Building the Serve from scratch...Starting with O. Wegner

[don_budge]

The service motion is every bit as complicated as a golf swing. In fact, in some respects it resembles an upside down golf swing because instead of the climax occurring at the bottom of the swing, it occurs at the top. What makes it even more complicated than the golf swing is the fact that we must toss the ball into position instead of teeing it up.

Every good golfer spends unlimited time evaluating, constantly retooling and practicing their swing. How much time and effort do we invest in perfect service motion technique and instruction? Whatever it is...I suggest it probably is not enough.

Faced with this daunting task of trying to teach a beginner student the service motion from scratch...the million dollar question is how do we arrive at the final product so that some other coach does not have to clean up the mess that we have created.

I have been thinking about this for some time now...for a couple of reasons. One is due to some of the questions that have been posted on this forum. Another is because, from my point of view there are some really bad service motions on the professional level. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to emphasis the service motion in teaching my students the game of tennis. I have attempted to come up with a model to steer that student in the proper direction towards the goal of the "perfect service motion". My model is a 4 step exercise that begins at the service line in Step 1, ala Wegner, and culminates on the baseline in Step 4...with Gonzales or Navarro.

Step 1...Oscar Wegner on the serve from scratch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZ9dTikAXw&feature=related

From the Service Line...

1. First introduce the idea of aiming with a proper setup. The serve must go into the service court. Begin with throwing...perhaps at two targets in each of the courts. Aiming begins with the setup position and we begin with the setup here by lining up the feet to create a line at the end of the toes to the target and the racquet pointing at the target.

2. Hammer grip...the student must be introduced to the serve with the correct grip so we begin with something that at the very least...resembles continental. Start with the edge of the racquet towards the ball.

3. Both hands go up together and “open” the wrist (therefore the racquet) or some call it pronation...and with a short backswing push the ball towards the target. The longer you keep the edge towards the ball the more spin it will produce. Introduce both hands working together and spin.

4. A small step forwards into the court with the back foot...to introduce weight transfer.

Step 2 to follow...stay tuned.

[don_budge]

Location of Steps

I tried to show a visual representation of the court here but the locations of Step 2 and Step 3 were not possible for me to put in the place where I wanted them. The two "x's" in the two steps from the service line back towards the baseline were attempted to be placed approximately 1 meter to the left and the right of the middle service hash mark (represented by the ---l---) and equal distance back to the base line from the service line. Anyways...you get the picture. I hope.


-----------x----l----x-----------Step 1 (service line)


- - - - - - x - - - - -x - - - - - -Step 2


- - - - - - x - - - - -x - - - - - -Step 3


-----------x----l----x----------- Step 4 (base line)

Step 2...Continuation of Oscar Wegner and further development of grip and stance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZ9dTikAXw&feature=related

1. Moving the student further from the net on the way back to the baseline is the next step. Working on the same things that Step 1 encompasses we move the hand down to the middle of the grip. At the same time we are moving the student further from the net we are working their hand down the racquet to a "normal" grip on the handle.

2. We now shift the weight slightly forward in their setup position...gradually getting the chest over the front foot and lowering the position of the racquet a bit from the original starting position that Oscar demonstrates...so that it is pointing directly at the target on line with the feet.

3. Now both hands make a small bobbing movement where they initially go down just a bit before they are lifted into position to go forward to meet the ball. The hands go down together, then up together.

4. Now with the step into the court as the student makes their short swing the racquet finishes on the opposite side of the body...left side for right handers. Back foot swinging into the court.

Do you see where we are going with this? Incrementally? Try to anticipate Step 3.

[don_budge]

Beyond Oscar...The Throwing Position or the Forward Swing

Step 3...Throwing the racquet at the ball with a forward swing

Moving the student further back towards the baseline to Step 3 position.

1. The grip remains in the middle of the handle with the "V" of the index finger and thumb on the top bevel of the racquet closest to the player. Further explore the opening or the "pronation" of the wrist and experiment a bit with the fully opened wrist or partially opened wrist to feel the application of spin or flatter ball.

2. Further scrutiny of the stance and setup...initially leaning with the weight and chest over the front foot, always checking the position of the feet and the racquet to emphasize the process of aiming.

3. Now...with the same bobbing motion repeated twice the racquet is lifted directly with the arm in throwing position and the shoulders have made a full turn. A full turn, that is, little by little as the student gets comfortable with the turning motion. This motion of getting the arm in throwing position directly out of the setup position gets the student used to turning and lifting at the same time.

