Teaching the Serve:
Part 2

Joe Dinoffer

In part one of this new series on junior development, I outlined some assumptions I hold true about how to teach young players. (Click Here.) These include using visuals and kinesthetics as much as possible, as opposed to verbal instructions. I also believe we should help young players develop the fundamentals of advanced technique from the very beginning.

In the first article, we introduced the start of a teaching progression for the serve, focusing on developing a good arm motion with a serving grip. Now let's look at the next steps for developing the full motion.

As I pointed out in the first article, about 45% of all shots hit in beginning level junior tournaments are serves. The serve is also the most complex motion by far, meaning that more things can go wrong. My strong feeling is that you have to be patient and invest plenty of time in developing the full motion. Every player, especially at beginning levels, needs as much quick success as possible. So step by step small successes are what players need to stay motivated and eager to improve.

Although this progressions was designed for teaching junior players, the same concepts apply at all levels. If you are an adult player looking to reconstruct or improve your own service motion, you may find them helpful as well.

5 Stages

I want to outline the 5 stages I use to help players develop the full motion and their own individual rhythm. Using them you'll find some players will get an immediate feel for how to put them together into a smooth motion.

But taking it one step at a time will help others who may progress more slowly. My advice is that if a player struggles with them, simply continue to work let the player master them at his or her own pace.

For each of the 5 stages I've developed a cue word and a corresponding set of images and/or physical positions and motions. The 5 Stages are:

Like all shots in tennis, there is a rhythm to each person's serve. Players can say the cues silently to themselves or repeat them out loud as they work to develop the rhythm that suits them best.

Relax

I believe players should relax the serving hand before the start of the motion. For this reason, I teach young players to support the racket with the left or non-racquet hand. Players should be able to take their right hand off the racket without the racquet falling since the weight of the racquet is fully supported. Hold the ball in the left hand with the thumb and first two fingers and support the racquet with the last two. This habit will serve you well for your entire life at all levels of play.

Set

The Set contains three primary components. Some aspects are based on individual preference. For example, the backswing can be a relaxed, full pendulum style but it can be abbreviated to a greater or lesser extent as well.

As the backswing starts, the first component is about a 45-degree shoulder rotation or upper body coiling. In this phase, I put guides in the form of two rubber lines down on the court. This gives the player a visual of the line for the shoulder turn. The second component is to tilt the swinging shoulder slightly down to keep the racquet hand at or slightly below shoulder height. (Fade)

The third part of the Set is the toss. Toss height is a debated topic in teaching theory. But whether you teach a higher or lower toss, the point is to coordinate it with the rhythm of the individual player.

A toss that is too high can result in a hitch. A toss that is too low can make a player rush, tighten up, and lose the critical feeling of relaxation. The challenge is that all 3 of these actions take place at the same time. This is where patience and working back and forth between the 3 parts is the way to proceed.

Line

The next segment in the sequence is to create a very brief pause in that set-up position. This means lining up your body and the ball.

The Line allows the player to line up the extended tossing hand and shoulders to the ball. This ensures upper body coil and good racquet swing length. If the ball toss is relatively low, the line up may be so brief it's hardly noticeable. With a higher toss, it's more obvious. The racquet height during this brief pause also depends on personal preference; but most agree that the hitting hand should remain below the hitting shoulder.

Load

The next step is to load even more energy before the hit. This loading of the legs occurs during the brief pause in the "line up" phase of the swing.

I believe this loading accomplishes 3 things. First, it lowers the racquet to lengthen the swing and add racquet speed into the hit. Second, it creates ground forces to better trigger the kinetic chain. Third, it creates a push-off that helps players contact the ball higher for a better angle over the net.

You also probably notice that my preference here is for a platform stance. This is the way my daughter and I have developed her serve so she does not bring her back foot up to meet her front. This style of footwork is usually associated with motions with more body turn and deeper knee bend. The other option is to bring the back foot forward during this phase, in a sliding or pinpoint stance.

