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Strokes and Strategy:

Return of Serve

Ken DeHart


Click photo to hear Ken DeHart talk about the server's advantage.
Preparation and Movement

When I teach club players the return of serve, I start with the basics, which means the ready position. Players are often told, “your feet should be wider than your shoulders,” but I’ve found they don’t lower their center of gravity low enough or spread their legs wide enough. Start with your feet spread wider than a racquet’s length. This is the All-Sports stance. You see it in a basketball player playing defense or a linebacker in football, ready to move in any direction to stop a runner.

As the server begins the motion to serve, the receiver should shuffle from side to side, perhaps rhythmically swaying the shoulders a bit to create a loose, ready feeling. This helps prepare the mind and body for a quick step and shoulder turn.

It’s best to be in motion, so you can move explosively to the serve. And, as Tony Robbins says, "motion creates emotion."  That is, motion helps create positive emotions to offset the nerves players often experience when waiting for the serve.

As the server tosses the ball, the receiver should be moving forward. If the serve is fast, the receiver doesn’t have enough time to take a full backswing, and the forward momentum and body-weight shifted forward helps the receiver deliver a solid return without a big backswing.


The All Court Stance
Just before the server hits the ball, the receiver should do what I call the “mall-shuffle.” Yes, this is the “split-step” everyone talks about, but many players just can’t visualize what a split-step is. The mall-shuffle is what you do when two people at the mall almost walk into each other. Everyone’s done that little shuffle, and that’s what receiver needs to do to lower the center of gravity, to engage the quad muscles in the thighs, and to be ready to spring into action. Overall, you want to be in motion before the serve is delivered, moving in and ready to react quickly. Remember, wherever you feet stop moving is “no-man’s land.”

As the server’s arm goes up, start to walk forward. Right before the server strikes the ball, do the mall-shuffle, and then you’re ready to do what we call a Y-OUT if the server goes out wide. This is a diagonal move to cut off the ball before the ball is by you. As you move towards the ball, keep making those little adjustment steps. Never stop moving. Once you’ve set your feet, if you’ve misread the ball at all, you have very little chance of hitting the ball from a balanced position.

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