Secret of a ball toss

[lovati4]

A lot of players struggle with a ball toss. You can find a lot of advice on that subject on Tennisplayer and on the Internet. But almost no one pays attention to the following element of a toss.
Let’s look at serves of Roger Federer (especially 2:00) and Miomir Kecmanovich.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxyNU4LMo2E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK974gGJWhA

Before taking their arm up they keep their back bent. Then they begin to straighten it up giving initial acceleration to the tossing arm attached to the shoulder.
This way arm movement can rely on much bigger muscles of the back in the initial stage of a ball toss. This technique might improve quality of a ball toss even for players who struggled with it for a long time.

[Error]

I wouldn't be thinking about my back, that's for sure. The best way I know of to get a consistent toss is to toss from the shoulder. The other two joints, ebow and wrist should stay straight. This is very important. Almost all pros do it this way. Nadal being a rare exception.

[Error]

I struggled for years with my toss until I learned to use my arm as a pendulum.

[lovati4]

For a consistent ball toss the hand should achieve a particular speed at the point of release. That depends on the initial acceleration of the arm.
It is likely that many people make a mistake here, at this point. They make it too slow or too jerky (too fast acceleration). If the initial acceleration of the arm is wrong it is difficult to have a good ball toss.
For Roger Federer and many other players ball toss begins not with motion of the arm or shoulder lifting the arm but with the straightening of the back. This motion gives initial acceleration to the arm since the torso, the shoulder and the arm are all connected. Back muscles do not care about a brake point they just straighten up the back providing the same initial acceleration to the tossing arm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxyNU4LMo2E

[don_budge]

I wouldn't be thinking about my back, that's for sure. The best way I know of to get a consistent toss is to toss from the shoulder. The other two joints, ebow and wrist should stay straight. This is very important. Almost all pros do it this way. Nadal being a rare exception.

I struggled for years with my toss until I learned to use my arm as a pendulum.

For a consistent ball toss the hand should achieve a particular speed at the point of release. That depends on the initial acceleration of the arm.
It is likely that many people make a mistake here, at this point. They make it too slow or too jerky (too fast acceleration). If the initial acceleration of the arm is wrong it is difficult to have a good ball toss.
For Roger Federer and many other players ball toss begins not with motion of the arm or shoulder lifting the arm but with the straightening of the back. This motion gives initial acceleration to the arm since the torso, the shoulder and the arm are all connected. Back muscles do not care about a brake point they just straighten up the back providing the same initial acceleration to the tossing arm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxyNU4LMo2E

It's a good plausible explanation. How about a "body toss"? Lift that ball into position. One might think of the sternum as the vortex of energy. The focal point. Straightening of the back? Yeah...it could be. The spine angle is very important. As in the golf swing. Spine angle is paramount so you cannot discount the straightening of the back. The hand is connected to the wrist...which is connected to the forearm...which is connected to the elbow...and so on all the way to the chest. So it isn't solely lifted into position with the chest but the cadence and the rhythm is synched to it. Put all of those parts together and understand that you do it with a total body engagement. The arm needn't change position or shape during the process. Then it becomes a feeling and not a hysterical jerk of the hand and/or wrist.

The rhythm is the most important thing. To find a beat that you can hang onto when you need it most. When you get nervous. When things get tight. If you can hang on to the beat you'll be ok and the adrenalin is going to just make it more powerful as the emotions soar. You can count on the big muscles as someone or everyone is alluding to. When the stuff hits the fan. The little muscles such as the fingers, hands and wrist tend to get a little jittery. They lose their nerve...their feeling.

The straightening of the back is true. But what about the other hand. The racquet hand. That too might be synched in the same manner but it is perhaps easier to think of the sternum as the centre of the gravity of the situation. The old hands together...down together, up together. But again...not just the hands. Think body. The situation is over the head so the centre of gravity will be a bit higher than on the ground strokes or volleys. Just a theory. A loose thought or two.

The toss is so important in this motion. That ball must be there when it is supposed to be there. And let's face it...there is only one point in time and space where it is perfect and that is exactly where it must be.

[nytennisaddict]

will tinker with this again... i've noticed that as well (torso/back straightening),... but i went down the route of trying to minimize movement as much as i can (just shoulder muscle lifting straight arm).

[edit] played with this a bit... i also remembered that i intentionally start my toss from my left thigh as a cue (like murray)... as well as to "ride the momentum" on my thigh when i step up to pin point... but i experimented with isolating the arm vs. "body toss".... to me not much difference, and seems like over analyzing...