Hit

The final step is to strike the ball. Here we can go back to the correct arm motion we identified in the first article. This is a combination of elbow extension and hand and arm rotation. The hitting arm should be straight or fully extended at the elbow at contact. But hitting with a bent arm is a very common problem in junior tennis with younger players, and especially girls.

A good way to work on this problem is by having the player create a mental image of the correct arm position at contact. Then when actually serving, visualize the correct contact position and use this mental picture to guide the motion.

When it comes to the retention of these 5 keys, there is one other powerful technique. Research shows that when players teach what they have learned to others, their own mastery of the information accelerates markedly. So let the player turn the tables and teach you the same 5 keys. It not only improves learning, it improves communication between the player and the coach and can be a lot of fun.

Second Serve

I believe that all tennis players are only as good as their second serves. And this means learning to hit with more spin and adding a stronger topspin component. The obvious benefit of adding kick or topspin is that it allows greater margin for error, and also encourages young players to really hit out.

Initially to get a feel for how to add topspin, I like to use a device I invented called the Spin Doctor, which is basically a rotating ball mounted on a handle. The advantage is the player can once again see and feel the way he or she is trying to make the ball spin. This is a big help when players progress to the actual motion.

I like to start players from a modified starting position to really focus on the feel of the racket moves and how it brushes up on the ball.

Finally, we had her integrate the kick into the full service motion. Note that another important factor is the ball toss. Compared to a first serve, players should definitely toss the ball somewhat further to the left in order to make the upward brushing angle possible.

But players and coaches should take care that in moving the toss position they do not throw the ball behind them as well.. The contact point should remain at the front edge of the body. This can be a real danger for young players, as Nick Saviano points out in his excellent article in this month's issue.

Match Simulation

Just hitting serves one after another in practice is less than ideal, because it doesn't simulate the sequences or rhythms of an actual match. This simulation drill combines two important elements. First the player learns to hit to specific targets. Second they see how the likely response to a certain placement can set up the second ball, in order to take charge of the point.

We start by having the player serve and immediately recover on balance to get ready for the next ball.

The next step is to actually toss a ball to simulate the return. For example, a strong wide serve in the ad may produce a short return down the middle of the court. By tossing the second ball to simulate this return, the players gets the opportunity to take charge of the point and hit an inside forehand to the open court.

Two Common Problems

Finally here are two common problems many players experience in developing the serve, and some kinesthetic exercises that can provide solutions.

The first common problem for beginners is the erratic toss. Although tossing with the non-dominant hand can be challenging, no one is forever doomed to have an erratic toss and therefore an inconsistent serve.

A great drill to work on this is to have the player stand under the entrance gate to the court. If you can toss so the ball stays on the other side of the fence above the gate, your control will improve. In particular this helps players who may toss the ball behind them.

Tight Grip

The second major problem is common at all levels - the tight grip. It probably starts because players are nervous about getting the ball in the box, and they start with a tight hold on the racquet, rather than loose and relaxed as we saw earlier. Here are 2 ways to loosen the grip and the wrist.

The first is to hold a golf ball in the last few fingers of your racquet hand. This trick prevents you from squeezing and automatically keeps the grip relaxed and the wrist loose. The other option is to simply drop one or two fingers off the bottom of the racquet. When you don't squeeze the grip, you won't tighten the wrist.

A consequence of serving with a tight wrist, is a short and tight follow through. Another way to focus on the problem then is by extending and relaxing the followthrough. To do this, use peel off dotes from a stationary store. Put one dot on the racket hand and the other on the opposite hip. Now just connect the dots with the swing. To do this the player will automatically have to relax more and let the swing go.

A final word on the serve: consistency. It's critical to get the technique as correct as possible. After all, players will become consistent at whatever technique they adopt. Since practice makes permanent, they might as well be doing it right.