|
TennisOne Lessons 
Developing a Service Weapon the Federer WayDavid W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne With Roger Federer's return to his Grand Slam Championship form at the French Open this past month, I think it is fitting that I use his serve as the "model form" to dissect a high-level service motion. I choose his serve not just because he won the French Open (completing a career Grand Slam as well as matching Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles), but because his motion is nearly flawless, one of the most effective, biomechanically proficient motions among all pros. It is no coincidence that Roger Federer has had relatively few injuries. His only significant time off was due to a chronic illness that sidelined him last year, something that could be argued opened the door for Rafael Nadal to step in and take over the world's number one spot. That is not to take anything away from Rafa. In my opinion, he has earned and deserves every championship and ranking he has accomplished. However, one thing I have mentioned before in contrasting Federer with Rafa is the question as to whether Nadal can remain physically healthy? He is already showing signs of strain. His game is so much more physical and he exerts so much energy releasing high levels of pace and spin that one has to wonder if his body can withstand the fatigue, stress, and wear and tear that such efforts tend to exert over a prolonged career. In contrast, Federer seems to flow on the court, executing serves, groundstrokes, and volleys with a flair that encompasses fluidity rather than brute strength. Such movement, even within today's power game, places far less strain on the connective tissues that tend to become injured as players hit with greater power and speed. In examining Roger Federer's game, and in this article, more specifically, his serve, we can see why Roger is so seldom injured. His fluid game, while powerful enough, is tempered with a calm, maintained level of physical exertion. He seldom goes for more than he knows he can hit with consistency. This can be seen with his serve. He can serve into the 135 mph range, but mixes in various serves with more spin and placement than we usually associate with big time servers like Andy Roddick or Ivo Karlovic. Roger's Serve We will be using side-by-side comparisons of Roger's serve to demonstrate commonalities as well as situational or strategic differences. Obviously, like most all the pros, Roger has a variety of serves to choose from: Slice, Kick, and his harder, flatter serves, all that his mixes with excellent variety in terms of aim within each serve. Stance
It is important to notice the similarities between Roger's second serve on the add court and the deuce court. Note the closed stance, coil of his body and legs, and the explosive use of his legs up into the serve.
Roger uses a very closed stance. Maybe not as closed as McEnroe did in his prime, but certainly we can see a stance that is almost parallel with the baseline. Notice the slight variation in his stance on the deuce court and the ad side. I have discussed the problem many recreational and club players have in not adjusting their stance for the difference in position on the two sides of the court. (Please see: Avoiding Common Mistakes in Tennis.) It is important for a player to recognize that if the stance or body position is not adjusted on the ad and deuce courts, the player will be forced to change the serve to meet the position. Remember, there can be as much as 25 feet or more in difference of aim just from changing from the deuce to the ad court. In addition, if you are aiming out wide on the deuce court and out wide on the ad court, there is another 25 feet or so of aim to account for. That can add up to over 50 feet of difference in aim! Imagine aiming a rifle at a target. Well, if the target was then moved 50 feet to the side but you still stood, aiming at the point where the target was, chances are you're not going to come too close to hitting it! This is like serving. If you don't adjust the stance to account for the aim, then you have to adjust your swing pattern to account for the change in aim. Another aspect of Roger's serve is his “platform stance.” This is a stance that keeps both feet apart as opposed to bringing the two feet together in what we call a “pinpoint stance.” Both footwork patterns can be seen among highly skilled servers. Grip As with all skilled servers, Federer uses a continental grip. This foundation is excellent as it can be manipulated to various subtle grip changes to accent the spin or the racquet orientation. However, from a learning perspective, the continental grip helps players develop a truly competitive serve where other grips (namely the eastern forehand grip) tend to prevent players from developing the overall set of skills related to executing high level serves. Remember, it is not just a grip change; players who use other grips almost always develop characteristics that don't contribute to a more effective serve. From the stance to the swing path to the point of contact, all these elements tend to be far different than that associated with the continental grip and the foundation of a skilled serve.
Here are the similarities between Roger's first serve (left) and second serve. The use of the continental grip allows for both a flatter 1st serve, and an aggressive second serve with high ball rotation. Things to look for: How long Roger keeps his eyes on his target prior to the toss; the shift of his weight back and the balance during the toss sequence; the "cart-wheel" action of his shoulder plane; and how quiet his upper body is through contact.
