TennisOne Lessons

The Serve: Wayne Arthurs, Jonathan Wong, and siliconCoach

Jim McLennan

The serve. We can see when others have it right, something in how it looks. Equally we can see when it looks wrong, perhaps that is easier to describe; there is a muscling, an effort greater than the resulting hit. And when I am serving, I can feel when the motion feels "right" and I can also feel when it feels "wrong." Borrowing a concept from Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, Blink, it may be enough to trust our intuition about how things feel rather than to labor and belabor the hows and the whys.

Along these lines, general instructional materials on the serve present sequential stills of "key" positions and describe how to get there or why. But perhaps, because there are so many things going on in the serve, a step by step analysis obscures how the whole thing goes together. And maybe that is why the serve is so darn hard to get "right." It may be true, as Sampras once remarked when asked how he hit his forehand, "I don't really know (nor was he willing to analyze and conjecture) how I do it, I can just feel it."

That said, there may be another option, a little like the Pro Strokes gallery where you can manipulate the images, but at the same time enabling a side by side comparison of different styles, different mechanics, and different rhythms. In this article, I will attempt to offer some insight on the process using siliconCoach video analysis software. siliconCoach allows one to synchronize two images side by side to the point of contact.The software also enables many discrete measurements, ball speed, racquet speed, angular measurements, and more.

Figure 1: Toss - Release

For this particular presentation, I want the pictures to tell the story. Additionally, I'll use still shots of common positions so we can look at them more closely. If in fact the serve is the most important stroke in the game, equally it may be the most difficult to learn, but also it is one that can be honed through repetitive practice. I hope the moving images provide mental pictures that guide you when serving your next bucket of balls.

On the left is Jonathan Wong, a college junior and member of the Stanford tennis team. Jon has grown up at our club, and over the years, I've watched him develop a beautiful and effective serve. As the moving images show, he is balanced, rhythmic, loose, and gets a big hit without the appearance of effort.

On the right is Wayne Arthurs. Arthurs recently won the 2005 Scottsdale ATP title, and in 2003 he was atop the ATP statistical charts as regards the serve. Like Jonathan on the left, Wayne is balanced, rhythmic, loose, and equally (if not more so) effortless.

Figure 2: Sink with Tossing Arm Up

There are many serving styles on the professional (as well as amateur) tour. These two examples are similar in that neither player jumps to excess. Neither player uses a high toss with a resultant pause in the swing.

When evaluating how they use their legs, torso, shoulder, arm, forearm, wrist, and finally hand, it appears that no single lever or action is overemphasized – but rather they all work in concert, and that in the final analysis may be the key to good rhythm.

Enjoy the images. Get an initial feel for the moving mental pictures you can create. When you can close your eyes and see either of these serves, and then with eyes closed see yourself hitting the ball in this same manner, friend, you may be on your way toward a new, more effective serve.

Figure 3: Elbow Up - Racquet Down

Toss - Release

Jon and Wayne release the ball at or above eye level (figure 1). This is often overlooked, but one of the keys to a smooth serve is how slowly the tossing arm moves, and generally the slower the better.

Rather than examining the mechanics of the tossing arm, the position of the wrist of how the ball is held, I believe it is sufficient to start this thing slowly and release the ball as close as possible to its ultimate destination (as in the point of contact).

Sink with Tossing Arm Up

The leg drive initiates the swinging action into the hit (figure 2). Of note here is the position of the tossing arm. When well extended, the hitting shoulder is naturally held lower, and this posture enables significant momentum and force exerted up and into the ball.

Figure 4: Eyes Up at Contact

Interestingly this is a fairly classic picture, and one that most of us can see with the naked eye.

Elbow Up - Racquet Down

Now it gets trickier. As the hitting shoulder rotates up and toward the ball, the hitting arm, when loose (Braden calls it "spaghetti), will naturally bend or flex (figure 3).

And as to mechanics, the more the elbow bends the further it can extend. Equally, the further the racquet is from the ball at this moment, the more distance the racquet has to gain momentum into the hit. This may be one of the more, if not most, difficult positions for recreational players to achieve. Think loose here.

Eyes Up at Contact

Fairly obvious, but actually one can find many pictures taken at this moment of professional and recreational players where the eyes have migrated away from the ball and across the net (figure 4).

Figure 5: Relaxed Whip-like Finish

Moving one's head at contact will disturb vision, and even in some instances diminish racquet speed because of the attendant wobbling.

Relaxed Whip-like Finish

Snapping a wet towel, or a bull whip (figure 5) – one initially pulls the towel or whip, slowly and continuously accelerating and then abruptly decelerating to cause the towel or whip to pop.

Similarly, these pictures show how the hand and arm have decelerated, there is a relaxed rather than purposeful finish, but clearly it is the racquet that has received all the momentum.

Now review the moving images again and again until you can see yourself in this sequence, serving smoothly and without effort.See if you don't add a bit of pop to your serve.

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Jim McLennan's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.

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