How to Serve Like Serena Williams

A powerful serve is a desirable component of any tennis player's arsenal. In the tennis world, Serena Williams demonstrates a superior serve on almost every match. Although, it is difficult to duplicate her serve, it is wise to learn some of her technique and customize it to your serve strategy.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Tennis ball
• Tennis racket

1. Toss the ball with open fingers pointing upward. Serena does a good job of tossing the ball and having her hands resemble a flower's open petals. This technique keeps you from pushing the ball up and out of alignment; release the ball straight up.
2. Bend your knees deeply to harness power from your legs and add power to your serve. Look up at the ball as you reach up to hit it with the tennis racket. Serena uses a deep knee bend to thrust herself upward and deliver her powerful serve. Serena's serves have broken records for speed; one has been clocked at a speed of 129 mph.
3. Have a fast arm by practicing your tennis serves using only the upper body, even when Serena only uses her upper body she can reach serve speeds of 90 miles per hours. Ask someone to toss the tennis ball for you from your side so you can concentrate and practice only using your upper body to whip your request around as fast as you can.
4. Hold your racket with a loose wrist. Holding the tennis racket with just your thumb and index finger teaches you how much tension in your hand and wrist is necessary on the serve. Learn to serve with a continuous fluid motion. The goal is to have a serve that feels effortless but is powerful. Serena serves with consistent power on each serve.
5. Be confident and have a fighter mentality. Serena describes herself as a fighter and others sometimes view her confidence as cockiness. Either way, she believes in herself and strives for perfection. Often, her driving force is beating her sister's performance during an open or tournament.
6. Study tennis players that you admire. Watch footage or tapes of serves, read articles and practice what you see. Serena studied her favorite player, Pete Sampras. Serena seems to use his serve strategy of mixing up the serves.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a radar gun to help develop speed on the serve.
• Practice continuous serves with a beach towel that has a knot tied on one end.

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