Question for John and Bruce

[thereallovebone]

Serve Footwork-Bruce Elliott, John Yandell

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John,
Bruce, I noticed in your serving article you commented that Taylor Dent lands on his left foot when serving. I watched him a couple of weeks ago and it looks like he is swinging that right leg up and over. I know you and John are dead set against this technique but what are the keys to making this technique work properly. I know Boris Becker was able to pull this off and you have a video on this site of Yannick Noah hitting this way.

[johnyandell]

Real Love

RLB,

This is John, and I'll attempt to answer for both of us. Interesting you mention Taylor because we are working on adding him to the Stroke Archive, probably for June. You won't see him step first with the right foot though. You're correct he is doing something different with that foot--pulling his knee up towards his chest. But he always lands on the left front foot. That right foot move may make his NEXT step quicker and he may get in a bit further in--maybe-- but he is in the mainstream or overhwelming majority on the basic leg pattern--deep bend, explode upward, and on front foot. Becker on the otherhand (or Noah) was not. Sure he had a great serve, but when 95% of the players use one pattern, I think it's hard to argue that the 5% is the way to go. In actually I saw him land both ways--many times he actually landed left foot first! And he'd go back and forth in a single game... Just go check out the first serve he hits in the Stroke Archive. Check out the Sampras serve article on the use of the legs--you won't go wrong.