Toss Roger uses a very conventional toss pattern; ball held in the fingers, toss arm moving up, ahead of the racquet arm as well as tossing nearly parallel with the baseline, with not much difference between his first and second serve toss patterns. Preparation One thing that Roger does wee is that he maintains eye contact with his target much longer than most players. Even while tossing, you don't see Roger look up until right about the release point of his toss. Also, as with most pros, Roger is very deliberate with his preparation. Where most recreational and club players barely yell out the score before they go into their motion, most pros take a very deliberate approach each and every time they step up to the line. Body Position As with most top pros, Roger has a fairly high toss pattern. I bring it up here, in the “body position” section because it is the toss that can allow a player to be in the right position or it can cause a player to change his body position. A low toss causes many detrimental elements to occur: The timing is more difficult as players are often rushed to hit a low toss and end up rotating too early as a result. A low toss can also cause a player to rush the motion or cause the player to cut the backswing elements short. Worst of all, when a player is in a pressure situation, he will often toss the ball even lower. If the player indeed already has a low toss, then an even lower toss under pressure will aggravate all the detrimental aspects I've just delineated.
Compare the difference in stance between Roger's first serve to the ad court (left) and his first serve on the deuce court. He positions himself more closed on the ad court to adjust for the difference in aim. Note the fluid, yet explosive, nature of Roger's serve as he pushes up into the serve, contacts the ball at the apex of his jump, and lands on his left foot with the strong kick-back of his right leg for balance.
The knees begin to bend before Roger releases his toss. You could say he is moving down as the ball is moving up. As he begins to drive up to the contact phase of the stroke, notice how steady and sideways Roger's body remains until the racquet starts to accelerate up from the full collapse position. His body “cartwheels” up into the shot with his shoulders switching positions: His toss shoulder, starting very high during the toss sequence, drops down after the toss as the hitting shoulder rotates upward in a very synchronized move. Swing Path
Here we compare the subtle differences between Roger's first and second serve to the same (ad) court. Notice the subtle, yet effective, difference in the racquet's path: the first serve on the left, the racquet comes more "AT" the ball, with emphasis on the pronation aspect of the motion; the second serve on the right, the racquet moves more "ACROSS" the ball, emphasizing the spin action desired for a second serve.
Even with a so-called “flat” serve, you will see all top players apply a spin component. Note the differences between Roger's first serve on the ad court and his second serve to the ad court. To be sure, the difference is subtle and not readily seen; however, the amount of spin is dramatic, especially for the second serve. The swing path for both the flatter serve and the spin serve is similar but there are differences. Both serves are made up of a complex series of movements that are completed in a fluid, but accelerated motion. Let's break down the sequence of these movements using Federer as our model form:
Finish As the player approaches contact, the tossing arm moves into the body, usually with the tossing hand clenching near the chest. This move helps prevent the over-rotation that I mentioned earlier. The finish includes this arm pulling in across the body to some degree. Roger, like all top players, uses the legs to push up to the ball, making contact with the ball in the air, at nearly the apex of the body's lift. As with all top players today, Roger will land on his front foot, his back leg kicking back significantly for balance. Spin I've not specifically addressed the aspect of spin in this article on serving. There is so much to discuss related to spin axis, ball rotation, and swing elements that it would make this article too long to be effective. However, I have addressed spin in two previous articles, (The Serve: Spin Axis, Body Position, and Swing Path and The Kick Serve) in addition to several other articles written by our expert staff of tennis instructors which can help you understand the serve better. Conclusion As with all players, any student can identify player idiosyncrasies and personal patterns even on the serve. However, the basic foundation is similar across the board. Study other pros and look for similarities as well as peculiar patterns that identify them as “skilled servers.” With all students of the game, when you are able to identify key position points, stroke elements in which you understand and can emulate, you will be well on your way to developing a serve that can be a weapon. If you avoid these elements, or don't know how they fit into the overall picture of the serve, then you will most likely stagnate your serve and create minimal effect over time. And, certainly, developing a great second serve will open the door to playing at higher levels, something that is just about impossible with if the second serve is questionable. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .
|
Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about this article by