you if his

Shir wasn't flared open you would

probably see his left hand holding

balance right there on the on the right

side of his body but his position

otherwise is perfect it's beautiful and

if we go over to his older serve now

just kind of watch it at contact he

comes through and he turns it over and

he he doesn't get quite the same degree

of pronation as he does in his new serve

but you can see that the strings are

actually facing a little bit more

backwards and you can see that his elbow

is staying higher than his hand okay

that's a deliberate move by the way he's

trying to keep that upper arm up so that

he can maximize that that rotation that

pronation where the racket's coming up

on edge looks like it's going to cut the

ball right in half and then it just

comes through and turns over and now the

strings are facing off to the right

beautiful long axis pronation beautiful

serve then he lands with great balance

here he goes at his left hand here now

this is interesting see how his left

hand's back and his foot's in the air

the left arm goes back as a

counterbalance move as does the right

foot okay and you've seen a lot of

players do this over the years now we've

probably starting with Andy Murray the

Nick curios Dominique team a lot of

players now let that that tossing arm

fall back but notice where it is when he

hits contact right there it's holding

and watch it stays there stays there

stays there only when the ball's gone

and he's Landing does the foot go back

the hand go back as a counterbalance to

the land and all the upward and forward

energy he's putting into the serve okay

finally one other key Point here notice

how the left hand is leading it's

pulling first the racket's falling and

the two almost match at the bottom so at

the lowest point of Carlos Racket and he

has a tremendous racket drop by the way

his left hand is not too too far away

okay most players are real close there

so if you're being told to keep your

left arm up be careful you definitely

want to stretch that left arm up but you

don't want to keep it there you want to

stretch it to coil yourself and then you

want to pull it away to uncoil and push

those legs up you go

okay um let's take a look over here on

his latest serve here and we're going to

see that again he's going to be here

watch where his left hand is when he

racket gets to the bottom there's the

bottom and look where the left hand is

okay so lots of good things here that

Carlos is doing to really improve his

serve and you know the pros are

constantly looking for the extra Edge

and those little things that will make a

big big difference in their performance

so the big takeaway really here a couple

things for you is really what Carlos was

doing on his serve before this leaning

back in this stage right here is ill

advised I'd be very very careful about

this angle he's into uh when the ball's

leaving his hand uh the angle of his

head leaning back I don't don't advise

that as well in fact I'd like to see his

head actually leaning a little bit

forward at this stage to sort of

counterbalance his movement okay uh and

then of course the racket going back

towards the back fence that's an issue

that we want to be very careful about

you're much better off keeping the

racket uh alongside of you right here

with a bend in your elbow that would be

really much better position for your

shoulder to generate rotational power

from okay so I hope you really enjoyed

this video I hope that you took a lot

from this Carlos has developed a

beautiful professional quality serve

that has a lot of potential for

tremendous Improvement I mean it's going

to keep getting better and better he can

just keep working now on targets and

Spins and it's just a beautiful

beautiful technique all the way through

okay so leave your comments down below

and if you have any questions please let

me know that as well I'll answer your

questions and respond to your comments

give us a like if you've not subscribed

to the channel yet please do so and

finally if you click on the link in the

description down below you can get my

free gift which is a five key elements

that you need to master to achieve your

full potential on your serve so click on

the link description down below um get

your free gift thanks so much for

watching today's video and we'll see you

in the next

lesson