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Advanced Tennis: Sampras Serve
The Left Launch

by John Yandell

Page 2


Pete’s contact point has moved radically to the left, but remains well in front of his body.

 

Creating the contact point for the left launch requires a corresponding ball toss position, again, to the left and in front. 

Arc of the Toss

If we observe the flight path of Pete’s toss, we see that it travels on a curved arc, moving about three feet from his right to his left, from the time it leaves his hand until the contact.

Notice that the arc traced by the ball is not only from right to left, but also outward over the court.   At the same time that the toss is traveling to the left, it is also traveling forward about three feet, that is, three feet out over the court. 

Great serving theory of the past held that the tossing motion should place the ball in front of the body and to the right. Jack Kramer advised placing a handkerchief in front and to the right of the front foot, and then practicing the toss until you could drop the ball on the handkerchief 100 times in a row. The ball should be tossed so that it travels straight up into the air on a line perpendicular to the court, then falling naturally straight down on the same line so that it lands on that handkerchief.

The arc of Pete’s toss viewed from front to back. This leads to contact in front of the body and well out over the court.

If Pete were to let his toss drop to the court, it would fall nowhere near the handkerchief placed by the great Jack Kramer. If Pete let the toss complete it’s natural path, it would land completely to the left of his body, and several feet in front of the baseline.

The arc of Pete's toss viewed from right to left. This positions the ball for the left launch diagonal. 

Advantage of the Left Launch 

So what is the technical benefit and advantage of the left launch? The left launch actually increases the bio-mechanical power of the other key elements we have identified in Pete’s serve: the swing path, the uncoiling of the legs, and the radical body rotation. Let’s examine the relationship of the left launch to each of these factors. 

The Swing Path  

The position of his toss and contact point further to the left means that Pete’s elbow is aligned more directly behind the ball at the racket drop. As he moves the racket toward the contact point, Pete is hitting up to the ball on a steeper diagonal. There is less movement of the racket head from left to right than for players with a more traditional toss position to the right.

The position of Pete’s toss places his elbow more directly behind the ball, allowing him to hit up for more speed, and more spin.

This, as in the case of the traditional kick second serve, makes it easier for him to produce spin. But, unlike the traditional kick serve, developing this extra spin does not come at the expense of power. This is because the contact still remains in front, about 3 feet out over the court. In fact 


The left launch means Pete’s legs uncoil toward the contact in the direction he is already pointing.
this element may actually increase power, again, because the motion from the drop to the contact is more direct and more in line with the line of the shot. 

In effect, Pete has found a way to “hit through the ball” in much the same way we think about hitting through the ball on a groundstroke - moving the racket as directly as possible along the shot line for as long as possible. At the same time, this position helps him generate incredible spin. Remember that his 120mph first serve is spinning at about 2700rpm, close to twice the rate of most pro servers in the same speed range.

Uncoiling of the Legs

Note that at the bottom of Pete's knee bend, his torso is inclined at about 60 degrees. This is the left launch diagonal, the same angle at which his body will leave the court. As he moves the racket head to the ball the energy from his legs releases directly along this same 60 degree diagonal. Rather than changing direction in mid air and moving to a contact point to his right, Pete uncoils into the ball in the direction he is already pointing.

The incline in the angle of Pete’s body comes from the depth of his knee bend, not from a bend at the waist. 

Note that the incline in the angle of Pete’s body is caused by the depth of the bend in his knees.  He has not bent over at the waist, leaned to the side, or arched his back. His torso, including  both his hips and his shoulders, are basically in line on the left launch diagonal, and stay that way as he explodes into the ball.                                Click here for Page 3

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