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By John Yandell
(Click
here to see the simulated video or animation of the classic McEnroe
Serve)
Most players who remember seeing John McEnroe's serve recall his distinctive sideways starting stance, with both feet along the baseline, and the slow rhythmic rocking motion at the start of his delivery.
McEnroe's sideways stance broke new biomechanical ground in tennis. It allowed him to generate roughly twice the body rotation of players with a conventional motion, close to a full 180 degrees, compared to the 90 degrees in a conventional motion.
The influence McEnroe has had on serving in the modern game is evident today in the motion of players like Pete Sampras. Although his stance is less extreme, Sampras lines up his feet with the back foot behind and to the left of the front foot, with the toe turned back even further away from the baseline, or slightly open. The result is that as he begins his wind up, his body naturally turns away from the net. Prior to rotating into the delivery, his back is approaching parallel to the baseline. As he comes to the ball this means a significant increase in power.
There is no doubt that the tremendous hip and shoulder torque pioneered by John McEnroe can be a key power source in any service motion. Advanced players looking for more power should consider experimenting with the starting stance and its effect on his body rotation.
For the average player , however, there are several far more important lessons in studying the motion of this great serve and volley champion.
Eliminating the advanced starting stance, the other core elements in McEnroe's motion are among the most classically perfect in tennis history. His basic motion forms a perfect model for the average player to study and emulate--before experimenting with the advanced biomechanics of increased torso rotation.
In developing each of these key positions, create an internal mental image of how the position should look inside your mind's eye. Then visual the entire motion, with your body and racquet passing through each key frame when you actually serve.
