How to Fix Your Tennis Serve

An effective serve is the starting point for playing winning tennis. Many players work for years perfecting their serve but find they still need help. The following steps will give you the necessary tools to fix common problems and help develop a powerful, consistent serve.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tennis Court
• Bucket Of Tennis Balls
• Racquet

1. Stand near the court baseline, about 1 foot (30 cm) behind the line. Don't stand too close to the line or you will be worried about stepping over it, which is a foul.

2. Hold a tennis ball with only the fingertips of your free hand. Turn your hand so that the ball is facing straight up. When practicing, hold only one ball in your hand.

3. Stand with your knees slightly bent. Lift your racquet arm so that your hand is slightly above and slightly behind your head, with the racquet tilted slightly behind you.

4. Smoothly toss the ball into the air in front of you by fully extending your arm. Don't throw the ball too high. It only needs to rise a short distance above the height of your upstretched hand, equal to the distance from your racquet grip to the middle of the strings. Understanding the importance of this initial toss is vital, because all other parts of the serve flow from it. Your goal is to make the throw identical every time.

5. As the ball nears the top of its rise, bring your racquet arm forward while extending your legs. Swing the racquet with your wrist as well as your arm. The racquet should be arcing slightly downward when it contacts the ball.

6. If you're having trouble establishing a rhythmic swing, put down your racquet for a minute and try the following exercise: Stand at the baseline and throw a few balls into the service box. This helps to establish a smooth arm motion. Pick up your racquet and start over.

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[randy1rutledge]

on 11/20/2009 This is your step number one:
Step 1. Stand near the court baseline, about 1 foot (30 cm) behind the line. Don't stand too close to the line or you will be worried about stepping over it, which is a foul.
My reply:
By advising your students to stand so far behind the baseline you are making them give up valuable target area.
Note: Stepping over the line is not a fault, but touching the line or court inside the line BEFORE CONTACTING THE BALL is a fault. Stepping over the line but staying above the surface of the court is allowed; contact must be made before the foot touches the court area. The serve is technically over as soon as the strings meet the ball.

on 8/18/2006 Although beginners are told to start their serve from the "Back Scratch" position, the idea is to allow your racket head to quickly scratch your back on the way up as you slingshot your racquet head up and over the ball. Snap your wrist later and follow through. Or try the "Royal Wave" as your wrist action for more spin.

on 6/30/2006 Not everyone can hit down on the ball. You must be at least 6 feet tall. If you are shorter than that, you need to hit straight out and allow gravity to bring the ball down.

on 6/30/2006 Having just started, it is very important that the ball is tossed at the correct distance from you. Place a 12" disk on the ground and toss the ball so that you hit the disk each time. When you can do this, place a ball on the ground and try to hit that. The correct distanced is around 12" in front and 18" to the side.

on 1/31/2006 Standing near the middle of the base-line, grasp your racket with the continental grip, not the frying pan grip, also known as the forehand grip. With your racket and ball facing slightly between the net and the ground, bring your racket up behind you into the back scratch position. This action is vital to the correct serve. Once your racket has reached this position, the ball should be about a good metre above your head. Bring the racket face flat down on the ball. Get back into the ready position and play the returning ball.