Learn to Play Tennis in MinutesMomentum by Design Learn to Play Tennis in Minutes The Ultimate Guide to Teach Yourself Tennis! Lesson Sixteen The Advanced Serve Vertical Power By Andrew

Momentum by Design

Learn to Play

Tennis in Minutes

The Ultimate Guide to

Teach Yourself Tennis!

Lesson Sixteen

The Advanced Serve

Vertical Power

By Andrew Magrath & John Littleford

Modern Tennis International Limited

The Ultimate Guide to Teach Yourself Tennis

Lesson 16 – The Advanced Serve

Copyright Modern Tennis International 2008 Page 2 of 15

The Advanced Serve in Minutes

Introduction

es this book can teach you to improve this shot in minutes! Not

weeks, not months or years but here today. All you need is a

partner, some tennis balls, a couple of racquets and of course, a tennis

court! This guide will allow you to learn as you teach your partner, friend

or child whoever they maybe.

Tennis is really an easy game to play but has been complicated over the

years by over choreographed coaching. You will see as you go through

this guide that tennis is truly a wonderful and simple game to play and

learn.

Safin and Nadal

Y




lease do not think that learning to improve your shots means that

we will take you on a complicated and convoluted technical

rollercoaster. Please be assured that every drill, just like the beginner to

improver course has an aim to allow you to perform and improve

naturally.

We have a saying that we very much adhere to:

P

“Advancement is

simplification, not

complication!”




Let’s get on court, but before we do here are some tips before we

begin:

The following steps are easy progressions to improve your game and

it is crucial that you follow them and DO NOT miss any out - or your

game will not blossom as it should

Please note that even the top players re-take these steps to find their

rhythm again

During the tuition one of you will become the student and the other

will become the coach. You will reverse roles as you progress through

these simple steps

Please take your time and make sure you fully grasp each step as you

move along

If followed in the steps provided, you will find your natural tennis

talent - and believe as we do - that TENNIS is truly a simple game to

play




So let’s take the

“The Serve”

to the next level!

Step 1- The Ball Placement (Toss)




The first thing to master is mastering the ball toss or ball lift. This can

be done by placing the ball in an area so the player can find the ball

easily.

Stand roughly 45 degrees to the baseline, with your ball arm across

your body in line with your front foot. Basically your ball arm

shoulder is pointing to the net when you release the ball.

Practice raising your arm fully, then releasing the ball so that it

travels in an arc slightly towards you as if it were going to come down

on your forehead. Hold the ball in your fingertips.

Once you have mastered this then you can experiment by placing the

ball a bit further in front and also towards the back of your head for

topspin serves.




Step 2 - Types of Serve

The flat serve – This when the ball is hit square, just above centre of

the strings. This serve has marginal amounts of spin. The player

strikes the ball with a very loose wrist. The ball trajectory is not ‘hit

up’ as much as spin serves but more ‘hit outwards’.

The key to the throwing action here, as with all the serves, is when

you reach up, don’t drop your shoulder as you hit the ball. The action

is a ‘clawing’ action from the elbow to the wrist. Try not to hit down

too much or the ball will end up in the net! Try 10 flat serves.

The slice serve – This serve produces sidespin and not to be confused

with a slice backhand! There two types of slice contact on the ball.

The first is when the strings come round the side of the ball, making

the ball swerve outwards. This can be known as the ‘slider’. The

second is when the strings come around the back of the ball

producing a lot of side spin but the trajectory appears straight and

flat but in fact there can be 3,000 RPM of rotation on the ball. This

leads to what is known as a ‘heavy serve’. You do these serves by

throwing the frame of the racquet from left to right (opposite for left




handers).Try 10 slice ‘slider’ serves out wide and 10’heavy’ side spin

serves.

The Topspin serve – This serve is performed when the ball is placed

more to the back of the player’s head. Due to the fact that the

racquet throw moves in an arc, you will meet the ball with a ‘low to

high’ contact which as you know, produces topspin. This serve like

the slice is really hit ‘up’ and over the net. You will find that you will

hit a combination of top and sidespin. This leads to an ‘American

twist’ serve. The trajectory of the ball really ties opponents in knots

because the balls trajectory starts out as a slice curving away to the

left (for right handers) but then on the bounce, the ball suddenly

corrects and straightens up! I have had actually opponents catching

the ball in dismay when they first experience this serve. They exclaim;

“What the hell was that??!!” Great feeling heh heh!




