Serve Question

[tennis1199]

Serve Question:


Pete Sampras using a platform stance on serve vs

Taylor Dent using pin-point stance


What would be disadvantages and advantages of both?


I have had different responses from a few tour coaches.


Sampras with using the platform stance:
- Disguise, same positional toss for every serve, maybe little inside
the
base line and sometimes tossed back a little further for second serves.
(from right to left with the toss)
- I remember a coach that I used to work with at Bollettieri's school in

Florida said, he ahad mentioned that Thomas Muster
would view tapes of him serving to see if he could get an edge on
points at
different pressure situations to see where he might favor going and
still
said he could get a good read.
-More shoulder rotation from a platform stance, Petes chest almost
faces
the fence. That can help disguise his serve.
-They say Sampras had probably highest spin rotation on his service
balls,
making them come in very heavy. Caused because of a platform stance?
- I think what it boils down to is using a platform stance give you that

extra disguise in making it difficult for returnee to read the
placement..

Federer
- Platform
-hold serve easily, mind you he has the rest of his game to back it up
- but it seems he disguises things well, you don't see guys on top of
cracking his serve much

Disadvantage- I feel you have to be strong in the legs to really uncoil
to
get power and be at max reach potential,

Pin-point- I find it easier using momentum forward for power, Do you
think
that it is easier to read a player opening up for a wide serve?

I remember when Andy Roddick hit a record serve at 153 mph, what
you
did not here was that Jonas Bjorkman hit a two- handed backhand return
down the line
winner. Is Roddicks serve becoming more predictable?

I would not change something if the player did not feel good about it.
I
don't push really either way, I believe in what works best for that
person.

WHO HAS A EDGE OVER THE OTHER?
WHAT IS THE EDGE ? IS THEIR AN EDGE?


AGAIN REFERRING BACK TO SAMPRAS; What makes him probably one of the
best
servers of all time?

I hope you could read all my chicken scratch here!!







Thanks
Adam Johnston

[johnyandell]

Adam,

Great questions with no 100% certain answers. Think there are a few articles on the site you will want to ponder. In Advanced tennis, "Myth of the Pinpoint."

And then in Tour Strokes, the whole Sampras series, but especially the one on footwork.

Those are my articles with a bias toward the platform. Bruce Elliot's article on the Power Serve in biomechanics is more neutral.

Then there's my Roddick serve article which discusses how his unusual stance may lead to more leg drive.

My own experience in teaching is that the platform is more explosive and actually easier to learn. you don't have to have the huge turn like Pete to do it. Although I do believe that you can't really turn like that with a pinpoint as the article argues. Taylor Dent, by the way was once a pinpoint guy and now uses a platform. Check out the Archives on that!

Pete paired the platform with a lot of turn and a ball position at contact more to the left than any player--so there were quite a few factors. The issue of "reading" or disguising the serve is interesting. Can it be read off anything but the toss?

Our high speed video shows that the difference in a wide and a down the T serve is a slight change in the racket path and happens only about 1/100 of a second prior to the hit. Pretty tough to pick.

But I have known players that felt they could read or "feel" something in the motion that gave a cue. Or maybe they were just inside the other player's head to know what he would do. We've all had that experience too. food for thought and anyone else feel free to chime in!

John Yandell