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Trap the Ball to Hone Your Toss

Monty Basnyat

Click photo to hear Monty talk about the toss and extension drill.

A common question many students ask, “Coach, where exactly should I place my toss?' And if answered and understood, then the task for the student is to consistently repeat this toss, again and again and again. This is not so easy, as any of us who have had afternoons where our toss did anything BUT what we wanted would agree.

When the toss becomes erratic, serving consistency goes south. Confidence goes south. Perhaps even enjoyment of the game goes south.

Players may toss the ball behind them, too far out in front, or off to the side. The only thing consistent about the toss is that it is rarely, if ever, in the same place. It is not even uncommon to see a player take one or even two steps just to get into position to hit the ball.

When the toss goes awry, the player generally does not reach full extension on contact. This leads to loss of power and spin. Finally, and perhaps worst of all, is the tendency for an errant ball toss to become even more exaggerated in stressful tennis matches.


Pete Sampras, the model to emulate.

Some many years ago the great Pete Sampras had an indifferent serving performance in an early round season ending master's tournament, and I remember reading that his coach Tim Gullickson worked on his toss after the match – and specifically the height and placement of this toss.

So taking a cue from Pete (and why not) lets try a specific way to tame an errant toss. Position yourself as though you are about to serve by standing about two steps from the fence. Start with the racquet up and back near the “drop” position, toss the ball up and against the fence, swing up and forward trapping the ball between your racquet and the fence. The idea is to trap the ball with a full arm extension. Visualize a big clock. The object is to try to trap the ball between 11 and 11:30 with a full arm extension.

But then again, I'm left-handed. Right-handers should try and trap the ball between 12:30 and 1.

Once you get the hang of your hitting contact area, the goal is to get the ball toss in that general area every time your serve. Once mastered, your serve consistency will rise dramatically, thankfully, wonderfully.

So, go forth and hold serve!