The Serving Nodes
Dr. Ben Kibler
In his first two articles, noted orthopedic surgeon and tennis researcher Dr. Ben Kibler has shared the results of his ongoing studies of the serve and elite servers. (Click Here for Part 1. Click Here for Part 2.)
In this third article he outlines his overview of what he calls the Serving Nodes. These are a series of key positions and motions in efficient, high level biomechanical serving. There is more here about the critical role of the back foot.
But Ben also explains the role of correct hip tilt, a much misunderstood topic, as well as the correct rotational offset angle between the hips and shoulders, and the range of correct alignment between the shoulder and racket arm in the windup.
This is important, valuable work which provides a basis for reinforcing--or over turning--many widely held ideas about the serve. I’ve learned a lot from Ben and am delighted to share his work on Tennisplayer!