In tennis, a serve is a point which starts the game. The player serves by tossing the ball into the air and hits it in the diagonally opposite service box, without the ball touching the net. The modern game requires an effective serve to be a successful player. Many players work for several years to make their serve perfect, only to discover that they still need help. Here are a few tips which will fix the common problems and will help in developing a powerful, consistent serve.
- Position – When serving, one should start each game from the back of the baseline around 30 cm behind the line, to the right of center mark. One should avoid standing too close to the baseline, as standing close to baseline will worry you from stepping over it, which is a foul.
- Height factor – Players with average height find it difficult to hit powerful serves. For players of average height, flat and hard serves have to just clear the net or they will go long. In such cases, one should add some topspin to the serve which will increase the margin of clearance over the net.
- Hold – One should hold a tennis ball with only the fingertips of the freehand. The ball should be facing straight up and for this one should turn his hand. During practice, one should hold only a single ball in the hand.
- High tossing – One should toss the ball no more than a few inches higher than the point of contact. If the toss peaks much higher than the point of contact, then the ball will descend towards the racquet with a significant downward vector. This will degrade your serve.
- Head Position – One should keep the head pointed upwards for at least a split second after hitting the ball. If you pull your head down early, then probably you’ll pull the racquet down with it.
- Knee Position – One should stand with the knees slightly bent. Then one should lift the racquet arm so that the hand is slightly above and slightly behind the head. At the same time the racquet should be tilted slightly behind you.
- Serve Drill – If one has trouble in establishing a rhythmic swing, then put down the racquet for a minute and try this small drill – Stand at the baseline and throw few balls in the service box. This will establish smooth arm motion. Pick up the racquet and start serving again.