4. A full throwing motion is used to swing the racquet at the ball using a fuller transfer of weight and bigger follow through past the side of the body as well. The back foot swings into the court following the racquet. We should begin to see better synchronization of the hands working together as well.

Incrementally we have gotten the student to develop some of the skills that will be absolutely necessary if the possibility of a perfect service motion is in their future. We are certainly giving them all of the possibilities.

Step 4...The Cobra Strikes!

[don_budge]

Birthing Gonzales...The Backswing

Step 4...The Model is Gonzales and the whole Enchilada

From Steps 1-3 we have began to develop the skills and the relevant related motions that will be the final product of building the structure for the perfect service motion. By emphasizing these fundamentals at the beginning we eliminate the necessity of trying to salvage something of less value down the road. It's all about the backswing...getting in position to go forward. For Step 4 we move back to the baseline.

1. The Setup and Grip...after considerable practice the student now is ready to approach the final vision of the service motion with a proper setup and grip. By practicing steps 1 through 3 the student automatically comes to their service position with their feet, racquet and body in position to make the moves and motions involved in this most complex of motions. Simply...the feet create a line to the target and the racquet is laying on this same line in a relaxed position about waist high pointed with deliberate fixation.

2. The Backswing...is initiated with a bobbing motion in which the whole body is subtly engaged in...Ben Hogan would call this the "waggle" and it sets the tone for the entire motion. The hands go slightly up together and down together and the body is gently following the same rhythm in preparation for the turning and lifting motion. The arm is in a loosely knitted "L" position and slightly bent at the elbow. As the bobbing motion goes into the down phase the body and arm merely follow, allowing the racquet to drop at free fall speed. When the racquet reaches the bottom of it's arch on the way back the shoulders are in line with the feet and at this point everything is lifted up to the point where the racquet can begin its descent behind the back. The arm and racquet at this point are more or less in the same position as in the setup position. This is the result of a service specific unit turn in the service motion. The proper tension in the hand and grip are very important in this phase of the swing and I demonstrate this tension by putting my hand over their hand and "helping" them to swing the racquet up into position. I find that this help gives them a sense of the speed and tension that are necessary to get everything into position to go into the forward motion. The tension is just enough to hold everything in position.

3. The Back Scratch...as the racquet falls behind the back the shoulders continue to turn. I hold my students back in this position and ask the question..."Where are we?". My answer to my own question is this...we are at Step 3 where we lifted the racquet directly back and behind us from the setup position.

4. Endless Evaluation...at this point the real work begins but at least we have clarified some rather significant issues to the student. We have at least introduced the importance of setup and grip, the synchronicity of the hands working together, tossing the ball in the right location and the rotation of the body and the backswing. Through the process of trial and error now and with the scrutiny of a Sherlock Holmes...the coach and student are in position to collaborate. It certainly takes a lot of tinkering, but nobody said it was going to be easy...so we try to keep it simple by laying a sound foundation.

It's a long journey from Wegner to Gonzales but by approaching such a complex task in a series of simple logical steps much of the complexity and mystery is eliminated or at least minimized. It becomes manageable. KISS...keep it simple stupid!

[bottle]

Question. "3. The Back Scratch...as the racquet falls behind the back the shoulders continue to turn." So the shoulders are continuing to wind back? They haven't reversed direction at that point?

[don_budge]

Great Question...

Great question bottle...and it is a super example of just one of many that the student and the coach will be hammering out together in the future. It is a long journey from Wegner to Gonzales.

From:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZ9dTikAXw&feature=related

To:

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/golden_legends/panchogonzales/panchogonzales.html?PGServeFront1.mov

Hopefully between step 3 and step 4 they will eventually form some kind of consensus. You probably already know the answer, though, no? Yes?

And again...sometimes in the lesson words don't trip the ignition in the receivers brain and that is when being able to demonstrate with gusto is a valuable teaching aid.

But as an ex or rather retired teacher/professor, what did you think of the step concept as a teaching model? I don't suppose that ex-teachers cease to be teachers...ever.

A little backscratching...circa 1978, Gonzales style! Shades of Nastase! But really...it's only me, good old don_budge when I was young.

[bottle]

Yep, you gotta break down into steps and hopefully in a way that never becomes oppressive.

And you never can go so far into the detail that you can't put everything together again.

The process is much like good (helpful) explication of a poem.

Wow, you look good in the photo.

No, I don't have a pat answer, but all such discussion inevitably gives me an idea to try for which I'm then grateful.