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By
Rafael Font de Mora
Every tennis player has at one time or another wanted a bigger
serve. The serve can, after all, be one of the most intimidating
shots in the game. Proper preparation and technique are essential
to developing a serve that could be considered a weapon. The
service technique has many components and achieving a comfortable
flow can be difficult. By breaking down the serve, however,
players can iron out the wrinkles that prevent them from achieving
the power they desire. Here’s how:
Preparation
When preparing to serve, first visualize the delivery you
wish to hit. Your weight should be off the front foot, and
you should have a slightly open stance for a serve. Your front
toe should be angled to ease your hip and shoulder rotation.
Exercise: Before serving, bounce the ball five times
and visualize the serve you want to hit. Try to see where
you want the ball to go and its ideal pace, see it as clearly
as possible in your mind. Once you have followed the sequence,
serve it!
Backswing/Toss
During the backswing you should keep your weight on your back
foot. Meanwhile your tos- sing arm should go out to the side
of your body. This will facilitate shoulder and hip rotation.
The quality of your toss can often determine the success of
your serve. As your arm goes up, your weight should be moving
forward and your racquet and palm should be facing down. This
will keep your shoulder muscles relaxed and will enable you
to achieve a whip-like motion.
Exercise: To improve your toss do what we call the placement
toss drill. Position your racquet as an ex-tension of the
front foot. When tossed correctly, the ball should drop on
the face of the racquet. Make sure you toss the ball to an
apex of 12–15 inches above the highest point of your
racquet.
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