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Setting up for the return of serve

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Monty Basnyat

I have been trying to get my topspin serve to be more consistent; but it's always going into the net or missing long. I am a B club player who serves with a continental grip. I practice my serves with a bucket every chance I get but when it's crunch time I can't seem to do it. Please help!

There could be many reasons for an inconsistent serve. Improper swinging technique, not enough or too much use of the wrist, and pulling your head down too soon are just a few worth mentioning. But as a tennis pro, I would have to say the most common reason for players to have an inconsistent serve is due to their bad ball toss (and trying to serve those bad ball toss).

The idea on the serve is to have your racquet travel almost the same path every time you go up to connect. Hence if you are having to chase, or lean (foreword, back or to the sides) too much every time to connect, you know you can't depend on your serve, especially when it's 5-6, 30-40.

Here are two tests to check how stable your ball toss really is. You must be able to repeat each of the tests 10 times in a row to pass. Get into your regular serving stance and do your ball toss with your racquet motion.

1. Toss the ball without putting any spin on it ( little bit of spin is OK but you should still be able to read the label on the ball easily)?

2. Catch the toss without having to move your tossing arm (the ball should drop straight down to your hand)?

If you pass both the tests(remember both tests 10 in a row), you can skip reading the rest of this lesson. But if you fail one or both, I highly suggest you read this lesson twice and start practicing your ball toss during your lunch breaks.

picture mb 108 # 26

Take note on how I hold the ball. You always want to hold the ball gently with your finger tips and not your whole hand. When you hold it with the tips, it helps to prevent the ball from rolling off your fingers and causing excessive spin.

mb 109 #'s, 15, 16, 17,

I prefer to start my service motion just above my waist. My tossing arm is just far away from by body where I can keep it straight( my arm is not so straight where my elbow is locked). On the second, and third frames I bring my tossing arm and the racquet arm down to where I am parallel to my front leg. Again take note of my tossing arm, it's perfectly straight. Also notice my knees are not bent. The knee bend starts after the ball toss, not when you start the motion.

mb 109 #'s 18, 19, 20,

Here I am about to start my toss. Again my arm is straight, wrist is locked and the ball on my finger tips.

A key element on these pictures is my starting point for my ball toss. Once I have separated my racquet from the tossing arm, I don't take the tossing arm to the side of my hips to gain momentum for the toss. This is a key mistake club players make; this extra motion gives too much speed on the tossing arm; causing the elbow to bend as the ball is released.

mb 109 #'s 21, 22, 23

On the first frame I am about to release my toss. Again the key element is my straight arm( hard to see from the angle). On the second and third frames I have tossed my ball and then started my deep knee bend. My tossing arm does not stop once I release the ball, just like on ground strokes, I follow through for a consistent ball toss.

In conclusion: Hold the ball with your finger tips, keep your elbow straight, and wrist locked. The only movements on the toss are from your shoulders to make the arm go up and down and the fingers to release the ball. If you are moving or twisting any other part of your tossing arm; it may result in your toss being shaky; especially when it's 5-6, 30-40.

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