Step 3 - Covering the Ball and Hitting up

As we know from the Beginners to Improvers Course, the serve are hit

up and outwards. However when people try this they sometimes

have the wrong grip or a poor wrist control.

To help you with this, try placing the racquet on top of your head,

making sure that you have a continental grip. Now stand one side of

a fence or curtain, place the ball and hit up and across the ball. This

will teach you side and topspin serves.

This drill teaches you to ‘cover’ the ball whilst you hit up and over the

net.

Now try the same over the tennis net. Experiment with coming across

or round the side for side spin, hitting it square for the flat serve and

brushing up for topspin.




Step 4 - For Power

To generate more upward thrust and therefore power on the serve,

try this drill. Most players’ lack of power on their serve due a poor

throwing action. This drill will help.

Standing in a service stance, drop the racquet behind your back.

Make sure that your grip is continental and the soft part of your wrist

is facing the net. The racquet butt is facing upwards at the ball. Try

‘patting’ your back with the frame first, then take it away so you

know the racquet is in a good position to reach up and hit the ball.

Now place the ball so you can find it easily and practice hitting over

the fence with your spin serves.

Now try the same over the tennis net. Experiment with coming across

or round the side for side spin, hitting it square for the flat serve and

brushing up for topspin.




Step 5 - Hands Up together or One Up, One Down?

Just look around at the top Pros. There are two fairly distinctive

service actions. One type has both hands being raised at the same

time and the other is a kind of delayed racquet swing which has a one

arm up, one arm down posture. Which one is right for you? The only

way is to try them both and see for yourself.

With the hands up together, start by addressing the serve with the

palm open. As you start to serve bring both ball arm and racquet arm

straight up. As you release the ball, drop the racquet to the pat back

position, ready to reach up and hit the ball.

With the one up one down action, as you raise your ball arm, slowly

bring your racquet arm back past your back leg. (The two arms now

resemble a see-saw.) As you release the ball, bring your racquet up to

the pat back position and without stopping, up to meet the ball.

You will note that with both actions, the racquet never completely

stops in its journey, from up behind the back to meeting the ball.

Practice all manner of contacts with both these actions.




Step 6 - Placement

You will need to master all service placements. This is more

important than how hard you hit the ball.

For a right hander, these are the following placements and the serves

required to get them there. For left handers, simply the opposite

applies for wide serves.

From the deuce court. Serve slice out wide to the singles line, either

flat, slice or topspin at the body and again down the middle.

From the advantage court. Serve either flat, slice or topspin out wide

to the singles line and again into the body. Serve the slice serve down

the middle.




Step 7 - Weight Transfer and Knee bend

To master this area, put your racquet down and pick up a ball to

throw over arm with.

Start by standing in your service stance, feet shoulder width apart.

Now place your weight onto the back foot. Your front foot can be flat

on the floor, or raised with your heel on the floor.

Start your over arm throw. As you do this, slowly transfer your weight

to your front foot and flex your front knee as you do so. (As you do

this, your back foot may step or drag up to help with the balance and

coordination. It really doesn’t matter.)

Now push up as you throw the ball upwards imitating a racquet

throw. You should come up off the floor. This is produced by ‘ground

reaction force’ and paired with your natural ‘circular rotation force’,




due to your 45 degree stance at the address, will create masses of

force into the serve. These forces are discussed in Lesson 11.

You can also practice the two footed serve where you start with both

feet equally balanced but shoulder width apart

As you start your throwing action, bend both your knees with your

weight about 70% on your front foot and again, push up as you throw

the ball.

Now pick up your racquet and experiment with this knee bend and

weight transfer, together with the various contacts on the ball. Feel

yourself really explode up wards into the serve.

Summary

You could in effect utilize any serve for your first serve. However, the

top pros would typically use either; flat or slice on first serves. They

would use; topspin, slice or the American twist (a combination of

both topspin and slice) on second serves.




You have now completed the serve syllabus. This should have taken you

around 40 to 60 minutes to complete all the progressions.

Now you have familiarised yourself with this syllabus, feel free to re-visit

again and again to really perfect each type of shot. As you can see, there

are many types of serves

The next thing to do is to study DVD to see how you can practice the

serve within a realistic game!

The next technical e book is the return of serve.

SEE YOU ON COURT!

Congratulations!

Documents

Learn to Play Tennis in MinutesMomentum by Design Learn to Play Tennis in Minutes The Ultimate Guide to Teach Yourself Tennis! Lesson Sixteen The Advanced Serve Vertical Power By Andrew